The insurance you’ve probably never thought about
The insurance you’ve probably never thought about We insure almost everything without a second thought. The car, the house, the contents, our pets, the phone – what would we do without the phone? But the one thing we rarely insure is the income paying for all of it. Try to imagine life without it! Financial […]
What is equity release and how does it work?
What is equity release and how does it work? Property is often the biggest asset most homeowners have. Property wealth is a bit like cash stuffed in a safe made of bricks. Handy to know it’s there. Less handy when you actually want to spend it, since the only way in is usually to sell […]
Encourage your parents to get inheritance tax advice before the taxman gets there.
Encourage your parents to get inheritance tax advice before the taxman gets there. People speak about inheritance tax in hushed tones, as if it’s a rude word. Best avoided between the roast potatoes and the pudding. Uncomfortable. Distant. Something to think about later. For more and more UK families, though, it’s now one of the […]
How much do you need to pay into a pension for a comfortable retirement?
So how much do you need to pay into a pension for a comfortable retirement? Planning for retirement is one of the most important financial steps any of us will take, yet it’s also one of the most commonly overlooked. Many people assume that simply being enrolled in a workplace pension will be enough to […]
Retirement planning for high earners: a gentle nudge
If you’re a high earner, you have an enviable problem: lots of zeros on your payslip, which means more tax. But here’s the twist: the more you earn, the more complicated retirement becomes. Tax allowances shrink, pension rules tighten, and suddenly every investment decision feels like it has a potential tax implication. Yet many successful […]
How Much Can You Inherit Before Paying Inheritance Tax?
If you’re expecting to inherit money or property, you’re probably wondering how much you can receive before inheritance tax (IHT) kicks in. IHT only applies when an estate goes over certain tax‑free limits, and those limits depend on who you are and what’s being passed on. Your Basic Tax‑Free Allowance Everyone gets a £325,000 nil […]
Overpaying your mortgage vs saving
If you have surplus income each month, deciding whether to overpay your mortgage or build savings is one of the most common financial trade-offs. Both approaches can strengthen your long-term position, but they achieve this in fundamentally different ways. Overpaying reduces debt and guarantees a return equivalent to your mortgage rate. Saving, by contrast, prioritises […]
Personal pensions vs. SIPPs: The battle of the retirement titans
Personal pensions vs. SIPPs – which is best? Most employed people plan their retirement through workplace pensions. It’s a different matter for the self-employed, contractors, or people running their businesses. They need to do it themselves. But now comes the next dilemma – are personal pensions or a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) the best option? […]
10 ways to avoid inheritance tax
How to reduce or avoid inheritance tax With rising property values, and changes to the rules concerning pensions, the number of people in the UK with estates exceeding the inheritance tax threshold will likely increase in the coming years. And, as a result, finding ways to reduce or avoid inheritance tax is becoming a crucial […]
What does an estate planner do?
Considering the rising interest in inheritance tax, we wanted to give our readers a little insight into estate planning. In this article, we tackle the following question – what does an estate planner do? We offer a short overview of what estate planning is along with information on the role estate planners perform for their […]