With a new year upon us, there has never been a better time to carry out a financial review to get your finances in order. The end of the tax year is creeping up at the end of March and many people will leave it until the last minute to make sure everything is in order. So why not move now to get your finances sorted in good time, avoiding the rush at the eleventh hour ..read more

Thinking about Retirement To many of those who have just entered the world of full-time employment, the very notion of ‘retirement’ seems like a daunting prospect. A phrase frequently perceived as relevant only to those aged 65 and over, it conjures up images of daily life spent reading the newspaper or going to various ‘gentle exercise’ classes. However, with increasing governmental constraints on pension plans and schemes - particularly for public sector workers - the beginning of one’s retirement planning is being increasingly pushed forward. With the UK government set to push the retiremen ..read more

Pensions As of October 2012, all UK employers were legally obliged to provide workers with a Workplace Pension Scheme. This “automatic enrolment” started with large businesses and legislates that all businesses - whether large or small - be enrolled sooner rather than later. The automatic enrolment process has the potential to cause several problems for small businesses, because many did not previously offer such a scheme. The government offers information about the law and procedures at the workplace pensions website; available at https://www.gov.uk/workplace-pensions-employers. Businesses mu ..read more

Retirement Planning After the events of the global financial crisis and its bleak aftermath, a generation once again learnt the importance of proper planning and budgeting for retirement. Retirement planning is a long-term discipline that most often falls apart when things are going well. When financial matters take a turn for the worse, we quickly realise the weaknesses of our short-term investments. A study by Northwestern Mutual reveals that women who turn 65 today have a better than 50 percent chance of living until age 90. That is three years longer than men. Women should keep this in min ..read more

Introduction In a nutshell, a remortgage involves paying off an existing mortgage with the money from a new mortgage. It is also known as re-financing. When you remortgage your home the original property remains as security, and it does not typically involve moving house. Many people often confuse the term ‘remortgage’ with changing from one product to another with the same lender. However this is not the case, remortgaging involves legally removing one charge over a property and replacing it with a new one from a different lender ..read more

About Protection Insurance How many of us would be able to stop working tomorrow? Perhaps we could take unpaid leave for six months, or even a year, and head off on holiday. But what if that wasn’t your choice to make? What if you were forced to stop work due to illness or injury? Whilst most of us try to keep a little something in reserve for a rainy day, I doubt there are many out there who are in a position to give up their job at the drop of a hat. Income protection insurance can help to support those who find themselves unable to work. If you cannot carry on working due to illness or inju ..read more

The UK Budget Explained: What Does It Mean For You? Back in March, the Chancellor announced the 2014 Budget to Parliament. Every year there is so much information arising from the Budget announcement that it can be incredibly difficult to keep track of how it will affect you and your family ..read more

Using a Cash ISA Your cash Individual Savings Account (cash ISA) is a superb way to earn tax-free interest on your savings and build for a secure future. For investors who deposited up to £5,760 before April 5th, the interest in your cash ISA will be tax-free. There are also circumstances whereby where the account holder can consolidate and transfer money saved in previous years to one Cash ISA. In this way, individuals can maximise their tax-free savings. Cash ISA’s provide terrific savings opportunities. As an investor, you should be sure to do your research and plan a savings strategy prope ..read more

This time of year is always an expensive one. With an average spend of around £850 on Christmas in the UK, many of us spend more than we actually have at Christmas, leaving January a time of paying off debts on credit cards and finance. This year, why not make a change and put a plan in place to ensure that when Christmas comes around next year, you will not be out of pocket as you can plan to save enough to cover the costs in advance, leaving you debt-free ..read more

With Philip Hammond delivering his third Budget as Chancellor this week here are some highlights on what the Budget 2018 means for you, specifically in terms of Property, Personal Taxation and Pension ..read more