Planning for every eventuality Responding to situations rather than reacting to them As the saying goes, ‘People don’t plan to fail, but they do fail to plan.’ To enable you to achieve want you want to, whether that’s trying to lose weight, getting fitter or securing that promotion, having a plan and being prepared for every eventuality is a great way to help move you closer towards your goals. You can do almost anything when you feel confident about your

Looking at the bigger picture Creating plans of action to ensure you reach your financial goals To be prepared for the road ahead, it’s critical to think about having a plan. For many people it’s not clear where their money will come from when they no longer receive a salary. And that can be stressful. When you add in the pressures of today’s bills and basic living costs, not to mention the nice things like holidays, the thought of the

Give a triple boost to your children Don’t miss out on this little-known tax rule For those parents who have spare cash, putting money into their children’s pension will boost the retirement prospects of their offspring. The money will be topped up by the addition of tax relief and could also earn their children a tax refund if they are higher-rate taxpayers and reduce the penalty they face if they are a higher earner receiving child benefit. Under current rules,

Retirement longevity Your destiny is now in your own hands If you are in your 50s or 60s, your thoughts are probably turning towards retirement. When should you retire? How much money do you need? In trying to answer these questions, you face a problem. Because of longevity trends, we are on average living longer. With longevity increasing, your wealth may have to provide you and your spouse or partner with an adequate income for 30 or even 40 years.

Healthy, wealthy and well advised Financial complexities of passing on wealth Passing on wealth is a sensitive subject, not just because of the financial complexities of it all, but also the emotion and family politics involved. Having built up their business or wealth, many families often wish to enjoy it whilst also ensuring that it is passed on to the next generation in their families. Passing on what you have accrued in the most efficient way is of paramount importance.

What’s your magic number? Your five-year plan to a comfortable retirement Retiring is a huge life event. And the very concept of retirement is changing with phased retirement becoming more common. The way we access our pension is now a lot more flexible, and it’s no secret that in the UK we’re living longer than ever before which means we need to make the right choices. So you’re now age 50 and you want to wave goodbye to the 9-to-5

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