Scott Hansell

With consolidation in the financial planning market and the emergence of off-the-shelf investment platforms, the personal touch is more important than ever.

AI is finding its way into more and more aspects of our lives – but does it have a role to play in financial planning.

Life can feel good for ‘Young Accumulators’, says Scott Hansell of Lovewell Blake Financial Planning – but they need to think seriously about their financial futures

Investors spooked by the latest conflict in the Middle East need to be keeping a calm head.

A Venture Capital Trust (VCT) is basically a fund you can invest in that puts money into small, fast-growing UK businesses. The government wants to encourage this, so they give you certain tax perks along the way.

Scott Hansell, Director of Lovewell Blake Financial Planning, gives his reaction to the announcements in the budget about cash ISAs

Scott Hansell of Lovewell Blake Financial Planning takes a look at what the effect would be of a widely anticipated increase in income tax rates in this month’s Budget.

National Pension Tracing Day, 26th October 2025

Soaring property prices and strict penalty structures have eroded the usefulness of two government initiatives which were meant to encourage saving for a first home or for retirement.

The platform can transform the management of cash held by businesses.

A reduction in regulation announced by Rachel Reeves in her Mansion House speech is welcome, but the issue remains Britons’ attitude to risk.

Equity-Linked Structured Products offer an opportunity for more risk-averse investors to dip their toe into the stock market.

In the current volatile investment climate, don’t believe everything you read online

Scott Hansell of Lovewell Blake Financial Planning says ISA reform is still on the Chancellor’s agenda, even though she made no mention of it in last month’s Spring Statement.

Scott Hansell of Lovewell Blake Financial Planning says that the Chancellor may prioritise ISA reform in her Spring Statement later this month – but is that a practical suggestion?

Scott Hansell of Lovewell Blake Financial Planning says that carefully planning how to split pension assets should be an important part of any divorce proceedings.

There are all sorts of reasons why you should be considering enhancing your pension pot before the new tax year starts in April.

There are two main reasons that people take out life insurance cover – but many should be considering it for other purposes.

A growing number of investors are seeking ways to invest tax-efficiently in places other than their pensions and ISAs, usually because they have already fully used their ISA allowances, and significant pension contributions have compounded over the years.

A growing number of investors are seeking ways to invest tax-efficiently other than through their pensions and Individual Savings Accounts (ISA). The reason being that those investors have fully used their ISA allowances and have significant pension contributions have compounded over the years. Pensions have a tax-efficient lifetime allowance, above which clients question why they should keep adding if they are going to get taxed later at a higher rate!

Pension-holders should avoid any knee-jerk reactions to the Budget announcement that pensions will fall under inheritance tax from 2027.

People tend to believe that the short-term volatility of the stock market makes it a risky investment, but here is an important fact:

Thousands of people are missing Home Responsibilities Protection from their NI record.

Lovewell Blake Financial Planning welcomes a new FCA framework which will assess the performance of workplace defined contribution pension schemes.

One-to-one pension review appointments also on offer.

Consolidating your investments with one adviser or financial manager brings a number of advantages.

In the world of finance and investment, the concept of portfolio diversification plays a pivotal role. It is a strategy that forms the bedrock of prudent financial management and is often touted as one of the most effective ways to manage risk and maximise returns. In this article, we'll delve into the significance of portfolio diversification, the advantages it offers, and how a well-managed portfolio ensures a diversified set of investments.

Being nervous about market volatility shouldn’t be a reason not to invest, says.

The final part of our personal cashflow series looks at how the cashflow modelling tool is a robust way of predicting the impact of each financial decision.

Workplace pensions are a crucial aspect of financial planning in the United Kingdom, providing individuals with a means to secure their financial future during retirement. For employers and employees alike, understanding how workplace pensions work is essential. In this article, we will provide you with a comprehensive overview of workplace pensions, answering common questions and addressing key topics related to employers' and employees' pension contributions.

Lovewell Blake focuses minds on how much we all need to save for retirement.

In the first three parts we have introduced the concept of personal cashflow planning, and seen how it has helped Joe and his wife Jessie face unforeseen events, pay for their son Johnnie’s education, and stay on track for a comfortable retirement. In this part we see how the online planning tool can help them achieve that goal.

In parts one and two, we saw the value of personal cashflow planning for our case study, Joe. In this part, we find him married with a baby.

The death of a key person can be a dangerous time for a business, so it pays to protect against it, says Scott Hansell of Lovewell Blake Financial Planning.

In part one, we looked at the concept of personal cashflow planning, and how it can help people map out their financial futures In this part, we look at what happens when an unforeseen event disrupts the plan.

The rise of personal cashflow planning

We are living in a world where it is not unusual for both individuals and groups to actively look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment. For example, ‘Just Stop Oil’ has carried out a series of high-profile protests, including recently disrupting play at Wimbledon and Lords.

New regulations mean that financial services firms have had to review everything they do.

Firstly, that’s a great question. The simple answer is that you can retire when you have adequate wealth to do so. This can be a mixture of pensions, savings, investments, and property.