Category Archives: Personal Finance

Generation Z – Financial Planning Priorities

Megan Dimmick

Continuing with our series of blog posts from members of our team on what’s important to them when planning their financial future, here’s some thoughts from Megan Dimmick, wealth administrator…   As a recently turned 21-year-old and a generation Z, financial planning would usually be the last thing on my […]

Financial Planning Week 2020

Neil Cowie

This week we are supporting the CISI Financial Planning Week and will be giving free advice on family budgeting, financial planning and how you can begin. Don’t miss the opportunity to book a free 1-hour online chat with one of our qualified financial planners. You can email me, Neil Cowie […]

Don’t ignore your pension savings statement

pension warning

It’s rare nowadays to be in, what used to be called, a “Final Salary” pension.  We now call these “Defined Benefit” pensions because they are now not typically based on your final salary but on your service and income levels throughout the period of membership. If you work for the […]

Is it still possible to retire at 55?

when can i retire?

Typically, when we speak to younger clients, to retire at 55 feels like a good plan.  Perhaps this is because their work is demanding, and they can’t imagine “keeping going” at that sort of pace for years on end.   Last week the Government confirmed that the normal minimum pension […]

Do you know what your financial goals are?

Financial Planning Goals

As financial planners, we ask a lot of questions about goals – you might think we are being nosy?! The reason for asking so many questions is to try and establish what’s most important to you.  It’s not as simple as just asking you what your goals are.  If you […]

Cash reserves – the “Goldilocks” theory

Wealth management

Our sister company Robson Laidler Accountants and Tax Advisers have scheduled a Webinar Wednesday 9 September on “Cashflow Management”.  This event is for business owners and you can contact ggraham@robson-laidler.co.uk if you would like to attend. But what about our own, personal cash reserves? Whilst the last 6 months have […]

Happy 5th Birthday Pensions Freedoms

pension freedom

Can anyone remember when Pensions Freedom came in?  Just me?  Apparently not.  The Financial Conduct Authority have just conducted an outcome review to see how pension providers have adapted to all the changes.  This has been delayed because of the “awfulness” until February 2021. As a financial planner (and a […]

Pension death benefits – right pension, right nomination, right now?

pension wealth

A reported surge* in people wanting to write or amend their wills at the start of COVID-19 (with some legal firms claiming a jump in demand of up to 76%), tells us that the pandemic has sharply focused peoples’ minds on making sure their affairs are in order and that […]

Coping with the unexpected – what price peace of mind?

financial planning family

For many of us, the last few months have been about ticking some long-awaited jobs off a list.  Even for those still working it’s amazing how much time has been freed up when we haven’t got the usual distractions like a social life for instance. At the start of this […]

ESG investing – a new normal?

ESG Investing

Over the last year we have been having more conversations around ESG investing – where fund priorities are based on environmental, social, and governance issues. There has always been a small number of individuals who have specifically mentioned that they wish for a particular area to be excluded from their […]