The advantages of Isas over pensions

Last year, savers put more money into Isas than they did into pensions. It’s something the government should take note of when thinking about pension reform, says Merryn Somerset Webb.

Two years ago, I wrote an article here saying that the average mainstream fund manager was grotesquely overpaid for doing what is little more than a middlingly skilled admin job. I therefore suggested that, henceforth, all funds charge on a flat-fee, rather than a percentage, basis.

I'm still replying to the emailed responses. In my email inbox, I created a folder called "Cross Fundies" and I have another ten to 20 to messages to get through.

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Merryn Somerset Webb

Merryn Somerset Webb started her career in Tokyo at public broadcaster NHK before becoming a Japanese equity broker at what was then Warburgs. She went on to work at SBC and UBS without moving from her desk in Kamiyacho (it was the age of mergers).

After five years in Japan she returned to work in the UK at Paribas. This soon became BNP Paribas. Again, no desk move was required. On leaving the City, Merryn helped The Week magazine with its City pages before becoming the launch editor of MoneyWeek in 2000 and taking on columns first in the Sunday Times and then in 2009 in the Financial Times

Twenty years on, MoneyWeek is the best-selling financial magazine in the UK. Merryn was its Editor in Chief until 2022. She is now a senior columnist at Bloomberg and host of the Merryn Talks Money podcast -  but still writes for Moneyweek monthly. 

Merryn is also is a non executive director of two investment trusts – BlackRock Throgmorton, and the Murray Income Investment Trust.