Is Inheritance Tax for the chop?
Inheritance Tax (IHT) is deeply unpopular, there’s no denying it. According to a 2015 YouGov poll, 59 per cent of the population think it’s unfair. So whichever party is in power after the Election, it’s likely they will include it as one of the taxes to be reviewed. Indeed, at…
Making sure you’re on track to retain your lifestyle in retirement
Do you feel like you just go to work day in, day out, with the weeks quickly turning to months and the months to years? If that’s the case, you may be going through life with a vague notion that your pension contributions will be sufficient to give you a…
Can you still trust your fund manager?
October wasn’t a great month for fund managers (the people who make the investment decisions that dictate how well your savings and investments perform). There have been two very high profile resignations—one as a result of a Sunday Times investigation, the other from a Panorama exposé. Unsurprisingly, clients have been…
Marshmallows and financial planning
The Stanford marshmallow experiment is one of the most well-known pieces of social science research out there. It has arguably affected the way that many people live their lives, as well as providing lots of fun and interest for those with young children who are in the ‘I’ll try this…
4 tips to make your finances less scary this Halloween
With October kicking into high gear, bringing with it fancy dress costumes, thicker coats and fiery-coloured leaves, have a read of our article with its All Hallows Eve theme. If left unchecked, your finances can enter into a scary state, so we’ve included some top tips on how to…
You have a financial plan, but do you have a financial plan b?
“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men, gang aft agley”. So said Robert Burns in his poem ‘To a Mouse’, lyrically summing up the idea that no matter how well we prepare, there are always factors beyond our control that can cause our ‘best laid’ plans to fall to…
Why business owners and Directors fail to plan their retirement
Company directors and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make plans and do forecasts all the time. Cash flow forecasts, SWOT analyses (a technique used to determine and define strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), plans for renewals and refurbishment; there’s hardly a day when they’re not eyeball to eyeball…
The retirement mistruth
If you pay much attention to advertisers and the media, you might think that retirement is all about riding jet skis, sipping sherry on the French Riviera or cuddling grandchildren. No doubt you’ve seen one, if not all, of the images on many of the retirement articles out there. While…
8 places to visit this autumn in the UK
With autumn just around the corner, it’s nearly time to put on your wellies and kick through piles of colourful leaves. So to celebrate the change of season, here’s our list of places you should visit to make the most of the stunning autumn scenery. 1. Isle of Lewis, Hebrides…
Fall in love with your finances
We’ll be the first to admit that your personal finances aren’t the easiest thing to fall in love with. It can be easy to bury your head in the sand when it comes to both your investments and regular expenditure. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, some…