Archive

Interest rate pressure declines as the headline rate of price inflation, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), has fallen to 2.5% for the year to March. The fall from 2.7% the previous month means inflation has fallen to a one-year low. It comes at an interesting time, with rising wage inflation suggesting the pay squeeze is […]

How much has your house made you? It’s an interesting question, with varying answers depending on when and where you purchased property. For the post-war baby boomer generation, usually defined as born between 1946 and 1964, house price growth will have accounted for a substantial part of their wealth, in many cases. Whilst it’s important […]

One of the biggest financial fears expressed by clients is running out of money before running out of life. After all, we know our date of birth but can’t know our date of death! How does Financial Planning help to overcome this concern? Imagine for a moment that you’re comfortably well off, in financial terms. […]

When clients meet with me to discuss their plans for retirement, the conversations usually centre around money. This is perhaps unsurprising. After all, as financial planners we are the natural source of advice when it comes to money. But planning for retirement requires a far broader conversation about how time in later life will be […]

Mark and Liz Hiller live in Reigate, Surrey and have been clients of Informed Choice for 4 years. I went to meet with them at their home and over a cup of tea asked them to tell me about themselves. Mark started by outlining his career. “I suppose I have been a little bit lucky […]

It’s International Women’s Day and the financial services profession has been busy putting its best foot forward when it comes to matters of equality and diversity. On Tuesday, Martin spent a day in London at the Chartered Insurance Institute’s Insuring Women’s Futures Live 2018 event. This was a day of keynotes speakers, lively panel discussions and […]

Are you in a financially incompatible relationship? Some new research from Scottish Widows has found that one in five Brits are living in a financially incompatible relationship. The survey of couples included those living together, living separately and those who are married. It found that nearly one in five, 17%, wished they had discussed finances […]

One of the privileges of being a Financial Planner is getting to see how other people spend their money. Part of the Financial Planning process is undertaking an analysis of the spending habits of our clients. We ask them to complete a detailed expenditure questionnaire so we can better understand where their income goes each […]

With the tax return deadline of 31st January fast approaching, newcomers to Self-Assessment are being warned to budget for an extra tax payment. The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) has said that many newcomers to Self-Assessment fail to realise they may have to pay some money in advance towards their next tax bill on […]

Retirement should be an enjoyable period of life, but financial worries often mean retirees are concerned about avoiding hidden retirement dangers. A new research report from mutual insurer Royal London is warning pensioners about two very different risks when it comes to making important decisions with their savings in retirement. These hidden retirement dangers are […]