Government’s bid to ensure ‘pension age equalisation’
On 3 October, campaigners lost a significant legal battle against the Government’s handling of the rise in women’s State Pension age. Up until 2010, women received their State Pensions at the age of 60, but that has been increasing since then.
Pension and asset advice should be part of the divorce process
Divorce – it’s one of the most difficult subjects to talk about. The emotional upheaval of divorce can be difficult to deal with, but so too can the financial implications. When relationships come to an end, there are so many things to consider. Children, home and support are naturally the first things you focus on.
How much will you need to save to afford a comfortable retirement?
There is a widespread and common-sense-based perception, backed to some extent by evidence, that planning and preparing for later life is associated with increased well-being in older age. Despite this, it’s concerning that some people at mid-life have not thought much about their later life nor taken fundamental future-oriented actions, such as engaging in financial planning or writing a Will.
Avoid knee-jerk reactions by focusing on long-term investment objectives
Creating and maintaining the right investment strategy plays a vital role in securing your financial future. But we live in the era of the 24-hour news cycle. Human tendency is to prioritise negative over positive news content, and no one is immune from bad news. So as an investor, when you do get it, how do you process the information, deal with it and move on unscathed?
Make the most of your valuable allowances, reliefs and exemptions
Once we enter January, the end of the 2019/20 tax year will be just over three months away on 5 April. As this date approaches, the window of opportunity reduces if you want to make the most of valuable allowances, reliefs and exemptions that could help reduce your tax bill and make sure your finances stay tax-efficient.
When it comes to investing, one size definitely does not fit everyone
There are many decisions to consider when making any investment. One of these is how much risk you are prepared to take. This will be determined by a number of different factors. In this guide, we take a look at the different types of investment risk and how it can relate to returns.
Don’t let a life-changing moment disrupt your home and work life and put a strain on your family’s finances
What would life be like if you were diagnosed with a serious illness? Things could change very suddenly. You’d get your family together and tell them what was going on. Before long, you’d start spending time in hospital for treatment. You may also need to take some time off.
How to give away your wealth and keep some control
Trusts are not a one-size-fits-all solution, but they are incredibly useful for protecting and giving you control over your assets. Appropriate trusts can be used for minimising or mitigating Inheritance Tax estate taxes, and they can offer other benefits as part of an integrated and coordinated approach to managing wealth.
Allowing someone to make decisions for you, or acting on your behalf
A lasting power of attorney (LPA) enables individuals to take control of decisions that affect them, even in the event that they can’t make those decisions for themselves. Without them, loved ones could be forced to endure a costly and lengthy process to obtain authority to act for an individual who has lost mental capacity.
Passing on your assets effectively whilst you’re alive
Some people like to transfer some of their assets whilst they are alive – these are known as ‘lifetime transfers’. Whilst we are all free to do this whenever we want, it is important to be aware of the potential implications of such gifts with regard to Inheritance Tax. The two main types are potentially exempt transfers (PETs) and chargeable lifetime transfers (CLTs).
