Do the latest BRP cards have an actual physical chip? There's none on the back and on the front above my wife's photo is an image of a chip. Is that it? Scanning around that part did not recognise anything.

I think we found the chip is on the back but invisible. Thanks UKVI. However, we're still going around in circles, returning to the 'Link your eVisa' page and having to Confirm Identity again. I think we've been here around 10 times. But I think we're also locked out for 24 hours. This is super frustrating for something that should be so simple.

I got the email this week. I've managed to login with my BRP info quite seamlessly this morning, but that's all. There's nothing for me to set up my eVisa and when I downloaded the app I don't have any of the info (QR/Connection code) to begin using it.

Now, my BRP doesn't expire until the end of the year so perhaps that's why? But it seems silly to ask me to set up an account more than six months in advance.

I am not much of a fan at the moment either.  In particular, because I don't currently have a valid driving licence, I don't like the loss of a compact, government-issued ID (BRP). 

Still, I was contacted via email to apply for the eVisa, as I have a BRP with ILR, about 5 weeks ago.  The process was a little finicky, but workable.  It appears to have gone through ok.

What's unclear at the moment is what to do about the rest of my family, who each also have ILR as dependants on my application.  As far as I'm aware, my email address is the only one associated with that application.  One might have expected to be able to process the rest of the group at about the same time.  However, I have not been able to do so when I have tried to follow the same instructions for them (ending at a point, after having successfully created an account for them, where the system notes that no application is pending for the individual).  I suppose I will wait for further emails to process the others individually, but more clarity about what to expect would be appreciated.

Very helpful, thank you! I'll post back whenever I've learned more.

A 9.5% lifetime annuity is pretty damn good (even though I assume this doesn't not include annual COLA increases). I'm 67, and contributed to TIAA from 1996 to 2006 (although all the TIAA Trad contributions were made from 1996-1999).

The capital I have in TIAA Trad isn't huge, but enough that it makes sense to look into these options. I'd really like to tie a bow around this and not have it hanging there while I continue to receive interest-only payments.

That vintage of contributions will probably get you a good rate on the annuity. More recent contracts are not as generous as the older ones. The 73 year age top start the payout annuity seems strange because that's close to the RMD age limit, I'd expect to see age threasholds like 55 or 59 1/2 instead.

The Vanguard money market funds are not ETFs and do not appear on the HMRC reporting funds list. I think that strictly speaking they pay dividends rather than interest. But if you are declaring the "interest" every year and paying UK tax on it then that sounds like the right way to deal with a UK non-reporting fund anyway.