Sales of annuities have reached their highest level since 2014, surging 22% during the first three months of 2023 according to data from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), as more retirees look to lock-in deals with attractive [...]
Raising a family is a marathon effort, as costly as it is rewarding. But financial planning for your family is easier than it sounds, because you know what the key milestones will be. Here’s how to plan effectively [...]
The end-goal of scammers is to persuade you to transfer your pension savings to a place where they can get their hands on your cash. They don’t care who you are or that their scam could ruin your [...]
Investing is too risky Of course, there are risks involved with investing. That’s why it always comes with this rather abrupt warning: ‘you may not get back what you invest’. But too risky? All investments can be categorised [...]
Financial planning transcends generational gaps and can have a huge impact on all members of a family unit. By looking at the bigger picture of your family’s finances, you can achieve far longer- lasting outcomes than by focusing [...]
Educating your children is expensive – even at a state school. There are uniforms to buy, lunches to pay for, school trips and much more. If you send your child to an independent school then you’ll have school [...]
What’s the most tax-efficient way for company directors to take income? If you run a company (even if it's a one-person contractor company) there are three different ways that you can choose to pay yourself: salary, dividends and pension [...]
Why do you need protection? When you enjoy a regular income, it’s easy to start taking it for granted. The reality is that it only takes one serious illness, injury or death to have a devastating impact on [...]
Building a business is no easy feat. Behind the shiny brand colours is often blood, sweat and tears, as many business owners give their heart and soul (and likely a few too many sleepless nights!) to growing their [...]
Pensions of Significant Value Welcome to the May/June 2023 edition of Smart Money. In this issue, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s first proper Budget 2023, on Wednesday 15th March, brought some welcome but unexpected changes to pension tax, the most [...]
Mortgage protection insurance acts as a safety net to cover your monthly repayments if you can no longer afford them. It can prevent you from having to default on your mortgage, and so avoid repossession of your home. [...]
Where do you want to go, and how will you get there? These are the questions you need to ask when setting your financial goals. At the heart of financial life planning are the actions that will bring [...]
