Who Should Write Your Will – Solicitor or Will Writer?
I read your article which explained that putting assets into trust was not a way to get around care costs. My will writer advised me of a ruling that says that Local Authorities cannot recover assets placed in Trust providing they were transferred more than 6 months before the claimant was placed into care. Is this true?
Will the tories simplify care costs?
I suppose like any run up to an election, noise is catapulted beyond comprehension. We all have short memories and in practise will the proposals ever apply? Probably not. But I suppose we all want to believe the best will happen and we can rely on a government and that is why proposals are being slung around like a politician coming up to an election!
Business People Bail out Banks
I was speaking to someone a moment ago who asked me what I did. ‘I am an independent financial adviser’. I said. ‘Ah, you are the cause of the problems in the economy then!’ He blubbered. I responded with ‘yep, every last bit of it, every last bit’.
UK Banks Still Cash Constipated
We all know the banking sector is one of the biggest cash cows for the government in terms of tax. The banking sector has however really let itself down. The phrase ‘a job in the bank, is a job for life’ sits firmly along with that of ‘bricks and mortar boy, bricks and mortar’ and […]
Banks’ Complaints Are Exposed
Financial regulators have taken some abuse of late in relation to their monitoring of banks, yet banks have seemingly been allowed to close the door behind them on their antics of the last few years. Apathy! But consumers and investors are now in the wonderful position of finding out if their bank is one of the bad boys or not. The Financial Ombudsman Service has made available for the first time a range of complaints information relating to individually-named financial businesses.
Repayment Mortgage Or Interest Only – Which Is King?
Mortgage owners everywhere are being asked to seek mortgage advice on their methods of repaying their mortgage – apparently. Or so the headlines go. When a customer takes out a new mortgage they have a choice on whether or not to take out a repayment or interest only. What’s the difference and which is better?
Tax Kills
I read an interesting report which showed that 10 million people in the UK (a third of the working population) are not saving for retirement. That will be an interesting demographic time bomb; you can expect strong measures in terms of employer and employee compulsion into pensions to follow.
Will you inherit your partner’s spouse?
Business protection is easily one of the most passed over subjects in any company. The business owner is too busy either making hay while the sun shines or battling in recessionary times to look at one of the key areas that can cripple even the most successful businesses. There are three key areas of protection in a business: Succession planning post the death of the owner; protection in the event that a key person dies, and debt protection.
10 % income per year for ten years – can’t go wrong?
Reader Writes:
I have read about an investment called the ARM assured income plan that produces an income return of 10% and is not subject to the vagaries of the stock market and wondered if you had any thoughts on it. Surely after ten years I have had my money back?
Where can I buy property shares?
Managing Director, Worldwide Financial Planning, Writes:
Following on from last weeks column on the purchasing of property shares I finished by saying I would explain where to buy them. And so…
Commercial Property Looking Attractive Again
Well who would have thought it? My first article on the potential for loss in property was back in 2003 as a warning, followed by a series of ‘get out’ signals from 2005. The key issue with property was liquidity. Unlike a share which has numerous potential buyers for sellers, property dies, and if you are stuck with the asset, it’s a bad day at the races. I first learned this with my purchase of a house at age 19 which I couldn’t get a viewing for in the next eight years – lesson learned with my own money!
SIPP and Pension Advice for the Canny Investor
Managing Director, Worldwide Financial Planning, Writes:
You may remember the government announcing pension simplification in it’s A-Day a couple of years back. The intention was to make pensions and items such as SIPPs (self invested personal pension) as easy as possible and pull everything under one regime. Nice thought.