COVID-19 has been a catalyst for change in many aspects of our lives, not least the migration to flexible working, which would have taken many more years without the pandemic’s brutal intervention.

The cost-of-living crisis has prompted more young workers to opt out of their workplace pensions, forgoing contributions from both their employers and the government.

After a working life of hard graft, it is only natural to look forward to health, wealth and happiness in retirement.

Investors with short-term goals — such as buying a house in the next five years or paying college tuition — are generally advised against putting their funds in the stock market, since there might not be enough time for a portfolio to recover after a market sell-off. If you do have a significant chunk of your short-term savings in equities, you should be reviewing them with a view towards minimizing risk.

Many of us fantasize about quitting our jobs. In 2021, more people than ever turned that dream into reality. The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that 4.53 million Americans voluntarily left their jobs last November. This was both a new monthly record and the eighth successive reading above the pre-pandemic high.

A little more than a week ago financial markets appeared on the edge of a precipice, about to be overwhelmed by the delta variant’s insidious spread and the plateauing economic recovery.