Welcome to our blogs which relate to the financial services you may be interested in from mortgages to pensions; protection to auto-enrolment and many more. So why not grab a drink and enjoy the read.
Employment statistics show that more women are staying in the workplace for longer, with 48.5% in this age bracket in employment, compared with just 23.4% back in 1998. This is attributed variously to the short-notice rise in the state pension age from 60 to 65 or 66 currently affecting many women born in the 1950s, higher incidence of divorce later
Living through decades of increasing prosperity has undoubtedly given baby boomers a lot of advantages, but they can also face a number of challenges. Today, many feel pressured into working past their normal retirement date, often because of the number of demands being made on their finances by their families. If they are unable to work, they can have concerns
Scams have resulted in people being used as money mules and risking criminal prosecution… Financial scams are now widespread and come in a variety of forms. What they offer may look appealing and be presented by people who seem plausible, but scams have resulted in people being used as money mules and risking criminal prosecution or losing substantial amounts of
The qualifying earnings band and earnings trigger amounts for auto enrolment have been published. The earnings trigger for 2019/20 will remain at £10,000 and the qualifying earnings band will be £6,136 – £50,000. The automatic enrolment earnings trigger determines who is eligible to be automatically enrolled into a workplace pension by their employer in terms of how much they earn.
The personal allowance will increase from £11,850 to £12,500 in April 2019, a year earlier than originally planned. The threshold for paying higher rate tax will also rise from £46,350 in 2018-19 to £50,000 in 2019-20. Although there had been speculation that major changes to pension taxation might be in the offing, these didn’t materialise. However, the Lifetime Allowance will
Volatility is all part and parcel of investing in the stock market. 2018 saw the market experience lower volatility, as confidence grew, but in 2019, the bounce back in volatility was pronounced as unease over global events increased. To help navigate market volatility, it’s best to stick to your plan, diversify your holdings and very importantly, expect and accept volatility.
For the first time in more than 10 years the Bank of England has raised interest rates. The official bank rate has been lifted from 0.25% to 0.5%, the first increase since July 2007. The Bank cautioned that any future increases would be gradual and limited, but added that it stood ready to respond to changes in the economic outlook.
A recent survey conducted shows big differences between how different generations handle their mortgage affairs. Homeowners aged between 19-34 were more likely to hold a repayment mortgage (92%) than their over 55 counterparts (68%). Being on a repayment mortgage means that the size of the 19-34’s mortgage is gradually decreasing whereas 32% of over 55’s are only paying interest from
Research conducted by a leading pension provider has discovered that consumers nationally have lost £130 million because they have remained with their current lender. What does this mean for you? The research found that those who are not looking for the best deals with their pensions could be missing out on thousands of pounds in retirement. Ultimately, this means a
House prices have been increasing month on month for some time now, which has only increased the challenges that now face First Time buyers up and down the country. Whether it be struggling to build a deposit, or having sufficient income to pass affordability checks, which could be about to become harder following recent Bank of England announcements, First Time