Financial Planning

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is set to introduce a new consumer duty to better protect users of financial services.

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 NHS Pension Scheme is designed to offer significant value in retirement to people who have chosen to dedicate part, or all, of their careers to serving the public through the NHS.

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.

In 2012, due to concern that the UK population weren’t taking adequate measures to save for their retirement, the Government took the radical measure of introducing auto-enrolment.

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.

According to the latest figures from Action Fraud the average loss from pension scams has reached £50,949 this year.

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.

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.

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.

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.

What do I need to do?

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.

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.

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

Financial planners and advisers Lovewell Blake Financial Planning, which for the past two years has been listed as one of the Top 100 Financial Planners in the UK by the Financial Times, has appointed Richard Ince as a financial adviser.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.