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The Governments Vision For The Housing Sector
Assuming the UK sticks to its standard election pattern, the current parliament is almost halfway through its term. This means politicians across the board will be starting to gear up to contest their seats. The governments current raft of housing-related proposals...
Energy costs statement 8 September 2022
After a prolonged period of speculation, the new Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced preliminary details of how the government plans to deal with the energy price crisis. In late May this year, the then Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a range of measures to...
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...
Examining The Costs Of The Back To School Season
Summer ends, school starts and parents around the country collectively breathe a sigh of relief. This sigh is, however, often made through gritted teeth as parents shoulder the costs of buying everything a child needs for school. With COVID19 having decimated the...
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...
Love, Remarriage and Inheritances
As the law currently stands, if a person is married or in a civil partnership, their spouse/civil partner has first claim on their estate if they die. Provision may be made for minor children but not for adult ones (barring special circumstances). This fact has...
How To Plan For Inheritance Tax
Following the news that thousands more people are expected to pay the standard 40% inheritance tax this year because of the effects of the pandemic, we explore some of the ways to navigate the complexities of inheritance tax. The complex laws around inheritance tax...
How To Cut The Cost of Life Insurance
Thinking about life insurance may not be as engaging as some other financial topics. It is, however, crucial that all adults make sure they have the right life insurance for their situation. With that in mind, here are six tips on how to get the right cover at the...
What You Need To Know About The National Insurance Rise
Despite a manifesto promise and massive controversy, the government is going ahead and raising National Insurance in April. The increase itself is only for a year. After that National Insurance will return to normal and a new Health and Social Care Levy will be...
Why You Should Care About Staff Satisfaction
Sometimes job markets favour employers. Sometimes they favour employees. Right now, in many cases, it’s very much the latter. Even when it’s the former, however, employers tend to be in competition for the very best talent. They also tend to be under scrutiny for...
Are You Paying Too Much For Protection?
It is very possible to be too careful. At the same time, the cost of not being careful enough can, literally, be ruinous. You, therefore, need to use protection mindfully. In particular, you need to review it regularly so that your cover is always meeting your...
The Governments Vision For The Housing Sector
Assuming the UK sticks to its standard election pattern, the current parliament is almost halfway through its term. This means politicians across the board will be starting to gear up to contest their seats. The governments current raft of housing-related proposals...
Mortgage Affordability Becomes A Growing Concern
All things considered, it’s hardly a surprise that mortgage affordability is becoming a growing concern. Some of the factors behind it are largely outside the control of private individuals. Even so, there are still plenty of steps individuals can take to ensure...
Are You Thinking About Equity Release?
Equity release is becoming an increasingly popular way of solving a dilemma many older people face. On the one hand, they want to stay in their own home for as long as possible. On the other hand, they went to access the value in their home and also reduce their...
Should You Prioritise Property Or Your Pension?
Both pensions and property can be good ways of financing your retirement. It is, however, important to think carefully about which you prioritise. Here is a quick guide to what you need to know. The basics of pensions. In the UK, public-sector employees may still...
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...
Are you approaching retirement?
If you are nearing retirement, you may have been particularly worried about the impact of recent market volatility on your pension assets and perhaps you are reassessing your retirement plans. There are several things to consider if you are planning to retire, which...
Should You Prioritise Property Or Your Pension?
Both pensions and property can be good ways of financing your retirement. It is, however, important to think carefully about which you prioritise. Here is a quick guide to what you need to know. The basics of pensions. In the UK, public-sector employees may still...
How Your Gender Could Impact Your Retirement
In the UK, for most people, the ability to save for retirement is strongly linked to the ability to earn an income through work. At present, gender can play a large role in a person’s long-term employment prospects and hence their retirement prospect. This raises...
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...
Are you approaching retirement?
If you are nearing retirement, you may have been particularly worried about the impact of recent market volatility on your pension assets and perhaps you are reassessing your retirement plans. There are several things to consider if you are planning to retire, which...
The Government Wants To Protect Your Money
The government recently announced a raft of proposals for new consumer-protection legislation. It aims to protect consumers against misuse of prepayment schemes and subscriptions and also from fake reviews. Here is a quick guide to what you need to know about it....
Should You Prioritise Property Or Your Pension?
Both pensions and property can be good ways of financing your retirement. It is, however, important to think carefully about which you prioritise. Here is a quick guide to what you need to know. The basics of pensions. In the UK, public-sector employees may still...
Simple ways to cut your spending
Most of us would like to reduce our outgoings and put a bit more money away each month, so here are our tips to help cut out unnecessary spending. Write a budget Creating a monthly budget plan can seem like a hassle at first, but it is the most effective tool to track...
How To Tame Your Tax in 2023
The infamous National Insurance rise has largely dominated the headlines in both the mainstream and financial media. Look closer, however, and you’ll find all kinds of tax increases both direct and indirect. At the same time, average inflation is forecast to reach...
How to make ISAs work for you
How can you make the most of your tax allowances by using the different types of ISAs that are available? Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) were first introduced in 1999 and are a tax-free way to save into a cash savings or investment account. There lots of different...
Making the Most of Your ISA Allowance
The COVID19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of having both cash savings and insurance (for all the complaints about the latter). At the same time, it’s still important to prepare for the future, especially your retirement. Your ISA allowance could be used...
Insurance For The Self-employed
When you’re self-employed you don’t have employer benefits to fall back on. In fact, you might even be the employer needing to organise (and pay for) employee benefits. You’ll definitely be responsible for protecting any assets related to your business. With that...
Pension Calculator
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Bridging Finance
If you’re an existing homeowner and you want or need to move, there’s a lot to be said for moving into your new property before you sell your old one. The main advantage is that you know you have somewhere to go. This saves you either having to rush to find a...
What’s the point of a property survey?
You're not bound by law to have a survey done on a property you're buying, but while it may feel like an unnecessary expense given all the other costs involved in homebuying, it could actually save money and stress in the longer-term. A survey is basically a health...