Statistics show that a shocking 70% of people in the UK do not have a Will! These are shocking figures. Life is full of uncertainty and you should be prepared for any situation. In the unfortunate event that you should die unexpectedly, a Will is a must-have document if you want any of your wishes Read more ›

I often hear people say that young people in the UK worry too much about getting onto the property ladder. Why not be more like some of our European neighbours, who are happy to rent for their entire lifetimes without feeling robbed? What are the facts? Is it true that Europeans differ from us completely Read more ›

Helping elderly relatives and you plan for the future (part 3) In the previous 2 notes in this series we have discussed the basic assistance required help an elderly person manage their finances, plus a couple of different options to help pay for their care. Today I wanted to discuss more tax planning around inheritance Read more ›

Caring for elderly relatives is a highly stressful time. As it happens to virtually all of us at some point in our lives, there are certain decisions you can make today to make life easier for both you and your relatives or parents. Previously we discussed the importance of making sure wills and powers of Read more ›

At the age of 18, I remember chatting to my friend George who was about to turn 18 himself. George was all excited. He simply couldn’t contain himself and his 18th birthday couldn’t come soon enough. I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about however, after probing a little further, he revealed to me Read more ›

Watching someone you love get older can be a very difficult experience, but also one that we all will inevitably go through at some point in our lives. It certainly can have its challenges and sometimes thinking about the financial side is the last aspect anyone wants to discuss. In this series I’d like to Read more ›

INTRODUCTION With the end of the current tax year (5 April 2019) fast approaching, we have outlined below some of the main things that individuals, entrepreneurs and their families should look at ahead of the tax year end, to ensure that their personal tax affairs are in good order and all available tax allowances and Read more ›

Making money mistakes can be expensive and may take a long time to recover from. No one likes making mistakes, but making mistakes is probably the best way to learn. When you tell yourself, “Well, I’m never going to do that again”, you’ve learnt the hard way and chances are, you’ll never make the same Read more ›

Hard not to argue with the clarity of 50 Cent’s overall life goals, but dare I say it’s a little more complicated for the rest of us. What does money mean to you? I mean really? Yes, there is the standard glib answer that everyone wants more so they can buy more stuff and do Read more ›

Question: “I am 65 and still working, but just three days a week with the same company with which I have one pension, which was closed and replaced with a retirement saver pension. I contribute to this via salary sacrifice. I also have a personal pension serviced by an IFA. The fund is £145k, IFAC Read more ›