Blog
New Year’s Resolution
December 18, 2019
I am sitting writing this article just before Christmas. Last week we had the General Election and whether we are happy or not with the … Continued
Risk vs reward
June 16, 2020
A key role we have as advisers is to decipher how much risk our clients are willing to take. As a general rule of thumb … Continued
Reviewing our goals
May 15, 2020
Life in recent weeks has changed for us all, with some affected worse than others especially those who have lost loved ones. I do think … Continued
Keep calm and carry on
March 17, 2020
Well just as we thought things were going to settle down after Brexit the coronavirus hit. There’s been so much information it’s hard to know … Continued
What is an ISA?
February 17, 2020
As I am writing this article what I term as our ‘mad season’ is just about to start. This is when we have many requests … Continued
A financial education
January 17, 2020
Time and time again people tell me how little they understand about money, a matter that consumes such a major part of our lives and … Continued
Can you afford your care?
November 21, 2019
Are you paying to have care, either in a care home or in your own home? How confident are you that your money won’t run … Continued
Cashflow planning
October 14, 2019
Well, the holiday period is over for most and it’s back to school. While thinking about what topics are seasonal, Christmas came to mind. My … Continued
Where have the last 3 years gone?
August 16, 2019
Although this is a subject I have written about before, as Brexit still enters many of our conversations I thought an update would be good. … Continued
How much will I need in retirement?
July 15, 2019
One of our first questions when discussing individuals’ retirement plans is “How much income do you want when you retire?” Often this is met with … Continued
The criteria we used when selecting funds
June 17, 2019
In the last week or so there has been a lot of talk about Neil Woodford, but who is he and what criteria should we … Continued
Lifetime Allowance
May 16, 2019
I have said many times that it’s so important to have all your cards on the table for financial planning. Recently, I’ve seen a couple … Continued
Providing advice and personal solutions to your financial challenges
April 16, 2019
Over the years as an adviser I have seen many changes in our industry and have noted the change in focus from products to outcome, … Continued
What if something happened to you?
October 14, 2018
I have often described our service as a sounding board. When we meet a client for the first time, we spend time discovering everything there … Continued
Are annuities a thing of the past?
September 14, 2018
Last week, I used the word “annuity”. When I saw the look on my client’s face, I realised that it had become a dirty word! … Continued
Coming up to retirement?
August 16, 2018
At this time of year, many of us are returning from our summer holidays. I have heard retirement being referred to as “one long holiday”. … Continued
Communicating across the generations
July 17, 2018
Of course there are always exceptions, but it seems that the internet has made the generation gap even wider. You might be interested in this … Continued
Understand the Nil Rate Band
June 17, 2018
With the average house price in Purley being over £600,000, it is very common for residents to have an inheritance tax (IHT) liability on their … Continued
GDPR: What’s it all about?
May 17, 2018
If your inbox is anything like mine, you have probably been receiving loads of emails recently from companies asking you to “opt back in” to … Continued
Pension contributions
March 17, 2018
With the end of the tax year looming, you might be wondering whether you should top up your Pension(s) before the 5 April deadline. ‘Pension … Continued
Women in financial services
January 17, 2018
This year is the 100th anniversary since UK women won the right to vote. But, since then, we have not moved as fast as some … Continued
‘Tis the Season to be Jolly
November 16, 2017
The Christmas season is one of my favourite times of the year, as it is for many people. However, it is easy to get caught … Continued
Time to fix your mortgage rate?
October 16, 2017
With interest rates being at an all-time low, there has been a lot of talk about rates rising, especially now. The question you might be … Continued
Tax implications
August 22, 2017
Tax implications on your investments When looking at different types of investment, you also have to consider the tax implications. In fact, you could … Continued
When did you last review your life cover?
July 21, 2017
Many clients have approached us recently to review their life cover, perhaps inspired by all the tragic events that have occurred over the last few … Continued
Keeping your investments in tune
June 14, 2017
We recently rescued a piano, which was sadly rather out of tune. The piano tuner came today to tune it. To get it playing well and … Continued
Making dreams come true
April 19, 2017
“When can I retire?” “How much will I need?” “Can I afford to help my kids onto the property ladder?” As financial advisers, these … Continued
How can an IFA help a business?
March 23, 2017
A few years ago, I met someone who had recently joined a company where the sole director was left in a coma following an accident. … Continued
Managing Your Savings
March 7, 2017
Do you know how much interest you’re getting on your savings? Do you know how much would be protected by the FSCS (Financial Services Compensation … Continued
Don’t get ripped off and lose your pension!
January 18, 2017
Did you see the Panorama programme shown on the BBC back in July 2016, called Pension Rip-Offs Exposed? It revealed how some people have been … Continued