WD Wealth Management Ltd

In John Healey's major speech since becoming chancellor, and ahead of his first Budget, he sought to create a sense of optimism. However, rumours about thousands of job losses at Jaguar Land Rover (later confirmed) swirled before his speech, highlighting the challenges still faced.

Read more: https://www.wdwealth.co.uk/article/detail/sjpp/weekwatch-07-09-2026

For many people, a pension is one of their biggest assets. From April 2027, it could also become an important inheritance tax (IHT) consideration. From this date, most unused pension funds will be included when the value of someone's estate is calculated for IHT purposes.

For some families, this will make little difference. For others, especially those with larger pension pots or estates, it could mean that more tax is due and less wealth passes to loved ones.

In the coming months, we’ll publish a series of articles exploring what the new rules could mean for people and their estate-planning decisions.

In this article, we explain what’s changing, who may be affected and some practical steps to consider.

Read more: https://www.wdwealth.co.uk/article/detail/sjpp/how-pension-changes-could-affect-your-inheritance-tax-plans

Anxiety can change the way we view problems. A setback can seem much worse than it really is when we let our emotions take over.

If you are worried about money, that usually means financial security matters to you – which is a positive. Worrying is often a sign that something isn’t right. But it doesn’t always mean there is an immediate problem. Taking time to understand the facts, and talking things through with someone, can help separate genuine concerns from anxious thoughts.

Often, if you have money worries, it can feel easier to ignore a bank statement or account balance. But avoiding or delaying dealing with a problem can make things worse. As with many of life’s challenges, most problems will have a solution.

Anxiety can also cause us to catastrophise. A setback can escalate in your mind until you feel that everything is going wrong. But while these thoughts are understandable, they’re typically driven more by fear than by facts.

Read more: https://www.wdwealth.co.uk/article/detail/sjpp/finding-control-when-money-feels-overwhelming

Fed chair Warsh tees up rate hikes to ease inflation pressures

Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh voiced concerns over stubborn inflation in the US economy during his keynote speech at last week’s Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium.

Warsh was “impressed by the overall performance of the economy”. He pointed to the resilience of Main Street and Wall Street. This included rapidly rising business investment – largely into AI-related technologies – and 20% higher profitability across S&P 500-listed companies in the last year alone. But with inflation running above its 2% target for 65 months, he was clear the Fed’s primary focus should be on stabilising prices.

Nearly half the goods and services in the Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) basket showed price increases of more than 3%. Recent commodity price increases due to tensions around supply chains, investment flow and geopolitics remained worrisome.

What does it mean? While stressing his remarks were not forward guidance, responsibility for price stability sits squarely with the central bank. And if underlying inflation did not come closer to target soon, he said the Fed had “work to do”. For some, this could imply a teeing-up of future rate hikes.

According to CME Group's FedWatch, the likelihood of a rate hike at the Fed's next meeting (15-16 September) increased to 66.1% – nearly double where it was before Friday's speech.

The US dollar index rose 0.46% to 99.57 on Friday afternoon. US equity markets were largely unmoved and short-term Treasury yields ticked higher, from around 4.23% before the speech to 4.32% shortly afterwards.

Read more: https://www.wdwealth.co.uk/article/detail/sjpp/weekwatch-01-09-2026

Achieving a successful handover of your business to a family member typically comes down to three aspects: early planning (ideally five to 10 years in advance), having a full understanding of the value of the business, plus open communication with all involved parties to ensure fairness.

It’s not just about passing on ownership of your company. Succession planning is also about the future leadership and management of your business. And these things won’t necessarily lie in the same hands.

Read more: https://www.wdwealth.co.uk/article/detail/sjpp/keeping-it-in-the-family-planning-ahead-for-business-succession

The traditional nuclear family is less common than it once was, with family life today taking many different forms. Families are increasingly more blended than ever before, shaped by relationships, responsibilities and choices. This means having a say on what assets you want to leave to whom – through a Will – has never been as important, regardless of your relationship status.

According to the 2025 National Wills Report, 79% of UK adults are comfortable talking about death1. Yet when it comes to considering finances, only 36% of people have made a Will2.. This highlights the uncomfortable gap many of us fall into between discussing and doing.

Read more: https://www.wdwealth.co.uk/article/detail/sjpp/where-theres-a-will-theres-a-say

What happens when AI gets a body?

Unitree Robotics, a Chinese maker of humanoid robots, staged a successful listing in Shanghai last week, with its share price rising 460% on its first day of trading. The company recently unveiled “Superman”, able to jump two metres and run at over twelve metres per second. While profitable, traditional metrics reveal Unitree to be highly valued, trading on a historic price-earnings ratio of 900x and a price-to-sales ratio of 147x. Despite this, the company’s $50 billion-plus value reflects high expectations as investor attention in AI widens beyond software-based large language models (LLMs), semiconductors and cloud storage to physical applications. Read more: https://www.wdwealth.co.uk/article/detail/sjpp/weekwatch-24-08-2026

Japan, one of the world's largest economies, is struggling with a falling currency. The yen has been weakening against the US dollar, reaching its lowest level in almost 40 years. It’s also fallen against other currencies, including the pound. While that may sound like a problem confined to the other side of the world, it has become significant enough for both Japan and the US to step in and try to stabilise the situation.

Global investors as well as central banks are paying attention. It is a case of “what happens in Japan may not stay in Japan...” A prolonged decline in the yen has the potential to affect global bond markets, as well as borrowing costs for mortgage rates in the UK.

Read more: https://www.wdwealth.co.uk/article/detail/sjpp/what-japans-falling-currency-could-mean-for-borrowing-costs

AI earnings help fuel record S&P 500

The S&P 500 reached a record high this week buoyed by low US producer and consumer inflation readings in July indicating inflationary pressures are being contained. A stream of strong AI earnings releases reinforced bullish sentiment.

Although markets are indicating a near 70% chance that the US central bank will keep interest rates at their current level next month, SJP’s Chief Economist Hetal Mehta notes the recent inflation breakdown shows “quite a big jump in the price of computers and other AI-related equipment. This AI buildout isn’t necessarily all positive for the economy.” A further cloud was that US retail sales data for July was weaker than expected but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq still managed to end the week in positive territory on receding rate hike expectations.

Read more: https://www.wdwealth.co.uk/article/detail/sjpp/weekwatch-17-08-2026

Losing a partner, a parent, or going through a divorce, are among the most difficult life experiences you can face. It can happen quickly too, without much warning. Not only will there be strong and complex emotions to deal with, but for many women it means a sudden and significant change to their finances.

For some women it might be the first time they’ve had to manage a property, investments, or a large sum of cash on their own.

Making decisions about your wealth at such pivotal points in life can be stressful and overwhelming. So how can women be confident they’re making the right choices for their future when their finances change
overnight?

Read more: https://www.wdwealth.co.uk/article/detail/sjpp/when-finances-change-overnight-inheritance-divorce-and-new-responsibilities