Category Archives: Retirement

Did you reach State Pension age between 6/4/2010 and 5/4/2015? 

state pension

Did you reach State Pension age between 6/4/2010 and 5/4/2015?  Here is some help on how you can top up any missing years… The DWP has published updated guidance for those who reached State Pension age between 6 April 2010 and 5 April 2015 on how they can top up […]

Happy Financial Independence Day

funding support

On 25 April the world celebrated Financial Independence Day. So, what is Financial Independence? Well, according to Wiki it’s “the status of having enough income to pay one’s living expenses for the rest of one’s life without having to be employed or dependent on others.” Sound good? But how many of us actually know how […]

When can I retire? Do you know your “magic number”?

magic number

I was having coffee with friends, in those pre-lockdown halcyon days, and one asked “when do you think you will retire?” My answer is always the same “when my pension and investments reach the magic number!”  Obviously my magic number is personal!  But I 100% know what it is and […]

Financial security – what price peace of mind?

Financial security

In a recent global study* the question “What do you value in the relationship you have with your financial adviser?” The results were: Given what we are going through at the moment you might say that this is pretty obvious.  However these results were similar pre-pandemic. So, how do you […]

Getting closer to 50 – financial planning priorities

Amanda Cowie gains accreditation

To round off with the Financial Planning Week blog posts from our team, Director and Chartered Financial Planner Amanda Cowie gives her thoughts on financial planning when you are nearing 50!…   If, like me, you are getting near your “special” birthday you maybe can’t believe that you are at […]

Financial Planning in your Thirties

Emma Purvis

This week is Financial Planning Week and to support this we have asked our staff to give us their own thoughts on their own financial planning priorities, in hope that this might give others some inspiration and ideas when it comes to planning for themselves.   Here’s a great read […]

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 […]