IFA of the Year 2010 – a message from Nick
Informed Choice chief executive Nick Bamford shares his thoughts on the business being named IFA of the Year 2010 and always remembering to pack your trousers for a black tie event.
Inconvenient Easter
Inconveniently, the tax year end this year coincides with both a weekend and Bank Holidays (Good Friday and Easter Monday). This means that anyone leaving their 2009/10 ISA contributions to the last minute need to be aware of what that last minute actually is!
Redundancy and pension contributions
Even as we start to leave economic recession, many employers are continuing to downsize their workforces, and are often targeting those employees who are the most expensive by offering a ‘package’ of redundancy and retirement options.
What do you expect from your financial adviser?
What do you expect from your financial adviser? It is very easy for us as a firm of Chartered Financial Planners to assume that we know the answer.
Should I top up my National Insurance contributions?
We are often asked by clients if they should ‘top-up’ their National Insurance contributions in order to get a better State pension when they retire.
Because you don’t always need advice
Hargreaves Lansdown, the Bristol-based provider of a SIPP and Collective Investment Platform including ISAs, has started to promote Insight; an information and guidance service enabling consumers to effectively act as their own advisers and prepare themselves for the use of the HL Vantage platform.
Why take investment risk when you don’t need to?
The usual approach to the delivery of impartial independent advice is to provide what we refer to as “focused advice” A client may have an identifiable and pressing need or want.
Useless product or underperforming funds?
All financial transactions have advantages and disadvantages. Never buy a financial product unless you have had the disadvantages clearly explained.
Are there ever good reasons for taking early pension benefits?
Should you ever take retirement benefits early from your pension plans and in particular take the much loved tax free cash lump sum?
The importance of making a will
Making a will is an important building block in terms of financial planning. At the very least it helps to ensure that what you want to happen in the event of your death actually does happen.