Category: Financial planning

Whilst the summer brings bright evenings and warm weather, it can also be a very expensive time of year. Handy tips to help you save money whilst the sun is shining (hopefully) are always welcome, as even the smallest savings can build up to give you a little extra cash at the end of each

This weekend’s announcements that bail-out talks have stalled, the Greek government has called for a referendum on whether to reject or accept the terms on offer from the Eurozone, and the announcement that the ECB will cease to provide liquidity to Greek banks means that, barring any other surprises, the Greek debt boil is about

Recent HSBC research identified four broad actions which may help today’s retirement savers to create an informal plan and work towards a better financial future for themselves. 1. Be realistic about your retirement aspirations The research indicates that more than half of retirees (53%) have been unable to realise at least one of their hopes

The A-level results come out on Thursday, August 13th and thousands of teenagers up and down the country will be looking forward to starting university in September. Their parents, however, might be gloomily looking at their bank accounts and taking a rather different view. With fees of up to £9,000 and accommodation costs of say,

Inheritance Tax (IHT) applies to (some) wealth that is transferred on, or shortly before, death. The tax is currently charged at 40%, with each individual receiving an allowance of £325,000, before the tax is applied. Any unused proportion of this allowance is transferable to a surviving spouse or civil partner, effectively doubling the inheritance tax

Most business owners go into business planning to make profits and to maximise the value of the business ready for selling when they exit. Then many fail to either maximise or extract their business’ value, because they don’t have the strategy to do so. This should include a plan to ensure that the business is

During the 2015 Budget announcement, the Chancellor, George Osborne revealed a new type of ISA, to be made available to the public in the Autumn of this year. The Help to Buy ISA is sure to be of interest to young people in particular, or to parents with children who are currently in the process

Rather than talk about all aspects of the budget yesterday, I thought I would focus on one particular area – the reduction in the lifetime allowance from £1.25million to £1million.  There has been a trend in recent years for the allowance to fall and the Chancellor has again chosen to reduce the burden on the

The Pensions Minister, Steve Webb, has launched a “full-frontal assault” on pension fund charges, proposing a cap on the management fees of certain new pension schemes. He points out that while management fees of small percentages sound low, they accumulate to become large sums of money over a lifetime. The point he makes about the

Are you relishing the arrival of your retirement, whenever it may be due? A recent survey from Aegon found that whilst people continued to have positive aspirations for retirement, there was nevertheless a widespread lack of confidence that retirement would actually deliver. With careful planning though, you can address all of your potential concerns and