COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS DELAYS HOMEOWNERSHIP, HAVING CHILDREN AND RETIREMENT Rising living costs have been so significant in recent months that most UK households will have noticed a squeeze on their monthly budgets. Not only does this have a direct impact on people’s lifestyles, even though they are making every effort to cut back, but it has a knock-on effect on their lifelong goals such as owning a home or retiring comfortably. Millions of people across the UK fear that the long-term…

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All of your financial decisions and activities have an effect on your financial health. To help improve your financial health during this period of rising inflation and interest rates, I look at three areas that could help keep you on track to achieving your specific financial goals BEAT THE NATIONAL INSURANCE RISE The National Insurance rise from April this year is going ahead for workers and employers despite pressure to reverse the decision to increase this by 1.25%, which is…

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With the tax year end (5 April) on the horizon, taking action now will give you the opportunity to take advantage of any remaining reliefs, allowances and exemptions. I have provided some key tax and financial planning tips to consider prior to the end of the tax year. Now is also an ideal opportunity to take a wider review of your circumstances and plan for the year ahead. CHECK YOUR PAYE TAX CODE It’s important to check your tax code….

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Why is now the time to make sure you protect your wealth? The word ‘inflation’ had barely featured in the market’s vocabulary in the last three decades until it suddenly started to come back with a vengeance in 2021. As higher inflation looks set to persist in 2022, finding ways to generate a return on investments greater than inflation will be a key investment theme – otherwise your wealth falls in real terms. SPENDING SPREE There are two basic reasons…

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Savers and investors have until 5th April to use the £20,000 they can put into their tax-efficient Individual Savings Account (ISA) before the end of the financial year. The current tax year started on 6 April 2021 and ends on 5 April 2022. ISAs enable you to minimise the amount of tax you pay on your hard-earned cash. Some ISAs give you instant access to your money and can be used to plan your finances for the short term. On…

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Although I have only received contact from a very small percentage of my clients regarding the Ukraine/Russia crisis. I took the step to reach out to my clients to provide some reassurance. What follows is the e mail sent to my clients over the last few days: A lot has unfolded across the Russia-Ukraine border in the last few days. While much of the information reaching us is no doubt clouded by the fog of war, it’s saddening that so…

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With reports mounting that Russia has begun the invasion of Ukraine. These reports have, without a doubt, caused the world to go into panic mode and stirred a new sense of turbulence in the financial markets. The question on everyone’s mind is what should we to do to protect our financial position? The short answer… DO NOTHING! – but let’s elaborate and back that up. There is no doubt that the Russian invasion of Ukraine will spook global financial markets…

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