Are house prices more affordable?
WE covered the different measures used when assessing the housing market last week, due to the discrepancy between house prices rising at ‘record highs’, versus the very low volume of housing sales, and the news that the number of estate agents declaring insolvency jumped by a third last year. We know UK residential property transactions […]
Is the housing market high?
THE housing market is at a record high it says. Well, that depends on who is writing the headlines, and for what reason, and from what source. Firstly, there are a few measures for the housing market in terms of an index (e.g. Rightmove, Office of National Statistics (ONS) etc) and you should stick to the […]
Are you overpaying on life insurance?
ABOVE my late father in law’s work desk, he had a self-printed note which read: “Procrastination is my greatest sin, maybe someday I will do something about it”. At the end of a week, or any part of a week for that matter, prioritising life insurance over a walk, glass of wine, or a bit […]
Painting by investment numbers
ASSESSING an investment can feel like painting by numbers. In trying to assess anything, we strive for a simple measure which makes sense, quickly! Dudley Moore did it for Bo Derek in ‘Ten’, BMI tries to do it for health and fitness, the Gini coefficient did it for economic equality, SAT scores didn’t do anything […]
Borrowing to repay inheritance tax
IN as polite a way as I can put it, inheritance tax is as popular as the most unpopular thing you can think of! Inheritance tax is set at 40 per cent of the estate after allowances, with the nil rate band of £325,000 being the biggest one. You also have a residence nil rate […]
Lasting Power of Attorney and a Will – take control!
IT’S so important to ensure you’re always in control of your financial future by setting up essential legal safeguards like a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) and a Will. I was asked to assist in a scenario where a husband had died suddenly. He was the owner of the business and sole signatory to the […]
Investment and pension diversification
WE all have our investment or pension portfolios and we want the best from them as that’s what brings us the security and the ability to do the things we want. It is often believed, incorrectly, that investment/pension funds are fully diversified when they are not. Read that again please. Some are also over diversified […]
Further tips on inheritance tax
A COLUMN which I wrote a couple of weeks back about releasing equity from your home to mitigate Inheritance Tax created some further questions which I will mop up here with some useful tips on inheritance tax. Can I give my house away and still live in it? Technically yes you can, but it wouldn’t […]
Checking your state pension entitlement
YOUR state pension is based upon your national insurance contributions. The amount you will receive is based on the qualifying years you have. To check that, there are a few steps to take. Firstly, visit the government website at https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension for your state pension forecast. You’ll need your National Insurance number and personal information to sign in. Once […]
Further retirement options for your pension
LAST week I covered three of the retirement options you have with your pension pot: taking an annuity, retiring later and flexible access drawdown (leaving your fund invested and taking percentage withdrawals as and when needed). The remaining three retirement options I’ll cover now are: the option of taking the whole pension pot, taking regular […]
What are my retirement options for my pension?
IF you have built up a pension fund, you’ll want it to do its job of creating financial security for you which alludes to the question for many – what are my retirement options for my pension? Retiring at age 66, the life expectancy for a male is 19 years and it’s 21 for a […]
Using equity release for Inheritance Tax planning
I COVERED the methods of mitigating Inheritance Tax last week and was asked a question regarding equity release to mitigate the tax where the property or home may be causing the tax. As house prices have rocketed, so too has the value of our taxable estates. Inheritance Tax is charged at 40 per cent on […]