Many people have used the last couple of years to make positive life changes. Three in five people have questioned what is important in life, while half feel their priorities have changed1. Two in five credit the pandemic with encouraging them to build more long-term savings. However, one in four now feel less comfortable about […]
Category archives: Savings & Investments
IHT reporting – all change
Keeping up to date with tax changes can be challenging and you may have missed this one in relation to the reporting of Inheritance Tax (IHT), especially as it’s not something most of us will deal with very often. ‘Excepted estate’ The changes came in at the start of the year and apply to the […]
How to value financial advice
In recent times the importance of expert financial advice has become greater than ever, as people seek reassurance that their pensions, investments and protection plans are being professionally looked after during uncertain times. Good financial outcomes are obviously important, but these can only be measured over the long term and are just one way of […]
FCA outlines plans to get people investing
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a new strategy to give consumers the confidence to invest, safe in the knowledge they are supported by a high-quality advice market; and to help them do so safely, which should lead to fewer people being scammed or investing in products that are too risky for their needs. […]
Pensioners sitting on cash ISAs
An alarming set of data has come to light. Over three million pensioners are holding all of their ISA savings in cash!1 The analysis highlighted that during the most recent year for which figures were available (2018/19), there were 5.8 million over-65s holding ISAs, valued at just over £305bn in total, the average amount held […]
In your 40s? Is your pension age changing?
More than four in five people in their 40s are unaware that the age at which they can access their pension might be about to change, according to research from the Pensions Management Institute (PMI)1. The normal minimum pension age (NMPA) is set to move from 55 to 57 in 2028, which will mean millions […]
Life admin personality types – are you a forward thinker?
When it comes to mundane but crucial organisation tasks – what life admin personality type are you? Do you tend to have an ‘I’ll do it later’ approach to tasks? If you live in the moment and avoid life admin completely, tend to run late, lack motivation or structure, resulting in poor organisation – you […]
Financial freedom in retirement
When are you thinking of retiring? With many pre-retirees reassessing their lives and priorities in the wake of the pandemic, there really is a seismic shift for many people towards achieving life balance. People need a plan to flex with their changing aspirations – it’s become more about living life rather than going through the […]
Get your ducks in a row for the 2022/23 tax year
Effective tax planning strategies can help shield you from the chill this spring. While there’s minimal change in the operation and structure of the taxation of UK individuals in the 2022/23 tax year, the ‘no change’ element is significant. Excluding the 1.25 percentage point increase to National Insurance and Dividend Tax rates from April 2022, […]
Second-best year on record for fund inflows
Despite the pandemic, new stats from The Investment Association (IA)1 show investors added over £43bn to funds last year, the second highest recorded. The IA details a key finding ‘inflows to responsible investment funds totalled a record £16bn, up £4.3bn on 2020.’ In December, net retail sales reached £2.3bn. Equity funds were the most popular […]