Financial Planning

Inheritance tax (IHT) is a painful tax to face. Given that you want to pass on a meaningful legacy to your loved ones, it is little wonder people are interested in ways to legitimately reduce their IHT liability.   Unfortunately, one of the consequences of some approaches to IHT planning is loss of control over […]

All of us only get one life. It is a shame, therefore, that many people drift along without a plan to realise the dreams they might have for the future. The good news is, with some careful forward planning, many of these same people still have time to realise their life goals – whatever they […]

Equity release is not a decision to take rashly. That said, it can be a powerful way to unlock a significant set of cash if you really need it. In brief, equity release is the process of taking some of the equity in your property and converting it into cash. You can take the full […]

Getting onto the property ladder and purchasing a house is likely going to be one of the biggest buying decisions you’ll ever make.   You therefore need to be really sure that you’re avoiding the common errors committed by first-time buyers, which can end up becoming very costly.   In this guide, our financial advisers are going to share some […]

We admit, it’s not the most romantic thing to think about. Yet with average wedding costs now standing at over £30,000 (a 12% rise on 2017) it’s worth considering whether there are ways to bring the wedding bill down without compromising the magic of the day.   As financial advisers, a large part of our […]

When you are employed in the UK, most people do not need to worry about Income Tax and National Insurance too much. For self-employed people, however, things aren’t usually so simple.   For an employed person, assuming you are on the right tax code and have no work outside your employment, your employer should sort […]

Divorce is almost never pleasant. People often feel that there’s enough emotional upheaval going on, without bringing money and finances into the picture. Yet bring them in, you must.   Your financial position following a divorce is hugely important, as it will affect your lifestyle, income and expenditure for years to come. If you have […]

  Higher education fees and student debt have both risen in the UK. Since most of us are taught that debt in general is bad, shouldn’t you pass off student debts early if you can?   In this article, we’re going to look carefully at that question, and suggest you should not.   This is […]

  Perhaps it’s your first job, or maybe you’ve got decades of employment experience behind you. It helps to know how pay works, and how it relates to tax, national insurance and contracts.   For employed people, you usually get a payslip each month outlining your gross pay (before tax and deductions) and net pay […]

  It can be intimidating to think about remortgaging, but consider how much you stand to potentially gain through a better deal…   With your mortgage likely being your largest financial commitment, many people potentially stand to gain tens of thousands of pounds over the course of their mortgage term by switching deals.   Perhaps […]