Plan for a better tomorrow, today. Responsible investment is a catch-all term to broadly describe funds that invest to make a positive change, either to the environment or for society. Within this umbrella term there are four broad investment approaches: ethical exclusion; responsible practice; sustainable solutions; and impact funds. Increasingly more pension savers are asking where their funds are invested. Many are no longer just concerned about getting the best returns – they also want their money to be used in

Sharing your wealth during your lifetime can make a big difference. With all of us leading longer lives, you might be considering how you can help your family when it matters most. Sharing your wealth during your lifetime can make a big difference and bring you a lot of joy, particularly when helping younger generations who are dealing with rising house prices and university fees. After you’ve determined how much you can afford to give, there’s a simple starting point.

What can you do with your pension pot? When the time comes to access your pension, you’ll need to choose which method you use to do so, with options including: buying an annuity, taking income through (flexi-access) drawdown, withdrawing lump sums or a combination of all of them. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method, and in some cases your decision is permanent, so it’s important to ensure that you obtain professional financial advice when considering your different options.

Creating a roadmap for your future financial success. It’s always a good time to consider financial planning, but at the start of a new tax year, when you have a fresh set of annual allowances to take advantage of, you have the perfect opportunity to get your financial affairs in order and align them with your goals. The UK tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April each year. These dates don’t change but tax rules and regulations do

Impact on people opting for early retirement as a result of the pandemic. An increasing number of people have been forced into early retirement due to the economic impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), with many worried about how they’ll make ends meet in the future. Because of the pandemic, we are currently in a challenging economic period. The global economy has taken over ten years to recover from the shock of the last financial crisis. In a recent survey, the

Planning to achieve your retirement goals sooner. Are you ‘mid or late career’ or planning to retire within ten years? If the answer’s ‘yes’, then you probably want to know the answers to these questions: Will I be able to retire when I want to? Will I run out of money? How can I guarantee the kind of retirement I want? But, for many different reasons, planning for retirement is a commonly overlooked aspect of personal financial planning and this

Are you giving yourself the best chance of success? Before you start, defining any goals you may have will help you plan, budget and choose the right investments. Your goals might be around enhancing your current lifestyle, planning for your family or your own retirement. The sooner you start investing, the better off you will be. Match your long-term investment goals with your short-term lifestyle aspirations. When you have created your goals and time frames, define your budget. Be realistic

Life events that professional financial advice can help you navigate. In the current climate, we understand that you may be feeling worried about your work, your finances and what the future holds. Research carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that, since the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), over 25 million people have experienced ‘high’ levels of anxiety[1]. Professional financial advice offers so much more than just practical, financial benefits. It also helps to improve your emotional wellbeing

Providing for your loved ones after your death. If you’ve spent a lifetime saving for retirement, you’d probably like any remaining money to go to a loved one after your death. But whether pension benefits are payable to a beneficiary, and how they’ll receive them, is dependent on the type of pension you’ve chosen and how you’ve accessed it in your retirement. Thanks to changes in the way that pensions are taxed, more of your fund can survive your death

Planning ahead for your financial future together. Some couples may prefer to keep their finances separate, while others share everything. Whichever method you’ve chosen, when it comes to retirement saving, it’s worth planning together to ensure you’ve made the most of all the allowances and benefits offered to couples. Your golden years may ultimately be the best of your relationship if you understand each other’s future goals, needs and expectations. Set your budget The first step of planning for retirement

10 ways to protect your estate for your loved ones. Even those who believe they have moderate wealth levels may still need to take action to minimise Inheritance Tax, particularly if they own property and have savings and investments. Inheritance Tax is payable in the UK on death, and sometimes when you give away certain assets during your lifetime. It can be a great concern for individuals with wealth exceeding the current £325,000 nil-rate band (2020/21 tax year). Naturally, you’ll

Invest today. Change tomorrow. Responsible, sustainable and environmentally friendly investing is here to stay. But, while demand is growing among all age groups, genders and income bands, some savers and investors are missing their biggest opportunity for responsible investing, which is through their pension. We all want to make responsible choices as more of us are becoming aware of global challenges, such as environmental issues, human rights and climate change. We’re also starting to care more about how our behaviours