A guide to your retirement countdown

We’ve put together a guide to your retirement countdown to help you see if is it time to review your financial plans with a financial check-up. If you are aiming to retire within the next five years, it’s time to get into the mindset of considering the practicalities of fulfilling your desired lifestyle and making…

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Lifetime Allowance

An estimated 1.25 million people are set to breach the current lifetime allowance (LTA) limit of £1.055 million for pension tax relief over the course of their working life, according to new research published [1]. The LTA is a limit on the amount of pension benefit that can be drawn from pension schemes – whether…

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Why silence isn’t necessarily bliss

Over six million adults refuse to discuss their Will with loved ones. Making a Will is very important if you care what happens to your money and your belongings after you die, and most of us do. But have you tried to talk with your children about your Will? If that conversation isn’t happening, you’re…

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Pension freedoms usher in a new generation

The introduction of pension freedoms has been a huge enabler for over-55s, allowing millions to draw income from their pensions flexibly. Pension freedoms offer the opportunity to transition into retirement by continuing to work with reduced hours beyond traditional retirement age. This emerging trend enables you to choose a middle path, allowing for reduced working…

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Pension freedoms usher in a new generation

The introduction of pension freedoms has been a huge enabler for over-55s, allowing millions to draw income from their pensions flexibly. Pension freedoms offer the opportunity to transition into retirement by continuing to work with reduced hours beyond traditional retirement age. This emerging trend enables you to choose a middle path, allowing for reduced working…

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Tracing a lost pension

Many are not tracing a lost pension resulting in nearly £20 billion in unclaimed money and this is growing. The scale of the UK’s lost pensions mountain has been exposed by the largest study yet on the subject [1]. The Pensions Policy Institute surveyed firms representing about 50% of the private defined contribution pensions market…

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When investing, there’s no such thing as normal

The overall direction of developed stock markets is a relentless and continual rise in value over the very long term, punctuated by falls. It’s important not to let global uncertainties affect your financial planning for the years ahead. Individuals who stop their investment planning, particularly during market downturns, can often miss out on opportunities to…

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Key Changes to the New Tax Year

We’ve pulled together some of the key changes to the new tax year you need to know. You want to pay the minimum amount of tax possible. We want that for you, too. The 2019/20 tax year started on 6 April and, in general, taxpayers will have more money in their pocket after increases to…

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State Pension

A significant number of people working past the State Pension age could be paying unnecessary tax on their State Pensions, according to new research [1]. This is because they failed to take up the option of deferring their State Pension until they stopped work. As a result, their entire State Pension is being taxed, in…

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Building a diverse portfolio

Time, patience and making informed decisions are key to building a diverse portfolio. Making sense of today’s market headwinds and building a diverse portfolio should be key priorities for all investors. Whether you have a lump sum to invest or want to invest regularly each month, it’s important to know your money is working hard…

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May/June TIPS Financial Magazine

At the time of releasing the May/June TIPS financial magazine, the uncertainty around the terms of Brexit have been extended to a new deadline set for 31 October. All we can do is expect the best, prepare for the worst and capitalise on what comes. Inheritance Tax is no longer something that only affects the…

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Purchasing an annuity

You can normally withdraw up to a quarter (25%) of your pension pot as a one-off tax-free lump sum, then convert the rest into a taxable income for life called an ‘annuity’. There are different lifetime annuity options and features to choose from that affect how much income you would get. You can also choose…

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