Why the 'comfortable middle' faces a tougher decade ahead

This year's Budget was framed as a pro-growth reset, with lower taxes, support for workers, and a long-term plan for stability.  But once you look beneath the headline announcements, a very different picture emerges. The frozen thresholds, new surcharges and quiet tightening of reliefs will shape the finances for the rest of the decade, and this cumulative effect matters far more than any single measure.  For many clients in their 40s and 50s, often at their peak earnings years, juggling mortgages and childcare, the budget represents a slow-burn squeeze rather than an immediate shock....