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Life after your Fixed Rate mortgage
Life after your Fixed Rate mortgage. What happens when your mortgage deal expires? If the end of your fixed rate mortgage is on the horizon (even if it’s months away), then it’s a good idea to start looking at your options today. If you haven’t got a new deal in place...
Investing for children
As a parent, you want to do everything you can to ensure that your children have a bright and secure future. One way to do this is by investing on their behalf. Not only can they start adulthood with some savings, but getting children involved early with saving also...
Can You Be Your Own Financial Adviser?
Thanks to the internet, the average person can now access vast amounts of information on just about any topic. That’s amazing in so many ways. It’s also potentially highly dangerous. There’s a difference between having access to information and being able to apply it...
Tax Allowances
Are you up to date with this tax year's allowances for pension, investment & savings? Watch this video to find out more Approved he Openwork Partnership May 2023 [video width="720" height="720"...
What Could IHT Mean For You?
The COVID19 bill is coming due. One way or another, it will need to be paid. There may be a certain level of scope for the government to make savings. Realistically, however, it seems highly unlikely that there is enough scope for it to avoid raising taxes at all. If...
Preparing For Your Very Last Move
Death and taxes are both inevitable. It, therefore, makes sense to prepare for both. Unlike filing taxes, preparing for your death can have its interesting side. In particular, you get to plan your own funeral. You also get the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve made...
Talking Points
Understanding Inheritance Tax
The basic idea behind Inheritance Tax (IHT) is simple. When you die, the value of your estate will be assessed and if it falls over a certain threshold, HMRC will claim a share of it. In practice, however, your tax liability can depend largely on your ability to plan...
How to prepare financially for long-term illness
While British life expectancy continues to rise, the same might not be said for the quality of health we could expect to enjoy as we get older, according to a stark warning from The British Heart Foundation. Their analysis suggests the number of people suffering heart...
10 Healthy Financial Resolutions For 2023 (And Beyond)
New Year’s resolutions shouldn’t be just for January. Effective New Year’s resolutions should create a foundation for healthier habits throughout the year. With that in mind, here are ten healthy financial resolutions for 2023 (and beyond). I will budget effectively...
Preparing For Your Very Last Move
Death and taxes are both inevitable. It, therefore, makes sense to prepare for both. Unlike filing taxes, preparing for your death can have its interesting side. In particular, you get to plan your own funeral. You also get the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve made...
Investing So Your Children Can Afford To Move Out
A child’s first day at school is a big moment for both them and their parents. For most parents, however, it’s also a relief, especially financially. Even so, time flies and it really won’t be too long before they’re grown up and looking to leave school. At that...
Life after your Fixed Rate mortgage
Life after your Fixed Rate mortgage. What happens when your mortgage deal expires? If the end of your fixed rate mortgage is on the horizon (even if it’s months away), then it’s a good idea to start looking at your options today. If you haven’t got a new deal in place...
The pros and cons of 40-year mortgages
The UK mortgage market has a wide selection of both variable-rate and fixed-rate mortgages. It also has other niche mortgage products such as offset mortgages. One of the more recent entrants to the market is the 40-year mortgage on a fixed rate. In principle, this...
How To Manage Your Money When You Have A Mortgage
Managing your money is something you should always take seriously. It becomes even more important when you have a mortgage. Getting into financial difficulties could lead you to lose your home. With that in mind, here are some useful tips on how to manage your...
Will Interest Rates Go Up Or Down In 2023?
The change from one year to the next is often a time when people think about what the future will bring. One of the key questions for this year is the question of what direction interest rates will take. The answer to this question will depend on two main factors....
The pros and cons of 40-year mortgages
The UK mortgage market has a wide selection of both variable-rate and fixed-rate mortgages. It also has other niche mortgage products such as offset mortgages. One of the more recent entrants to the market is the 40-year mortgage on a fixed rate. In principle, this...
Spring statement – Investors
Like its predecessor, the spring budget, the spring statement heralds the beginning of the end of the financial year. It also sets out what investors can expect from the year ahead. Here are its key points. The UK is expected to avoid a recession The Office for...
Are Voluntary National Insurance Contributions Worth The Money?
In the UK, every new year, financial writers remind their readers to organise their finances before the end of the financial year. For some people, this may include deciding whether or not to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions. If you are one of these...
Are You On Top Of Retirement Planning?
It’s probably fair to say that, right now, many people are more concerned with getting through the present than planning for their retirement. This is understandable. The problem with this approach, however, is that the future can arrive much quicker than it seems...
10 Healthy Financial Resolutions For 2023 (And Beyond)
New Year’s resolutions shouldn’t be just for January. Effective New Year’s resolutions should create a foundation for healthier habits throughout the year. With that in mind, here are ten healthy financial resolutions for 2023 (and beyond). I will budget effectively...
Are You On Top Of Retirement Planning?
It’s probably fair to say that, right now, many people are more concerned with getting through the present than planning for their retirement. This is understandable. The problem with this approach, however, is that the future can arrive much quicker than it seems...
Are You (Financially) Ready For Retirement?
If you’re at the younger end of the boomer generation, then retirement should be high on your list of priorities. In fact, even if you’re in Gen X, retirement should be one of your key considerations, especially if you’re at the older end of it. This means you...
What Does Inflation Mean For Modern Retirees?
Retirees have traditionally hated inflation. It often has a brutal effect on fixed incomes such as the State Pension and annuities. Pension freedom may have helped to take the edge of this somewhat. Even so, inflation is likely to have to remain a concern for retirees...
Investing for children
As a parent, you want to do everything you can to ensure that your children have a bright and secure future. One way to do this is by investing on their behalf. Not only can they start adulthood with some savings, but getting children involved early with saving also...
Investing Guidelines To Live By
Saving may preserve your capital but it’s unlikely to grow it enough to beat inflation over the long term. That means, if you really want to grow your money, you probably need to get into investment. With that in mind, here are five key investing guidelines to live...
Spring statement – Investors
Like its predecessor, the spring budget, the spring statement heralds the beginning of the end of the financial year. It also sets out what investors can expect from the year ahead. Here are its key points. The UK is expected to avoid a recession The Office for...
How To Make The Most Of Your ISA Allowance
The arrival of a new year means that people in the UK have essentially three months to use up any tax allowances they still have. If you haven’t used up your full ISA allowance, you should make it a priority to do so, if you can. Here is a quick guide to help. The...
Is The Four-Day Week The Way Of The Future
As Stephen Fry pointed out, the working week is a social construct, not a scientific fact. What’s more, there’s no real backing for it in law, in theory, or in reality. This means that, in principle, there should be no real barrier to the UK (or anywhere else)...
The hierarchy of financial needs
Preparing For Your Very Last Move
Death and taxes are both inevitable. It, therefore, makes sense to prepare for both. Unlike filing taxes, preparing for your death can have its interesting side. In particular, you get to plan your own funeral. You also get the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve made...
What Happens To Your Estate If You Die Without Making A Will
You may have seen daytime TV shows involving “heir hunters”. These people aim to track down the heirs of people who’ve died intestate. They then help them to claim their inheritance (for a fee). In the real world, intestacy isn’t usually so exciting. In fact, it...