Blog
It has become common practice for employees to exchange part of their salary and/or bonus in return for their increasing the pension contribution they pay by the same amount. This can be far more attractive than the employee making a direct pension contribution on his/her own behalf, particularly if the employer is prepared to increase
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There is no doubt buy-to-let residential property has been profitable for some. However, it is not without considerable risks. These risks include increasing taxes, rent arrears, voids, dilapidations and many more. Any landlord effectively needs to run a small business. There is also the misconception that residential property only ever goes up in value. When
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What is an equity (or share)? An equity (or share) represents ownership of part of a company. This gives you a right to your share of any dividends paid and a claim on the company’s assets. Returns from equities come from changes in the price of the shares and dividends paid out. Are all equities
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This may seem an obvious question with an obvious answer. In some ways it is. We believe investing to be the means of building wealth to fund lifestyle and personal choices. It is a slow, emotional, and sometimes painful process requiring a robust plan, patiently executed over many years. Anyone hoping to get rich quick
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It is easier and cheaper than ever to invest money or to start a pension. In addition, we like to say that long term investing is, to a fair degree, solved. We do accept that we cannot tell you what the perfect portfolio is going to look like for the next 30 years. However, we
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There has been as much research into what makes us happier as there has been into what makes us wealthier. As financial planners, we are trying to help our clients improve their lives using their money. So, it is therefore important to look at what drives happiness and how it relates to money. The happiness
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The Institute for Fiscal Studies has released a report looking at when might be the best times for individuals to save for retirement. The findings are obviously very general but some chime in with what we find from our clients and our personal finances. What have the IFS said? Most individuals expect their income to
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The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has published a new report on likely future inheritances. It may give a future Chancellor something to consider The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has regularly looked at inheritance and inequality. In its latest paper, it has gone into greater detail, drawing on data from a variety of sources:
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One key reason directors are looking at investing money in their businesses is low interest rates. Directors could be increasingly concerned at the poor returns available on deposit accounts. However, despite this, they will have the comfort of knowing the funds will be available when they may be required. In addition to the above There
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Standard Life Aberdeen (SLA) has just published ‘The Class of 2021’. This looked at 2,000 UK adults who were either due to retire in the next 12 months or had retired in the past 12 months. The document contains some interesting hard data alongside some softer marketing material. What stands out? The average retirement was
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