DEAR TRICIA

Need some practical financial advice? YOUR MONEY Editor Tricia Phillips and her team can help

QI’m considering moving to Portugal when I retire. A friend told me I won’t get annual state pension increases if we come out of the EU. I’m worried I might not be able to afford to live if my pension doesn’t increase with the cost of living.

Initially a freeze seemed likely, however the government has now committed to uprating the UK State Pension for those living in the EU until March 2023, in the event we leave without a deal. There are plans

Ato negotiate a new arrangement with the EU to ensure the uprating continues thereafter.

QMy credit rating isn’t the best. I want to take out a loan to update my car, so is there anywhere I can do a pre-eligibility check for loans, similar to the ones you can do for credit cards?

Yes, you can do eligibility checks to find out which loans you are most likely to be accepted for on a range of websites including experian.co.uk, moneysavingexpert.

Acom, totallymoney.com and moneysupermarket.com.

QI’m about to go on maternity leave. Will I be able to carry on paying into my workplace pension? I’ve been automatically enrolled and I think I can just about manage to keep up my contributions.

The good news is that during any period of paid maternity leave you will continue to pay into your pension, so it’s important that you continue to remain a member of

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