12th November 2009
As you'll know, the main global stock markets have been VERY volatile over the last 12 months or so.
And it's likely that you have money invested in one or more of several investment vehicles:
ISAs
Personal Pensions
Self Invested Personal Pens...
20th October 2009
When we start working with a new client who's, say, aged 50, it's always interesting to get down to what they want to aim for in life. After all, if life is not about thoroughly enjoying doing things you love most, what is it about?
So when the 'Retire...
05th October 2009
When you graduated, there's a high probability you 'signed up' for income protection cover. Maybe it was at a graduation Ball, or perhaps it was following a talk you attended.
Even if you found out since that better coverage was available, the key is t...
22nd September 2009
We are not talking about serious longer term investments here. This is money which is meant to be safe and accessible, and preferably tax efficient. It could well be that it's money earmarked for your tax bill, for example.
So, the natural products tha...
16th September 2009
No matter what stage of career you've reached, or even if you've retired, there's a number of key questions that you should be able to answer to give yourself the confidence that you've addressed all the important areas of your financial planning.
So, ...
15th August 2009
You may have heard about Absolute Return Funds being launched and appearing in the press recently. We have seen quite a few of them launched in the last year or so, and they sound good don't they? Absolute returns - hmmm, let's investigate.
There are 3...
16th July 2009
If you are a member of the NHS pension scheme, you will soon be asked to make a very important decision.
That is, should you remain in the current version of the scheme (applies if you were a member pre-April 2008) or should you transfer to the new ver...
28th June 2009
If you're looking for help with your financial planning decisions, there are a number of resources you can turn to:
- the internet / media
- friends and family
- your own knowledge
Ideally, it's likely that you'll want impartial formation upon...
12th June 2009
Large rises in income tax are due to take effect from next April for people earning over £100,000.
New rates of tax were announced by the Government in the recent budget and they are going to hit many of our clients hard! This is because our clients ...
12th June 2009
Regular readers of our newsletter will probably recognise the words Cash Flow Forecast (Financial Map or Sat Nav), as we often refer to this when talking about how we help doctors and dentists work out:
What they really want to achieve in life? What is...
15th April 2009
There have been many changes in overall pension rules by the government, and we have discussed in Financial Tips how this has affected the NHS Pension Scheme in previous articles such as the Lifetime Allowance.
Other NHS rule changes might not be so ob...
01st April 2009
In line with the trends of the last 3-4 years, many insurance companies have announced their claims statistics for critical illness cover.
As a brief reminder, the idea with critical illness cover is that it will pay out a lump sum (usually) in the eve...
17th March 2009
One of the standard pieces of advice we have always given when it comes to investing in stocks & shares is that it really will pay off to maximise the allowances clients have to ISAs.
If a client is looking to invest, this is the first port of call for...
08th March 2009
Not the most enlightening of subjects is it?
And not one you'll probably discuss often, with either friends or family.
What's that I hear you say?
Dying.
The good news is that I'm not going to take up the next few minutes of your life talking ...
20th February 2009
In the past when it came to how the NHS paid your pension, it was very simple. You had a pension based on the number of years' service in the Scheme, your income, and whether you had purchased added years. You also received a tax free lump sum of three ti...
