Latest News & Views
Negative Interest Rates
It’s been widely reported that negative interest rates could soon be coming as the Bank of England look for more ways to boost the UK economy. How likely are negative interest rates? What is the impact? And what should you be doing right now to prepare? This...
Weekly Financial Update – 22.10.2020
It wasn’t a great week for the major world stock markets as all returned negative results. This was mainly due to the fact the US government has still yet to agree a new stimulus package. What does this stimulus package entail? Well, it will provide...
Has Covid Changed Retirement?
I read an article from another Financial Adviser recently about how Covid changed retirement for his client Mike. Mike was an operator in a car factory and along with his wife, they had planned their retirement around their final salary and State Pension Ages. The...
Weekly Financial Update – 15.10.2020
It was a fairly flat week for the major world stock markets with the UK fairing worst. This was mainly as a result of lockdown fears as there was much discussion this week around what stricter measures need to be imposed to slow down the rate of infections. ...
The Problem With Accessing Your Pension Whilst Still Working
Are you thinking of accessing your pension whilst you are still working? Did you even know that you could? Changes to pension rules over the last few years have made accessing your pension much easier and flexible. There can be many reasons why it would be handy...
Weekly Financial Update – 08.10.2020
Stock markets had a fairly quiet and positive week after initially fearing the worst once it was announced US President Donald Trump had tested positive for Coronavirus and the uncertainty this could have led to. It appears Trump seems over the worst and...
Retirement Age and Life Expectancy
There has recently been some good news on life expectancy. In their latest published National Life Tables the Office for National Statistics have found that, since last year’s release, life expectancy has increased by 6.3 weeks for men and women who are 65. This...
Weekly Financial Update – 01.10.2020
This week the stock markets recovered some of their losses from the previous week as investors feel confident there will soon be a new US package of measures to boost the US economy. There were issues in Japan though as an unknown technical glitch shut...
Defined Contribution Pensions vs Defined Benefit
There are only really two types of pension you can have, a defined contribution pension or a defined benefit pension. Over the last few years there has been a big change in the type of pension scheme offered by employers, moving from defined benefit to defined...
Weekly Financial Update – 24.09.2020
It’s been a bumpy ride for stock markets this week, in particular for the UK and the rest of Europe as stocks had their most significant falls for a number of weeks now. Two big issues impacted stocks this week. Firstly, we saw the banks in trouble again...
5 Different Proven Investment Strategies
The investment strategies you use are a key part of your financial plan. Without a good return on your investment it is going to take you a lot longer and require a lot more in savings to achieve all that you want to achieve. So, are you using the right strategy or...
Weekly Financial Update – 17.09.2020
It’s been a pretty quiet week for stock markets as all of the world’s major markets ended up with a positive return. In the UK, we found out that unemployment rose to 4.1% during the May-July quarter. Up from 3.9% from the previous quarter. Whilst...
Under 47? New Minimum Age For Pension Access Could Mean You Retire 2 Years Later Than Planned
Changes to pension access are coming and if you are under 47 and wanted to be retiring by age 55 then you might need to think again. These types of rule changes are always something you need to be mindful of when saving into a pension. Governments over the years have...
Weekly Financial Update – 10.09.2020
The main world stock markets have had a mixed week with the US market dominating the headlines. For some time now the US stock market has been leading the way in terms of increases since the Covid crash. This rise has been mainly driven by the...
3 Ways You Can Prepare For The Upcoming Budget
For the last couple of weekends you may have seen various headlines stating that the Chancellor wants to raise taxes in the upcoming Budget. There’s been reports that Corporation Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax and even pensions will be hit with increased...
Weekly Financial Update – 03.09.2020
A slightly negative week for the majority of world stock markets but the US continues to outperform. As discussed during last week’s update, Jerome Powell, the US Federal Reserve Chairman did in fact announce a change to the central bank’s...
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