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Recently published figures showed that the cost of living rose by 5.1% in the 12 months to November, its highest rate in 10 years.

The Bank of England (BoE) has raised interest rates for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, despite growing concern over the ‘Omicron’ variant.

The results of the Charity Commission 2021 Covid-19 Survey indicated that 49% of charities have lost income from fundraising activities, whilst 35% have lost income from trading and other income sources.

As the COP26 summit gets underway, the world’s attention is focussed on what action we must all take to secure the planet for future generations.

Following the implementation of the EU Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD), there is a requirement for certain trusts to be registered on a central government list. This is called the Trust Registration Service (TRS), and when it was initially introduced in 2018, many non-tax paying trusts were exempt from registering.

Pension Freedoms was introduced in April 2015 and significantly changed the landscape of pensions and retirement. Ever since its introduction, there remains some misconceptions about what this really means, and the practical implications it has for individuals.

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.

Taxpayers in the UK face an increase in taxation from April 2022 to fund long awaited reforms in social care and additional support for the NHS.

Many of us could be caught out by Inheritance Tax (IHT). Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to be mega-rich to owe HMRC a chunk of money when you die. I think most of us would prefer as much as possible to go to our loved ones, rather than HMRC.

In 2020, the state pension age officially increased to 66; however, recently there has been several news articles and commentary around the government’s triple lock promise and that this could mean an 8% increase in the state pension from April 2022.

Pension tax relief can seem like an alien concept, but it pays to understand what it is and how you can make the most of it, up to certain limits.

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!

Teenage years can be difficult and money matters are often seen as insignificant but educating teens on managing their money is an important step in them learning financial independence, as they get older.

Changes to pension annual allowance rates that were announced in this years budget, those who previously opted-out may now consider opting back in.

Losses from pension fraud rose to £1.8 million in the first three months of this year, according to figures from Action Fraud.

Employers that push staff into making unsuitable defined benefit transfers should beware the “Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) gaze”, a director at the regulator warns.

As we enter a new tax year, many people will be wondering how they can make their savings work harder for them, with interest rates at historically low levels.

A pension scheme is a savings plan to help you put money aside for later life. It has favourable tax treatments when compared to other forms of savings.

I don’t know how many of us thought that we’d still be adhering to so many restrictions after all this time, but here we are, over a year on and the pandemic is still having a big impact on all of us.

Would you like to know more about the ways in which Lovewell Blake Financial Planning could help your charity?

Covid savers should be making the most of their pensions allowances, says Sharon Mattheus of Lovewell Blake Financial Planning.

For some, retirement might feel miles off, but the sooner you can start saving for it, the better.

Following the Government’s consultation into public sector pension scheme reforms, they have now published their response, here, outlining their proposals for changes to schemes over the coming years.

We have seen some turbulent markets in the last 12 months, with the repercussions of COVID having a significant impact. Generally speaking, markets have partially recovered but remain extremely volatile.

The simple answer is that you can retire when you have adequate wealth to do so.

It has been recently highlighted that many women may be missing out on their full State Pension.

The Wealth Tax Commission was established in Spring 2020 to provide an in-depth analysis on proposals to introduce a UK wealth tax for the first time in almost half a century. The last was considered in the UK in 1974.

It’s that time of year again when our thoughts come to gifting to our nearest and dearest. When it comes to the children in our lives this often means a new toy, or a new outfit. But what about those who already have everything they need?

Following our article in October, where we advised that the State Pension had officially increased to age 66, we wanted to take this opportunity to position further changes announced around private pension access – that were shared in September.

A Bury St Edmunds based financial adviser has been named as one of the UK’s most influential businesswomen by a leading business publication, carrying off the title of UK Financial Adviser of the Year.

Financial planners and advisers Lovewell Blake Financial Planning, which for the past three years has been listed as one of the Top 100 Financial Planners in the UK by the Financial Times, has appointed Sharon Mattheus as a Financial Adviser.

The difference between a perceived attitude to risk and actual capacity for loss can often be confused.

The extraordinary fundraising achievements by the 100-year-old Captain Tom Moore have shown just how long some of us will lead active lives, and also how much the quality of such a long and active life will depend on how well we have planned for it.

It is important that those facing redundancy understand how a pension contribution can have a positive effect on their overall wealth.

An East Anglian firm of financial planners has been named as one of the UK’s Top financial advisers by the Financial Times for the third year running – achieving a rating of 28^th in the country, up from 72^nd in 2019.

Good Money Week, which runs from 24 to 30 October 2020, is ‘the campaign to raise awareness of sustainable, responsible and ethical finance’ in the UK.

Returns for those holding money in cash savings accounts took another fall a fortnight ago, when the government-backed savings provider slashed their interest rates.

The age you can start drawing your state pension has now officially increased to 66, for most people.

Long-term care in a care home is very expensive, and can quickly erode your savings (including the equity in your property).

For those approaching retirement, timing when to take their pension has never been so important.

In short, it depends where and how you are invested. Since the markets saw a dramatic fall in March, it has been a bit of a choppy ride in general.

A tracker fund is a simple way of investing your money in company shares, bonds, and other assets.

In April 2015, the Government dramatically changed the taxation rules applying to pension scheme death benefits.

Stock markets have been volatile to say the least over the last few months, and in our opinion, will remain so until the Coronavirus pandemic is brought under control and the economic fallout assessed.

When considering the range of protection policies available, the most common policy is ‘life insurance’.

It is fair to say that 2020 has been quite an extraordinary year in many ways, presenting new challenges for people from all walks of life.

In recent weeks’, we have seen an upward trend in media activity regarding pension scams in the UK. Fraudsters are using sophisticated ways to deceive savers to part with their retirement savings using various means of communication.

You may have already seen in the financial press, news of the recent rise of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and Ethical Investing.

In March, the Bank of England unveiled its second interest rate cut in under two weeks, as part of a number of measures the central bank and UK government rolled out to help mitigate the economic impact of the Coronavirus.

Without careful financial planning, you may find that much of the wealth you spent your lifetime creating may be taken in tax rather than being passed to your loved ones.

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a number of challenges for business owners to deal with to ensure the survival of their companies.

Over the last few months, many of us have had the change to reflect on our lifestyles and financial circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whether you are investing in funds purely for growth, or if your portfolio consists of funds which pay out a natural income to you, it is likely that dividends will play a big part in performance.

Starting a family is undeniably, a life changing event. Every aspect of life will change, as you know it, and this means that your financial priorities will too. Children have a unique way of draining your energy, and indeed, your finances. Luckily, there are ways to plan for this.

Despite headlines over the past few days about global stock markets suffering big daily falls, it is important not to panic.

The SRA’s new rules aim to make it easier for the public to access legal services, and easier for solicitors and firms to do business.

As people begin to approach retirement, there are many things that they start to consider.

If you are a non-taxpayer and your spouse/civil partner is a basic rate tax payer then the taxman may well answer, “Just contact me and we’ll sort it out”.

With an expensive holiday season now over, it is time to consider what the new priorities for your money should be

If you watch the news, you’ll be aware that the world is going through a period of economic uncertainty. From President Trump waging a global trade war, through to a potential economic slowdown and of course Brexit, there are plenty of reasons for investors to be wary.

With the season of goodwill nearing, now could be the perfect opportunity to consider the level of life insurance you have in place.

An East Anglian firm of financial planners has been named as one of the UK’s Top financial advisers by the Financial Times for the second year running.

In an ever more competitive employment market, employers are looking closer at the overall benefits they offer, beyond just salary.

A common question amongst investors is 'should I invest in a pension or an ISA?' Here we run through the main features of each product.

We are living in a world where it is not unusual for individuals to actively look for ways to reduce their impact on the environment; for example, only last month we saw children leading protests against climate change all over the world, taking the lead on an issue that affects all of us.

Yesterday, you were busy working and today you are retired, what’s next?

Retirement has a habit of creeping up on you whilst you are busy getting on with your life, to the extent that we barely give it consideration until it is almost upon us.