Thoughts for the end of the tax year

As we draw near to the end of the tax year, you will read helpful hints in all the money supplements. The curious thing is that however many times the journalists and financial advisers recommend making use of the various tax allowances, many of us still overlook the...

Taking Care

My theme for this year’s articles is realism. In past periods of austerity we have tended to take greater care of our property and assets;  people have mended their shoes rather than buying new, had their clothes mended and cleaned rather than buy new. They have...

Working together

May I wish you all a Happy Christmas! I started this year with an article on Financial Planning and I intend to end the year in the same vein. One of the essences of a financial plan is to set targets and to make assumptions as to how you may reach those targets. In...

Annuity friend or foe?

As we work primarily in the re-retirement and retirement market, I have many discussions with clients about annuities. Many people dislike the concept because they maintain that they have spent their working life building up a fund and if they die early, the Insurance...
Junior ISA

Junior ISA

Introduction 1 November sees the introduction of the Junior ISA which it is estimated could benefit six million youngsters who will be eligible for the account immediately. The attraction of the scheme is that anyone can save for a child be it a parent, grandparent,...