News

According to research1, 81% of the UK’s wealthiest individuals are ‘stressed’ about their finances, suggesting financial wellbeing is about more than just the totality of your wealth. So, virtually everyone has concerns about what their financial future will look like.  Planning for the future  The prime concerns for individuals centred around future planning and retirement, […]

Location, location, location  Homeowners are willing to pay more for convenience, as a short walk to a town centre or high street could boost a home’s value by more than £80,0001.  In England, homes that are close to a town are worth 27.6% more than the average property.  Interestingly, proximity costs an extra 14.2% in […]

Receiving a bonus at work as a reward for a job well done is highly satisfying, but with bonuses subject to Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions, you face losing a significant portion of your hard-earned money. A bonus may even push you into a higher tax band, meaning that you receive an even smaller […]

Financial goals fall by the wayside  A poll has found that 57% of adults had money-related goals for 2024, such as reducing debt and wanting more disposable income1. However, two-thirds (67%) had given up on achieving their financial aims by the end of Q1; 16% said this was due to having unrealistic expectations, and 10% […]

According to a lifetime mortgage lender, one in five of their new equity release plans in Q1 were taken out by homeowners with properties worth over £550,0001.  When asked why they were releasing equity, 22% of customers said they planned to spend the unlocked cash on improving their home. Less than 20% of borrowers wanted […]

Since being launched on 6 April 1999 as successor to PEPs and TESSAs, the Individual Savings Account (ISA) has become an integral part of the UK savings and investment landscape.  Worth celebrating  By any measure, the humble ISA has been a huge success. The latest HMRC figures show that more than 22 million UK adults […]

Does your investment portfolio suffer from too much ‘home bias’? It’s natural for investors to stay close to home when thinking about investing, contemplating well-known UK companies or UK-focused funds rather than looking further afield. But if your portfolio becomes too heavily concentrated in the UK, you risk missing out on valuable diversification benefits and […]

Are you looking forward to a long holiday this summer? Don’t spoil the fun and relaxation; make sure you leave your home fully insured.  Inform your insurance provider  You may think that it doesn’t make a difference whether you go on holiday for two weeks, a month, or more. However, most insurers require you to […]

Are you a magpie investor?  Almost one in ten (9%) adults are. These so-called magpie investors buy luxury items hoping for an increase in value and an attractive return, according to new research1. The assets invested in include jewellery, watches, collectibles, classic cars, art, wine, whisky, and accessories such as clothes and handbags. Magpie investors […]

Football presenter Jeff Stelling has warned people to be on the ball and check their pension protection in a new campaign by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).  Every year, the FSCS receives thousands of claims from people who have lost money from their pensions when their financial providers have gone out of business. The […]