03 Dec 2024
Don’t let the pension investment curb leave a sour taste in your mouth
Since 2016, high earners have had to accept what can seem like a draconian block on how much they can put into their SIPP. But there may be a nice little trick that could sweeten the medicine here Say you’re a high-ranking professional in the tech sector, in finance, or… Read More
01 Nov 2024
Finally…. What now? How to mitigate the budget tax burden
It’s all done and dusted. The ink is dry. After about 900 different rumours from 300 different people the rumour phase is finally over. The most anticipated autumn budget in years has happened. The announcements have heralded the largest Budget tax rise since 1993. Labour’s commitments to hold income tax,… Read More
01 Oct 2024
Zen and the art of just being logical about life insurance!
In this article, no bereft spouses or tearful orphaned children were harmed by being used as commercial props to sell you insurance. In Ancient Greece, they came up with three ways of persuading a person to see the validity of an argument: appealing to your emotions (or pathos), if I… Read More
01 Oct 2024
Should we be doing anything before the October 30th budget?
Financial planning is based on forecasting future cashflows using reasoned and reasonable assumptions and making recommendations so that clients can achieve their goals. It is not based on complete guesswork. We can only advise on the rules and legislations that exist now. With this very large caveat however, are… Read More
27 Aug 2024
Don’t set FIRE To your life
Saving all your life and then dying before you get to enjoy retirement sucks. But so does scrimping all your 20s, 30s and 40s to get FIRE (Financially Independent Retire Early). For some clients, there’s a great third way Sometimes you read a headline that you both admire for being… Read More
24 Jul 2024
How to invest successfully
Investing your money can be a daunting prospect. You may have read about and be deterred by high fees, underperforming funds and opaque investment strategies, Or you may be attracted to the next big shiny exciting thing that everybody’s talking about (insert latest meme stock, cryptocurrency, loss making tech firm… Read More
22 Jun 2024
RSU’s Simplified- Your Path To Smart Tax Savings and Financial Growth
When it comes to tech wealth, restricted stock units (RSUs), and employee stock schemes, Elon Musk’s situation highlights the value of managing your investments, minimising your tax liabilities, and maximising returns. The serial entrepreneur has wealth into the hundreds of billions of dollars, recently confirming his 2021 tax bill was… Read More
17 Apr 2024
The most important money concept that Daniel Kahneman taught us
The Nobel prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman died at the age of 90 at the end of March. He became synonymous with behavioural economics and finance even though famously he never took a course of economics. In his best-selling book Thinking, Fast and Slow he debunked the notion that people are… Read More
17 Apr 2024
The Death Note
Every couple and family should have a document that explains what to do and who to contact when they die. Here’s how I would start mine.- “ Sorry I am dead. The people that will be most helpful are…..” Nobody wants to think about this which is why the note… Read More
07 Mar 2024
When should I engage with a financial adviser?
Many people are unsure when and whether they should start working with a financial adviser. Is it 2 years before retirement, is it 20 or 30? This is a question more and more people will be asking in the coming years. The number of people aged over 64 in England… Read More
31 Jan 2024
Market Review of 2023 – The everything rally
Markets in 2023 finished the year very differently from how they started it. The FTSE All World Index in sterling terms ended the year up 22% offsetting 2022’s fall of 18% bringing index levels up to the highs of 2021. The strong performance however masked some big differences in… Read More
31 Jan 2024
The Frustration of Diversification
The website Visual Capitalist recently published an article showing the best-performing asset class for each decade since 1950. Even with hindsight of news and current affairs it would have been impossible to guess these outcomes in advance. Look no further than the 2010s . As the smoke was… Read More