Financial Planning 

Financial Planning 

Financial Planning 

More clients are using our financial life planning service for a variety of financial scenarios. We use smart technology to help draw a picture of their current financial position and build meaningful plans for the future based on their goals.

Initially, we used this technology mainly for retirement preparation, but we have also found it to be helpful to clients with a variety of conundrums including private care homes, school fees, or even a possible career change.

Think of it like a sat-nav in the car. Not only will it help you understand where you are and where you want to go, but will also highlight all the possible routes, helping to avoid any roadblocks along the way. This type of future cashflow planning is a consultative experience helping you visualise your future lifestyle and bringing a sharper reality to the financial decisions you need to make.

It’s possible to run through many different scenarios to see how they might affect your finances. These can range from retiring ambitiously early, through to the technical stuff, such as the impact of investment returns and the tax man on your overall financial plan. Life events such as marriage, your first child or grandchild, changing jobs, or buying property for yourself and family all have a financial outcome. This is why it is important that any financial forecast is regularly reviewed to check against progress and provide the best chance of meeting its target.

We believe the best way we can assist the happiness and financial health of our clients is by helping them to create a realistic plan focused on their life goals.

By Philip Harper  |  February 2022

Enquiry form

When you press SUBMIT, you voluntarily choose to provide personal details to us via this website. Personal information will be treated as confidential by us and held in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation. You agree that such personal information may be used to provide you with details of services and products in writing, by email or by telephone.

What happens to my pension on death?

What happens to my pension on death?

What happens to my pension on death?

This question comes up time and time again and it is hardly surprising because the government continue to tinker with the rules. Generally speaking, the rules on death benefits are improving and the diagram below displays the current position.

Of course we fully appreciate most people’s main concern is to ensure their loved ones have financial security should the worst happen. For some, a lump sum payment of a large pension fund can have some serious longer-term inheritance tax issues and we think it is therefore important to know that a minor amendment to where we direct the potential death benefits can offer some tax saving opportunities.

It’s commonplace for a husband to nominate his wife to receive 100% of his pension fund on death. This is fine, but the fund on his death, ultimately falls into his wife’s estate and potentially could create an even larger IHT issue on her estate on death. However a minor tweak to the husband’s nomination whilst he is alive, whereby for example, he directs 98% of the fund to his wife and 1% to each of his two children can open up a window for the wife to consider more wide ranging options on her husband’s death and save some tax – which is always a good thing !

Feel free to contact us for more information.

By Philip Harper  |  July 2020

Enquiry form

When you press SUBMIT, you voluntarily choose to provide personal details to us via this website. Personal information will be treated as confidential by us and held in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation. You agree that such personal information may be used to provide you with details of services and products in writing, by email or by telephone.

The form has been submitted

Thank you for this confirmation to invest additional funds to your General Investment Account. We will confirm the bank account to transfer the funds and a reference number. Once the top up has been applied to your tax-free investment account, the Client Support Team will confirm this and provide you with an updated valuation.

The form has been submitted

Thank you for this confirmation to invest additional funds to your ISA. We will confirm the bank account to transfer the funds and a reference number. Once the top up has been applied to your tax-free investment account, the Client Support Team will confirm this and provide you with an updated valuation.