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A Whole of Life Assurance policy with guaranteed premiums promises payment of a known level of cover upon death of the life / lives assured whenever death occurs, provided that premiums are maintained. The premium and sum assured are fixed throughout the life of the policy (in some cases it is possible to include an
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The damage from falling victim to a fraud or scam is not only financial. It can also have huge emotional consequences. Remember that if you are a victim of this type of crime, you are not alone. Support is available, but you need to report what has happened as soon as possible. How to spot
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MIT AgeLab has identified three simple questions to ask yourself to gauge how prepared you are for retirement. They uncover crucial factors which may determine your future quality of life. When it comes to retirement planning, we are inclined to focus on accumulating wealth and spending it wisely. While not outliving our wealth is essential
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The research on how best to generate retirement income has been evolving for decades. In the 1950s and 1960s, the leading strategy was to buy bonds live off the interest. This prevailed until the high inflation of the 1970s ravaged the true value of bond interest. In the 1980s, retirees shifted to buying dividend-paying shares
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After the events of the first quarter of 2020, world stock markets bounced back in April. The US market was the standout performer, enjoying the best month since 1987. Over March the S&P 500 rose by more than 14%. Indeed, the index is up by 30% from its 23 March low, meaning that the US
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One of the most valuable assets of a business is its staff, with business success or failure depending on them. Some of these people because of their specialised knowledge, skills or contacts, are vital to the profitability of the business. They are often referred to as ‘key persons’ as their death or incapacity could result
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Watching your portfolio’s returns go up and down can be an emotionally trying experience. Rebalancing to a predetermined, diversified asset mix makes it so you do not have to worry about market instability as much. Having a suitable mix of assets in your portfolio can serve as a buffer against extreme swings in the market.
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The Lifetime Allowance (LTA) limits how much someone can draw from their pensions without incurring tax charges. It currently stands at £1,073,100 (2020/21). Lifetime allowance charges can arise on various occasions with the main ones being: When benefits are initially taken (Taking tax-free cash from a pension is an example of this), On the death
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Whether you want to spread your risk Let us look at four scenarios where you have your money in shares in: a single company, Many companies in the same industry in the same country, Many companies in many industries in the same country or, Many companies in many industries in many countries around the world.
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We have updated our guide to actions which could be taken to minimise taxes here. For our clients, some of the key ones are making full use of the ISA and Pension allowances. The only thing we would advise against doing now is disturbing invested assets to make use of these allowances. An example of
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