The Chancellor has inadvertently gifted Financial Planners an almost unending stream of frazzled new clients by freezing the tax thresholds, if the latest HMRC data and some fresh predictions on the number of higher rate taxpayers are anything to go by.

The BBC TV satire show That Was the Week That Was became one of the most popular TV shows in the early sixties. 

Given the chaotic performance of the government recently it was something of a surprise this week to see a new financial guidance initiative announced by the returning Pensions Minister Guy Opperman who quit and then returned, at least as a stand in until a new Prime Minister is announced.

A new study provides strong evidence that demand for regulated advice in the run up to retirement is only going to grow in the coming years.

I’ve been away for a bit - have I missed anything? I suspect I have.

After the excitement of the past week, with politicians throwing themselves on the funeral pyre of insanity, it’s time to turn to more mundane, but important, matters. Yes, I’m talking about Inheritance Tax, or IHT as the professionals call it.

I suspect most Financial Planners roll their eyes these days when they read on Financial Planning Today about another advice firm declared in default by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Along with 2,500 other people, I was fortunate enough to attend the Personal Finance Society’s long-awaited Festival of Financial Planning this week. 

There has been a wave of stories recently suggesting that people are pushing back their retirement or opting for a ‘phased’ retirement due to the cost of living crisis.

While reading through the Autumn Statement changes this week I was reminded of one of the most famous songs from the 1964 Disney movie Mary Poppins: A Spoonful of Sugar (Makes the Medicine go down).