LPA overhaul? – consultation launched

During the summer, the Ministry of Justice launched a 12-week consultation into the process of registering and creating a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). A handy component of intergenerational wealth planning, LPAs are legal documents, introduced in 2007 to replace the Enduring Power of Attorney, that allow one person (the ‘donor’) to appoint another (the […]

Autumn: a time of change and preparation

As the darker evenings and colder days of autumn approach, our thoughts often turn to hunkering down and preparing for the winter months. A season traditionally associated with change, preservation and preparation, autumn is a perfect time to get your finances organised before the rush of the festive season and the New Year. Getting prepared […]

Reasons for economic optimism in the autumn months

Over the summer months, forecasting agencies took turns to upgrade their growth projections for developed nations as a succession of strong economic data was released. For example, in its latest assessment, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) increased its combined 2021 growth forecast for advanced economies by half a percentage point, primarily due to the success […]

Robust recovery for housing and mortgage markets

Projections produced by the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA) suggest gross mortgage lending will reach £285bn this year. This revision, upgraded from a previous forecast of £283bn, points to the housing and mortgage markets’ continued strength in the face of pandemic-related challenges. A strong housing market has caused a surge in mortgage lending. In the […]

Pension savers enticed by ‘risky’ investments

At a time where it is becoming harder to save up adequate sums for retirement, a new study shows that the UK’s low interest rate environment is causing retirees to turn to riskier pension and investment products which could potentially lose them a significant sum. Risky business A poll from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme […]

News in Review

‘Against a backdrop of robust goods demand and continuing supply constraints, global inflationary pressures have remained strong’ In a unanimous decision, the Bank of England (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to maintain Bank Rate at its record low of 0.1% last week. The vote came as the supply chain crisis, largely driven by an […]