Inheritance Tax (IHT) can often be a major worry for people when it comes to their financial planning, with people often not wanting to pass further wealth on to HMRC, having worked hard to accumulate it, but there are often many misconceptions when it comes to IHT. As of 2019/20, individuals have a standard nil …

We are truly delighted to have been awarded the ‘Gold Standard’ for good practice when giving pension transfer advice on safeguarded benefits (such as defined benefits pension transfers). The title has been introduced across the UK to help the public better understand what to expect from regulated advice, and to identify advice firms that have …

Starting a new role is quite similar to starting a new school; jitters, nerves, anticipation, excitement and the biggest questions of all; “what will my colleagues be like?”, “will I fit in?” and “will I make a difference?”. As first days go, it was a huge success; what better way to be welcomed than by …

The State Pension can form a large part of an individual’s retirement income. For 2019/20, a full new State Pension will pay £168.60 per week (£8,767 pa) and under current rules, this will increase each April by the higher of average earnings growth, the rate of inflation (measured by CPI) or 2.5%. Many individuals approaching …

Passing wealth down the generations, for most, is an important part of their inheritance planning process. Until pension freedoms came into force on 6th April 2015, it was difficult to include personal pension funds in this planning. The introduction of ‘Flexible Pension Drawdown’, not only changed the accessibility of pension funds, but also allowed any …

An “expression of wish” form is a vital piece of the pension jigsaw. This enables you to nominate one or more people to benefit from your private and/or occupational pension schemes, should you die before retirement. It’s like having a Will for your pensions, and with legislation being complex, it can be a simple way …

Last year, the focus of Financial Capability Week was on talking about money. It isn’t hard to see why; talking about money and finances in general is perhaps one of the last classic British taboos. Yet money is such a big part of all our lives, so it’s odd that we feel so uncomfortable being …

The former Chancellor George Osborne was a big fan of ISAs, showing an enthusiasm to create a new one whenever he possibly could. He was such a fan that during his tenure between 2010 and 2016 he almost doubled the ISA allowance from £10,200 to £20,000, and in addition to the humble cash ISA and …

Well the snow here is starting to melt, the Easter eggs are in the shops and so minds start to turn to getting ready for the year ahead with the traditional ‘spring clean’. Spring is a time of renewal, when you clear out the clutter and determine what you want to keep and what you …

On 9th January this year the long-anticipated ban on pensions cold-calling came into place. This is a welcome step forward in preventing pension scammers from accessing hard-earned retirement funds and comes three years after a campaign to ban the practice started – led by Darren Cooke. Last year the FCA published a report analysing pension …