Category Archives: Retirement

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 […]

Budget 2020 – Personal Finance Summary

Budget Briefcase

The new chancellor has just sat down after delivering his first budget statement.  The issue of the government’s response to coronavirus dominated the first part of his speech. Of more interest to us and our clients were the measures that directly affect personal finances. Our summary of the key issues: […]

North East Women – are you financially resilient?

Women financial resilience

Recently we hosted an event in conjunction with a national initiative introduced by the Chartered Insurance Institute.  The theme was “Insuring Women’s Futures” and it deliberately coincided with National Talk Money Week on the basis that if you get women talking about issues through raising awareness then things might start […]

Pensions in your twenties and thirties?!

young person pension planning

As a thirty something (and hurtling towards the big 40) I often find myself thinking about retirement and what it’s going to look like.  Not necessarily what I’ll be doing or the fact I’ll be finished work forever (yippee), I’m thinking about money, my pension, and will I have enough […]

What happens to my pension when I die?

What happens to my pension when I die?

One of the most regularly asked questions I get from clients is “what happens to my pension when I die”. Your pension can be your largest asset, often exceeding the value of your home. The rules governing pensions can be complex and have changed significantly in recent years. What happens […]

Lifetime Allowance – Myths you need to know

Lifetime allowance

For those who haven’t heard of this before, the Lifetime Allowance (LTA) is the amount that a UK individual can hold in a registered pension arrangement(s).  Now the LTA is £1.055m and it is set to increase with CPI every year.

NHS Pensions – handy hints to plan your exit

NHS Pension

For most of the doctors I meet, their NHS Pension will underpin their retirement planning.  So, it’s probably a good idea to get clued up/take some advice if you have a specific date/lifestyle in mind! Here’s what you should be thinking about: We think it’s a good idea to determine […]

Self employed millennials heading for a rocky retirement

Millennial retirement planning

Recent research from Fidelity suggest that those who are self employed between the ages of 23 and 38 (millennials) are not saving enough for retirement. Two in three young self-employed workers surveyed by the investment firm and pension provider said they had no pension savings whatsoever, with nearly three-quarters of […]

Later Life Care – a financial time bomb?

Later Life Care - a financial time bomb?

Local authorities are cash strapped – fact.  The Dilnot Report capping the cost of Later Life Care fees keeps being delayed.  Something has to be done to address this. The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published ‘Care in later life: incentives to use assets to pay for care’ sponsored by […]