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Financial InsightAuthor: IFA Magazine
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Podcast #150: Budget special - Key Budget measures advisers need to know, with AJ Bell’s Rachel Vahey
Episode 228
Monday, 1 December, 2025
This week’s IFA Talk Budget Special is packed with practical insight, clear explanations, and a few “wait, did the Chancellor really do that?” moments. In this episode, host Sue Whitbread, Editor at IFA Magazine, is joined by Rachel Vahey, Head of Public Policy at AJ Bell, who helps advisers cut through the noise and get straight to what really matters for clients in terms of last week’s budget measures. Recorded on Friday 28th November, this fast-paced 20-minute chat is your shortcut to understanding the key measures, the curveballs (plenty of those!), and the missed opportunities of the Budget. What’s inside this budget breakdown? Rachel takes us on a whistle-stop tour through the key budget announcements, the headline items and the smaller, easy-to-miss measures that really matter for advisers and clients. Here’s a flavour of what’s covered: - Stealth taxes and fiscal drag Income tax thresholds remain frozen – again – meaning more clients pulled into higher-rate tax and more explaining for advisers. Sue and Rachel dig into what the continued freeze really means and the impact on disposable income. There are some startling numbers in this section! - Salary sacrifice reforms and pension implications One of the biggest pension talking points of the Budget was salary sacrifice. What’s changing? From when? And what are the “watch-outs” for advisers and employers? Rachel breaks down the practical implications. - Cash ISAs Rachel explains what the Chancellor has done and what she hasn’t done. She also adds clarity on the much-rumoured ISA reforms and we think this might raise some eyebrows as to the implications especially for investment ISA. - The Budget ‘Smorgasbord’ – smaller measures that matter Your clients will feel these – even if they didn’t make the headlines. Rachel explains: Dividend tax adjustments The reality behind the “mansion tax” / High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS) Property tax expectations vs what actually happened VCTs, and the Chancellor’s stance on growth incentives - The bond market backdrop No Budget exists in a vacuum. Rachel and Sue take a moment to consider the bond market reaction, the Government’s tightrope walk after the Truss episode, and whether advisers should be bracing for bond-market rumblings. To catch up with all the details tune in now!
