Maximise Your State Pension Before 5 April 2025
04.03.25
A reminder for anyone who doesn’t currently qualify for the full State pension: if you have gaps in your National Insurance (NI) record between 6th April 2006 and 5th April…
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Maximise Your State Pension Before 5 April 2025
04.03.25
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“How Much Money Do I Need to Retire?”
25.02.25
I’m often asked “how big does my pension need to be?”, or words to that effect. A simple question to which a simple but not very helpful answer is: It…
It All Comes Down To Two Desires
13.02.25
When planning for retirement, every financial decision, whether about spending, saving, or investing, is shaped by two fundamental desires: financial security and financial freedom. Financial security is the need to…
In Memory Of Stuart Knight (A Salient Lesson)
07.02.25
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of fellow Financial Planner, Stuart Knight, this week. His death at just 59 is both shocking and a stark reminder that…
10 Wake Up Calls That Tell You To Sort Out Your Finances
04.02.25
Have you started getting a feeling that maybe your money isn’t in the best health and that you should really start doing something about it? If so, here are 10 signs…
Fear and Opportunity: What the Rise of AI Means for You and Your Money
24.01.25
The pejorative term Luddite, derived from Ned Ludd, an 18th-century weaver, originally referred to textile workers in 19th-century Nottinghamshire who vandalised machinery out of fear for their jobs and livelihoods….
Why You Need to Know Your Lifetime Priorities
12.01.25
When I first meet with prospective clients the majority of the initial meeting is spent understanding their lifetime priorities. The money takes a back seat in the discussion. This may…
What Would the Ghosts of Christmas Show You About Your Life?
16.12.24
In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol the central character, Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by three ghosts on the eve of Christmas: the ghost of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas…
Is Drawing Down Pensions to Avoid IHT Sensible?
09.12.24
Following Rachel Reeve’s October Budget, which will see pension funds included in estates for IHT purposes from 2027, I’m hearing of people re-evaluating their retirement strategies and intending to draw…
14 Retirement assumptions you may later regret
02.12.24
We make assumptions every day; we have to otherwise we would never get anything done. Most of the time the assumptions we make are either correct or immaterial if they…