Making plans for your retirement Tailored to match your particular needs and aspirations One of the most important stages in life which everybody has to save for is retirement. We work hard to enjoy our current lifestyle but are we doing enough to ensure that we can continue to enjoy it in our retirement? Many of us live for today, but saving into a private pension plan can help us retire sooner rather than later. Pension plans are as individual

Inheritance Tax No longer something that only affects the very wealthy Inheritance Tax is no longer something that only affects the very wealthy, but the good news is that there are ways to limit the amount of Inheritance Tax your family may potentially face. When someone dies Inheritance Tax a tax charged on their estate above a certain value. A person’s estate is basically everything they own, including their main property, any other properties, cars, boats, life assurance policies not

Wealth creation Spreading risk by accessing different types of assets Investing for the long-term means persisting through market swings. History shows that when people invest and stay invested, they’re more likely to earn positive returns in the long run. When markets start to fluctuate, it may be tempting to make financial decisions in reaction to changes to your portfolio. Investing in a pooled investment, also known as a collective investment scheme, provides investors to access investments through a fund, rather

Why do you want to invest? Reaching specific life goals requires planning If you don’t know where you want to go, you’ll find it tricky getting there! Investment goals cover everything from the old adage of saving for a rainy day to planning for a comfortable retirement. Goal-based investing, which emphasises investing with the objective of reaching specific life goals – such as buying a house, saving for your child’s education, or building a nest egg for retirement – instead

Building a diverse portfolio Time, patience and making informed decisions – making sense of today’s market headwinds and building a diverse portfolio should be key priorities for all investors. Whether you have a lump sum to invest or want to invest regularly each month, it’s important to know your money is working hard for you. Growing your wealth is not something that happens automatically. It takes time, patience and making informed decisions. Whatever your long-term wealth priorities are, planning and

Freetirees – Pension freedoms usher in a new generation The introduction of pension freedoms has been a huge enabler for over 55s, allowing millions to draw income from their pensions flexibly. Pension freedoms offer the opportunity to transition into retirement by continuing to work with reduced hours beyond traditional retirement age. This emerging trend enables you to choose a middle path, allowing for reduced working hours, more flexible quality leisure time, whilst also receiving your retirement benefits. Taking a phased

Retirement options Greater responsibility on individuals to plan for financial security in old age Deciding what to do with your pension pot is one of the most important decisions you will ever make for your future. The ‘pension freedom’ changes of April 2015 represented a complete shake-up of the UK’s pensions system, giving people much more control over their pension savings than before. New research[1] has revealed that the number of savers who have embraced their freedoms now exceeds one

Wealth protection Planning your legacy Unforeseen life events and circumstances can potentially impact your finances in a number of ways. Believe it or not, you have an estate. In fact, nearly everyone does. Your estate is comprised of everything you own – your car, home, savings accounts, investments, life insurance, furniture, personal possessions – the list goes on. No matter how large or how modest, everyone has an estate and therefore shares something in common – you can’t take it

Safeguarding your wealth for future generations Steps to mitigate against Inheritance Tax Unforeseen life events and circumstances can potentially impact your finances in a number of ways. We can help you to safeguard your wealth for future generations. But for many of us, there can be a remarkable gap between our intentions and our actions. Inheritance Tax (IHT) affects thousands of families every year. It comes at a time of loss and mourning and can have an impact on families

Retirement income Plan to enjoy the kind of lifestyle you want in later life ‘Will I be able to afford the retirement lifestyle I want?’ is a question that many people ask but struggle to figure out. There are many ways to assess your likely income in retirement and work out how much you need to put away now to enjoy the kind of lifestyle you want in later life. This is why more and more people, where appropriate, are

Pension freedoms Fundamental change in the approach to retirement savings A revolution in pensions transformed the retirement prospects for millions following the passing of the Pension Schemes Act 2015. April 2019 is the fourth anniversary since the introduction of the pension freedoms, a fundamental change in the approach to retirement savings. Announced by the then Chancellor, George Osborne, in Budget 2014, pension freedoms gave over-55s full control of their retirement savings. The changes which commenced on 6 April 2015 gave

Can you afford to retire? Making the most of the next chapter in life Pensions can seem complicated, but the basic idea is a simple one. And increasingly, if appropriate, people are turning to private pensions as a tax-effective way to increase their retirement income. Once you’ve decided to start saving for retirement, you need to choose how you’re going to do it. The precise amount you’ll need to save each month to retire at 55 depends entirely on the