If you’re paying into a pension scheme, you can get tax relief on your contributions, with money that would otherwise be paid in tax going into your pension pot instead. That can make a big difference when you’re saving for the future, and working to achieve the kind of lifestyle you want in retirement. The …
It’s worryingly easy to lose track of old pensions, many of which will be worth considerable sums of money and could make a big difference to your retirement. But the fact is, a huge number of people are losing touch with these pots of cash as time passes. For example, many people will know that …
Introduction War? Soaring energy and food prices? Covid surging in China and people taking to the streets in protest? Worries about a prolonged recession here in the UK? In November, there was plenty for world stock markets to worry about – but, as we will see below, the markets largely shrugged aside the concerns, with …
Introduction “A week is a long time in politics,” as Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson famously said. What, then, is two months? Or to be more exact, 55 days? On 6th September, Liz Truss, having defeated Rishi Sunak in the ballot of Conservative members, became Prime Minister. She duly appointed Kwasi Kwarteng – a man …
If, like many people, you’ve had several jobs throughout your working life, you’ll have picked up multiple workplace pensions. But these can be hard to keep track of, both in terms of how much you’re paying for them and how well they’re doing, so you might be thinking of consolidating your pensions into just one …
Early last month, City AM had a dramatic headline: ‘Cash-strapped homeowners turn their properties into personal cash machines.’ They reported that equity release was ‘booming’, with homeowners releasing a total of £4.8bn from their homes in 2021. Ten years previously, the amount released was just £790m with only two years out of the ten – …
The Bank of England’s aim is for the country to have low and stable inflation – and it works to a target of two per cent. Changing interest rates are the Bank of England’s mechanism for achieving its inflation target, and in the current climate of high inflation, it believes raising rates is the right …
Introduction Where did we leave the soap opera that is British politics? At the end of September, Liz Truss was the Prime Minister, and Kwasi Kwarteng was her Chancellor. As we reported last month, Kwarteng presented his ‘fiscal statement’ on Friday 23rd September. Three weeks later, he was gone and Liz Truss had to endure …
Many people understand what a professional, regulated financial advisor does and the benefits of speaking to one. But at the same time, there are many myths and misconceptions surrounding financial planning, which often put people off getting advice themselves. We wanted to explore some of the most common myths we hear around this issue and …
You’ve worked hard to be able to afford to send your child to university, and now the time has come for them to fly the nest and strike out on their own. So naturally, you’ll want them to start their adult life with good financial habits. Here are a few bits of wisdom you could …
