With Rachel Reeves’ 2025 Autumn Budget just weeks away, what are InvestEngine clients doing to prepare their finances for any tax and ISA & pension allowance changes?
From rumours of income and capital gains tax tweaks to potential pension and ISA allowances cuts and more, chancellor Rachel Reeves seems to be keeping her options wide open for the upcoming Autumn Budget.
But not knowing what changes Reeves will bring in can make planning your finances tricky.
So, how are our InvestEngine clients preparing for the Autumn Budget?
Here are three moves they’re making.
1. Making the most of ISAs
Last month InvestEngine clients opened a record number of Stocks and Shares ISAs.
In fact, the amount of money InvestEngine clients added was almost double this time last year and was our busiest ISA month since the end of the tax year in April.
And not only were clients opening new ISAs, they were also transferring them too — we received the highest number of ISA transfers since April this year, and again almost double this time last year.
What does this show us?
From a potential Cash ISA allowance cut to the possible introduction of a new British ISA, rumours of ISA changes have been rumbling and we know that Reeves is seriously considering shaking things up.
As a result, it’s perhaps no surprise to see so many new Stocks and Shares ISAs, as well as existing clients topping theirs up and using any remaining ISA allowance.
So, while Autumn Budget uncertainty can make it tricky to try and plan your finances, making the most of your tax-free allowances is still a no-regret move — that’s because your money will be sheltered from tax, no matter what changes we see.
If you’re worried about potential ISA changes, and you still have unused ISA allowance left, then now is a great time to make the most of it before anything changes.
2. Powering up their pensions
Like the Stocks and Shares ISA, in October InvestEngine clients opened and transferred a record number of Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs).
It was the biggest month for SIPP opens and transfers since the end of the tax year, and SIPP opens were up almost 2.5 times compared to this time last year.
What does this show us?
Similar to ISAs, pensions have had their fair share of Budget speculation too.
Some of the most significant rumours that have been circulating include tweaks to tax-free cash when accessing your pension, potential salary sacrifice changes, and caps to pension tax relief from the government.
So again, it makes sense that so many investors have been rushing to make the most of their pension allowances while they still can.
But it also explains why so many are transferring their pensions to InvestEngine, bringing them all together in one place so they’re easier to keep an eye on, while paying as little in fees as possible.
In fact, with allowance cuts on the table, now is the time to make your money work even harder and one way to make sure you’re growing your wealth is to pay less in fees than you need to.
Unlike providers like Hargreaves Lansdown and Vanguard, at InvestEngine, you don’t pay platform or dealing charges.
- £0 platform fees
- £0 dealing fees
- No withdrawal fees
- Only the cost of your chosen ETFs (typically 0.07%–0.25%)
Use our fee comparison tool to calculate how much you could save.
Ultimately, it means more of your money stays invested — and more of it has the chance to grow.
3. Staying savvy with regular investing
In October the amount from new InvestEngine Savings Plans — our automated regular investing product — jumped a whopping 28% compared to the month before.
But why are people flooding into Savings Plans and how can it help you become a smarter investor?
Why are investors opening Savings Plans now?
The period leading up to the Autumn Budget can be a choppy time for markets, especially when some of the biggest companies in the world are reporting on their third quarter earnings.
In fact, in the last few weeks alone we’ve had record highs for the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100, and to add to this global central banks have been making key decisions on what’s next for interest rates.
This can make knowing when to invest in the stock market tricky.
However, when you invest monthly, like with the InvestEngine Savings Plan, you don’t have to worry about market timing.
With a Savings Plan, you invest monthly, allowing you to benefit from something called pound-cost averaging — the simple investing strategy that helps smooth out the ups and downs that come with investing in the stock market.
When prices of stocks or an exchange-traded fund (ETF) are low, your money buys more of that investment. When prices are high, your money buys less. That means over time, you’ll average out the cost of your investments and find a middle ground with relatively low effort.
You don’t need to start with a lump sum of thousands. With fractional investing via InvestEngine, you can start from as little as £20 per month and gradually build your portfolio.
Important information
Capital at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you put in.
Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and is subject to change. ETF costs also apply.
This content is for information only and is not financial advice. If in doubt you may wish to consult a professional adviser for guidance.