Inheritance Tax Planning – Should it be your New Year’s Resolution?
Chartered Financial Planner Alex Pickles explores the basics of mitigating Inheritance Tax. Many people find the idea of discussing Inheritance Tax (IHT) uncomfortable, either due to the complexity of the rules or simply the fact that considering what will happen to your money when you’re gone isn’t the cheeriest of topics. Regrettably, this leads many […]
Changes to Care Funding – What They Mean for You
Chartered Financial Planner Jonathan Warhurst explains what the changes to care fees actually mean for you. Whilst much of the media attention has focused on the rise in National Insurance and the headline figure of long term care fees being capped at £86,000, it is necessary to lift the lid and read the small print […]
Stress Testing Your Retirement – How to Secure Your Future
Financial Planner Tobias Doyle explains the place life insurance should have in your retirement plans. We all look forward to retirement, whenever that may be. It is a time when you become truly free to pursue whatever hobbies or interests you have and say goodbye to the pressures that come with working life. Nevertheless, it […]
Long Term Care – How Can You Plan Ahead?
Financial Planner Carl Reitel explains how long-term care funding works in the UK and whether you would be eligible. Long-term care is becoming more of an issue, particularly as we are all living longer. At age 65, men in England can except to live another 8.9 years in good health; women can expect to for […]
Pension Death Benefits – What Can You Pass On?
Financial Planner Roy Ritchie outlines the different types of pension and how their death benefits work. “In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” Benjamin Franklin Over two hundred years later not much has changed. Neither death nor taxes (particularly death) is nice to contemplate, but both must be […]
Equity Release and the Next Generation
Financial Planner Gary McKenzie explains how Equity Release can play a role in legacy planning. I recently overheard my daughter, Libby, telling her friend that she did not have to worry about getting a job, as when she gets older her dad will give her money to buy a house. I was quick to remind […]
Cash ISAs – Are We Still Partying Like It’s 1999?
Chartered Financial Planner Simon Hartley considers how the benefits of Cash ISAs and savings having shifted since the turn of the Millennium. The year is 1999. Kevin Keegan becomes England manager; the London Eye is under construction and Britney Spears tops the charts. The minimum hourly wage for an adult in England is £3.60, Basic […]
Legacy Planning – It’s Not All About Investments!
Financial Planner Chris Taylor explains how life insurance can allow you to provide a legacy for your family. “No legacy is so rich as honesty.” William Shakespeare You could be forgiven for thinking that your worldly assets (or your ‘estate’) will be enough to provide a legacy for your loved ones, but with average UK […]
Saving for Your Grandchildren – Is There a Better Way?
Financial Planner Robert ‘Bob’ Colebrook outlines the options available to investors looking to secure their grandchildren’s futures. We all like the idea of spoiling our loved ones, whether that be money in a birthday card or a day out (when we are allowed!). Many grandparents will also open a savings account for their grandchildren when […]
Lasting Powers of Attorney – Make Your Wishes Known
Financial Planner Will Hodgson expands on his previous Estate Planning article by discussing Lasting Powers of Attorney. Many people assume that their partner, spouse or even children would be able to step in and manage their affairs should they lose capacity. Sadly, this is not the case; instead, an application to the Court of Protection […]