Counter intuitive investing at retirement
AFTER last week’s column on the level of income you can take from your pension in retirement without eroding your capital, I’ll add some tips on how we might maintain your financial security by shoring up your pension values. The ‘safe’ rate at which you can draw down income is considered, by some experts, to […]
How much can I withdraw from my pension?
ONCE, retirement was straight forward. You built up a reasonable fund of money and bought an income for life through an annuity. It was guaranteed and you had a few choices to think of – a rising or flat income; guaranteed length of time after death; and spouse’s or children’s benefits were the key items […]
Google and Facebook in $100 million hacker hit
FOLLOWING your questions from last week’s column on the multiple investment scams we seem to be facing at the moment, I thought I would follow on with ‘others to keep your eye on’. Since the introduction of new more liberal pension rules, 53 per cent of pension pots accessed have been fully withdrawn. There is […]
How to spot those many Investment Scams
THERE’S rarely an evening that ‘the next new investment idea’ doesn’t interrupt my relaxing pint in the bar. It is in those moments where an investor’s confirmation bias can lead them to considerable loss. Questions like ‘but don’t you think?’ serve only to confirm what they already believe, but are tantamount to poor decision making. […]
How your overdrafts are over 1,000 times the cost of a mortgage
AT the heart of the culture of any financial organisation should be the word trust. Yet year on year, those financial organisations who know the right thing to do, just don’t do it, and you pay through the nose for it. I’m sure you’ve seen the recent news regarding overdraft fees, which is another startling […]
How you can avoid those hidden holiday costs
THE holiday season is on its way, so where are the cost savings? Personally I always like to have a holiday booked, so I have that in the tank to look forward to. Aside from its psychological benefits, the cost of flights two weeks ahead of a trip versus six months ahead can be vast, […]
Vintage quirks to avoid paying certain taxes . . .
AS the end of the tax year looms, it’s worth thinking about those great holes in your buckets called tax. While we can focus on working harder to earn more, the holes in the bucket often put quite a strain on the family household. Calculating the average tax rate is quite tricky, so best endeavour […]
Handcuffed to an investment anchor
THE last two weeks’ reviews of with-profit funds caused plenty of further questions. No surprise really, and as always, this kicking of hornet nests, tends to highlight the greatest risk to your financial security – apathy. I had mentioned the appalling state of zombie funds. These are funds that have closed to new business. Because […]
With or with(out) profit investments
FOLLOWING on from last week’s column on with-profits, we had a number of callers wanting further answers. I’ll cover these below. Much of what is written about with-profits is indeed written, one can only assume, with the information advantage I referred to last week. We don’t know what we don’t know, so we don’t think […]
Worldwide Financial Planning rises to the challenge to help raise funds for the NHS in its 70th year
Worldwide Financial Planning is rising to the challenge to help raise funds for the NHS in its 70th year with the launch of the £70 Challenge on the 70th birthday of the NHS.
Should I keep my with-profits investment?
THE £274 billion ‘with profits’ market is under review by the Financial Conduct authority – again. My first ever column on this opaque investment was exactly twenty years ago, and in 2010, I thought I would have written the last one! Since then, the market has shrunk considerably (down £36 billion in the last year) […]
Is equity release right for me?
IN my 30 years in financial planning, I’ve loathed the word ‘equity’ as a term when relating to property, as I often saw it used as an excuse for people to be sold into debt. In my view, it’s your home. But equity release has soared in popularity for many justifiable reasons, so I’ll guide […]