Hannah Williford

Last week, I went on holiday to Copenhagen and seemingly forgot the budgeting part of my brain on my bedside table (along with my phone charger).

Investing is a smart way to build your wealth, and having an emergency fund is essential to not lose what you already have. Before you start your investment journey, it's smart to build up an emergency fund that you can use when life comes at you with an unexpected twist.

In the lead up to recent Budgets, many retirees opted to take tax-free lump sums from their pension after rumours that there would be cuts to the allowance.

Romance involves a surprising amount of paperwork these days. When you and your partner decide to tie the knot, you'll be signing the dotted line on a marriage license, certificate, and a possible name change. While you'll likely want to get past that bit and focus on the plans for the hen and stag, there's one more piece of paper that an increasing number of couples are opting to sign: a prenup.

When children come into the picture, many couples decide to transition to one parent remaining at their job and one staying at home to raise their child. This is a very personal decision. There is no right or wrong answer to managing the demands of a family. But going down this route does mean a big shift in your lifestyle and finances.

Investing in a tech fund may seem like the last thing that needs more space in your portfolio, considering the sectors' dominance in the most popular global tracker funds.

Investing is one of the most useful tools for building your wealth, but it takes a bit of patience to start seeing the rewards. For the average AJ Bell customer, those who are 45 to 54 have a median ISA value more than double those at 25 to 34.

One of the things that makes us love our friends, family and partners is our intimate knowledge of them. I know my boyfriend has to start his mornings with a bowl of Chocolate Mini Weetabix. I know that I can phone my mum at one in the morning, because she'll always be awake and “just about to go to sleep”. Over the years, we share our little quirks with our loved ones, as well as some of our hardest moments, like breakups and unexpected redundancies.

Savvy investors will think about how they can maximise the tax efficiency of their pension not just for this tax year, but over their lifetime. The goal for many is to be able to maximise higher rates of relief when building up a pension and earning more, and a lower rate when it comes time to withdraw.

I recently spoke to a new university graduate, fresh in his first role at an ‘adult job'. He was full of energy from the first month working in a shiny building in London and getting to know the after-work pub culture. He was, however, less wowed when the first pay cheque rolled in, with a big bite taken in tax.