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Guide to getting your finances in order

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Understandably, the current coronavirus (Covid-19) situation is causing worry among people, particularly elderly and vulnerable people, many of whom have been self-isolating. It’s estimated that more than half of British adults have not made a Will.

It is becoming uncomfortably clear that while not everyone has been physically affected by coronavirus (COVID-19), many of us could be impacted financially. During the pandemic, some savings and many investments have been volatile, as have wages and jobs security.

Discover a clearer financial future

Estate planning is an important part of wealth management, no matter how much wealth you have built up. It’s the process of making a plan for how your assets will be distributed upon your death or incapacitation.

Beware of pension fraudsters

Protecting renters affected by coronavirus

Coronavirus investment scams

Applying for a three month-mortgage payment holiday

The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will support self-employed individuals (including members of partnerships) who have lost income due to coronavirus (COVID-19). Read our factsheet here.

How will you pay the bills if you were sick or injured and couldn’t work?

If the worst were to happen, would your bills still get paid?

When you have several pension pots, things can become complicated. If you have accumulated a number of pension pots over the years from different employers, consolidating them could be a sensible move.

An Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) enables you to save in a simple, tax-efficient way, while generally giving you instant access to your money.

5 tips that add up to teaching your child about money matters

Creating and maintaining the right investment strategy plays a vital role in securing your financial future. Cultivate the art of patience.

How prepared are you for retirement? You work hard to enjoy your lifestyle, but are you doing enough to ensure that you will continue to enjoy it later on?

Those receiving the State Pension are likely to find out that their weekly payments could potentially increase by 3.2% from April 2020

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.

Over time, with life expectancy and the cost of living rising, it could mean that some retirees are at risk of running out of pension income in later life. So what can you do to make sure that you have a big enough pension to meet your needs for the whole of your retirement?

Many people have savings and investment goals in their life, from the old adage of saving for a rainy day to planning for a comfortable retirement. Working out exactly what you want to get out of your investments will help you set realistic targets and keep you on track.

Your 50s are a crunch time when saving for your retirement. If you’ve already set a retirement savings target but have been neglecting it, the reality is that now you can’t afford to delay your planning any further – and it’s time for a careful review.

Working together with your Financial Adviser, our solution is for our in-house Investment Analysts to invest in a pre-approved panel of funds that is specifically designed to allow you to benefit from a range of investment expertise in fund research, portfolio construction and investment management.

Inflation can have a significant impact on our finances in a number of ways. But what exactly does it mean? And what impact could it have on our savings and investments? It’s important to understand how inflation works, as well as the effects it has on our financial planning. As the American economist Milton Friedman remarked, ‘Inflation is taxation without legislation.’

We all have dreams for the future, and many of those dreams require money and planning to make them become a reality. Reaching those milestones starts with setting clear financial goals.

Women will now start to qualify for the State Pension at the same age as men, currently set at 65. The move to equalise male and female pension ages began 25 years ago and has been gradually phased in. Your State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension. It may be different to the age you can get a workplace or personal pension.

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You have worked hard to build your wealth. Passing it on to the next generation fairly, safely, effectively and efficiently takes skill and careful preparation. Read our factsheet for more information.

Prepare for your upcoming retirement by reading our latest factsheet

Gale and Phillipson Services Brochure

Spring is finally here. With that in mind, now is the perfect time to give your finances a little spring clean.

Protecting your income should be taken very seriously, given the limited government support available. How would you pay the bills if you were sick or injured and couldn't work? 

How to invest wisely
Throughout our lives, we will have many different lifestyle and financial goals that we would like to achieve. Although we all have different goals, there are some key goals that we’ll have in common, especially when it comes to retirement.

At this time of year, it’s a good time to start planning our tax affairs before the end of the tax year on 5 April. As you think about your future financial goals, we can help to start you off on the right financial footing. It’s well worth spending some time to think about your money so you can achieve your goals as quickly as possible.

ISAs are tax-efficient wrappers. Every tax year, we each have an annual ISA allowance. If you don’t take full advantage of using all or part of it in one tax year, you cannot carry it over to the next. There are currently six different types of ISA.

There are many ways that you can invest, and while we all want our money to grow, it’s important to think about the level of risk you might be willing to take with your hard-earned money.

You can now access your pension in more ways than ever before, after the Government introduced wide-ranging changes in April 2015. These changes give you more options, so it’s important that you take time to think carefully before you decide what to do with your money.

When someone dies, Inheritance Tax needs to be considered. Without the right professional advice and careful financial planning, HM Revenue & Customs can become the single largest beneficiary of your estate following your death. To evaluate whether or not Inheritance Tax could become payable, all of your assets you hold at the date of death need to be valued, and reliefs and exemptions determined.

Reviewing your retirement date regularly as you get older makes real sense, and most modern pension plans enable you to change and update this date whenever you choose.

There are many things to consider when looking to protect your family and assets. Whatever your priorities are, the sooner you start thinking about IHT planning, the more you can do.

There’s a fundamental lack of awareness and understanding around Inheritance Tax, especially when it comes to how Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) are treated after death. Given that some people have been able to amass over a million pounds in their ISAs, it’s an area where lack of knowledge could prove costly.

Even if retirement isn’t far away, there are steps you could take to increase your eventual retirement income. This applies both to your State Pension entitlement as well as to any personal or workplace pension pots. We’ve provided some areas to consider that you may wish to discuss with us to help you to meet your retirement goals.

Our life is an endless series of daily choices, and how we manage those choices determines the outcome of our life.
We all want financial freedom, but how will we achieve it? Financial goal-setting is the key to building wealth.

By the time we have been working for a decade or two, it is not uncommon to have accumulated multiple pension plans. There’s no wrong time to start thinking about pension consolidation, but you might find yourself thinking about it if you’re starting a new job or nearing retirement.

The world of investing can seem daunting. Whatever stage of life you’re at, we’ll guide you through the appropriate investment opportunities available to you. Every investor needs to ask themselves the same basic questions before getting started.

If you have accumulated a number of Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) over the years, keeping them all in one place could give you better control and help you save money. There’s a common misconception that you can’t move your existing ISAs from one provider to another. Transferring your ISAs doesn’t affect its tax-efficient status, but you should make sure that you don’t have to pay penalties or give up valuable benefits.

Retirement is a time for you to do the things you’ve always wanted. When considering your retirement income needs, you need to consider the types of events you would like to happen after you retire that may impact your budget. Thinking about these early could help you when you’re deciding the best way to take your pension savings.

An increasing number of middle-aged Britons are getting healthier as they exercise more and eat better than they did when they were younger. Over-40s are turning to healthier lifestyles, with more than half rating themselves as more health-conscious than they were in their mid-20s, according to new research. Read our factsheet for more.

A recent study by Citizen’s Advice found nine out of ten people would fail to spot common warning signs of a pension scam, such as unusually high investment returns, cold calling and offers of free financial advice. Read our factsheet for more information.

Read our brochure 'Discretionary Managed Services' to find out how we would deal with the day-to-day management of your investment portfolio, our approach to choosing funds, and our Investment Committee

Half (49%) of retirees now say they view their post-work years as an exciting phase of life, with many using their free time to learn, see and experience new things.

Writing a Will may seem daunting – and with everything else we should be thinking about, it becomes just another chore on the to-do list. However, getting your affairs in order and planning what you want to pass on to loved ones – whether it’s while you’re alive or after you’ve passed away – is really important.

An ISA is a tax-efficient investment wrapper in which you can hold a range of investments, including bonds, equities, property, multi-asset funds and even cash, giving you control over where your money is invested.

Retirement can mean different things to different people. Understanding how much it will take to provide an income for yourself and potentially a spouse, while also ensuring you are able to leave something behind for your loved ones after your death, is essential.

Older workers are finding themselves caught in a position of retirement roulette, as many are relying on external factors such as a downsizing, an inheritance or even a lottery win to be able to afford a comfortable retirement, according to Aviva’s latest Real Retirement Report.

Obtaining the right legal and financial guidance and support is vital when dealing with pensions (and indeed the other assets and financial issues) in the event of a divorce.

We have to decide whether we are prepared to watch our money erode away in saving accounts or try and grow our savings through investing.

Whatever you’re putting money aside for, there’s likely to be a role for Individual Saving Accounts (or ‘ISAs’). Low interest rates on cash savings since the financial crisis have meant that many savers have turned to the markets in the hope of achieving a better return.

The Government said the introduction of a new Lifetime Individual Savings Account (LISA) will help young people save flexibly for the long term throughout their lives. The aim is to help them simultaneously save for a first home and for their retirement, without having to choose one over the other.

It is impossible to consider retirement, and our experience of it, without also considering how we’ll pay for it. But almost 30% of people over the age of 55 are unsure if they will be able to retire on their current savings, according to new research.

Does it feel like your savings aren’t earning as much as you’d like? You’ve worked hard for your money – now investing can get your money working harder for you.

What is cryptocurrency? There has been a lot of excitement and news surrounding cryptocurrencies. This factsheet will explain what bitcoin is, why it is so prevalent in todays news, and our views on cryptocurrency.

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? Considering that the most common topics are health and finances, there’s a pretty good chance that at least one of them involves a financial goal

Our first time buyer guide provides more information on the different types of mortgage, how much you could borrow, what the typical costs associated with buying a new home are likely to be and some key advice when it actually comes to applying for a mortgage.

The average cost of living in a nursing home in the UK is £866 a week. With an ageing population it is vital that you know the facts surrounding care homes. Read our factsheet for more information regarding care costs.

The stock market can be very volatile at times. Fluctuations in prices can mean holding out on selling your investments can be very difficult. However, in these circumstances patience is key. Read our factsheet regarding Long-term investments for more information.

A Self-Invested Personal Pension is a type of pension called a ‘defined contribution pension’ that allows you access to a wider choice of investments when it comes to saving for your retirement. Please read our factsheet for more information on a SIPP.

It can be very hard to discuss money or death with family members. owever, it is always best to have a plan in place so that you know everything is in place. ead our factsheet for more on Inheritance Tax.

Pensions should play an important part in everyone's long-term financial planning, so ensure that you make the most of any employer's contriburions. Read our factsheet to ensure you have enough saved to keep doing the things you love. 

Research has found that 73% of cohabiting families do not have a life insurance policy, compared to 56% of married couples. This is leaving thousands at risk as cohabiting couples do not enjoy the same rights as married couples. Read our factsheet to learn more about life insurance and protecting your family.

Handing a family business to the next generation is a major process, from selecting and developing the successors to protecting the brand reputation and retaining knowledge. Read this factsheet to help develop a personal financial plan so that you can meet your long-term goals.

Handing your family business to the next generation is a major process. Read this factsheet to find out more about developing a succession plan for your business.

Within an ISA, you can reallocate your portfolio according to your outlook and needs at any time without losing any of the tax benefits. Read this factsheet to find out more about ISAs.

Protection is essential for partnerships or directors of private companies. Read this factsheet to check whether your key staff need protecting

Volatility in financial markets is normal but investors should be prepared upfront. Read this factsheet to see key questions to consider knowing how to invest.

Planning and timing are the upmost importance when it comes to funding for long-term care. Read this factsheet to review things to think about when it comes to funding long-term care.

We all know that markets can go up and down and can sometimes be quite extreme. Read our factsheet to find out more about managing investing risk during turbulent markets.

Whatever phase of investment you are in, there is always a valuable role for effective diversification. Read our factsheet to review considerations for managing investment risk

Getting the right life insurance policy means working out how much money you need to protect your dependants. Read our factsheet to review some considerations for the most effective ways to manage investment risk

Designing a custom investment portfolio needs to be reviewed periodically. Read our factsheet which highlights considerations for the best options to suit your particular objectives

When putting together an investment portfolio, there are a number of asset classes, or types of investments, that can be combined in different ways. Read our factsheet to find out more about putting together an investment portfolio.

Equity release is a way of releasing the wealth tied up in your property without having to sell it and move to another home. Read our factsheet to find out more about Equity Release