Financial Planning

In 2015 the UK government introduced the new pension freedoms which allowed people to access their pension pots much more easily. Essentially, from this point, you could withdraw all of your pension in one go if you wanted to (although not without a tax penalty). Lots of people were particularly excited about the fact that […]

When someone you care about passes away, the days and weeks afterwards can feel like an overwhelming haze. The last thing you have the energy for taxes, inheritance or funeral arrangements – but they do need to be dealt with. Where do you even begin with all of this? Who do you need to deal […]

Running a business is very time-consuming and rewarding. So much so that it can be easy to not stop and think about what would happen to it if you were removed from it. Death, illness and incapacity can hit a business owner at any moment, often leaving the company drifting and struggling in the water. […]

It certainly seems to be the case that house prices across the UK are not really rising across the UK in 2018-19. Despite this, however, increasing numbers of people are still having to pay stamp duty on their property purchases. What is stamp duty exactly? How does it work, and is there a way of […]

Are you think of buying a property, but not sure whether to wait in case Brexit produces a drop in house prices? Alternatively, perhaps you were thinking about selling later in the year, but do not whether to bring the sale forward (before the UK leaves the EU)? The question of the effect of Brexit […]

All too often, it is fears about money which hold us back from the career change that we so desperately want. We might want to enter marketing, law or the world of music, yet we look at the mortgage, bills and other commitments we have and baulk. Wouldn’t it be great to have the financial […]

Few things are as frustrating at the moment for commuters than the recent announcement that railway fares have risen by 3.2% from 2nd January 2019. This rise is due to the fact that railway fares – along with other fares regulated by the government (e.g. season tickets) – are linked to the retail prices index […]

Some positive news has arrived in time for the new year. From 9th January 2019, any pensioner who receives a cold all about their retirement savings can finally be armed with the knowledge that such activity is now against the law. This new law not only covers receiving cold calls but also extends to the […]

Emerging from the 2018 holiday season, many of us will be looking at our bank accounts wondering: “How on earth did all that money disappear?” The truth is, very few of us have any idea how much will spend in the run-up to – and during – Christmas. The fact that so many people cannot […]

For many years now, students looking to enter university have faced the prospect of annual fees of over £9000. With many courses being 3+ years in length, young people are understandably often now thinking twice before submitting their UCAS applications. This is not to mention the living costs that will pile up the costs even […]