Christmas Holiday Office Hours

The office will be closed for Christmas from 24th December 2010 and re-opening again on Tuesday 4th January 2011. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

We are a boutique firm of financial planners. We create financial plans designed to achieve a desired lifestyle. We will craft and implement your plan that will provide you with the greatest chance of accomplishing your unique goals based upon the values that you hold. Financial products are little more than the tools to achieve your required results
Call us today or visit our website for more information and to arrange a meeting
Christmas Holiday Office Hours2023-12-01T12:52:23+00:00

Safer Deposits

Good news for savers (finally) in that the FSA have confirmed that the deposit security (the compensation scheme) will increase from £50,000 to £85,000 from 1st January 2011.

Further changes coming into effect on 31 December 2010 are:

•Fast payout rules, with a target of a seven day payout for the majority of claimants and the remainder within the required 20 days.

•Gross payout, which protects customers by ring fencing their deposits if they have savings and loans with the same firm. Currently, any outstanding loan or debt would be deducted from any compensation.
•This new pan European requirement replaces the existing UK arrangement which has been in place since 2009, and which allowed for separate compensation cover for customers with deposits in two merging building societies.

We are a boutique firm of financial planners. We create financial plans designed to achieve a desired lifestyle. We will craft and implement your plan that will provide you with the greatest chance of accomplishing your unique goals based upon the values that you hold. Financial products are little more than the tools to achieve your required results
Call us today or visit our website for more information and to arrange a meeting
Safer Deposits2023-12-01T12:52:24+00:00

5 Traps to Avoid with the New NHS Pension

If you are one of many people that have worked within the NHS prior to April 2008 you will be shortly recieving information (if you haven’t had it already) about your options to join the newer version of the scheme. This is one of many instances, where newer does not mean better. I have published a quick guide which I have called 5 Traps to Avoid – so please have a look at this article about things to consider – easy to read and if you have any questions come back to me. Every bit of advice needs a context of course, so you should seek this for your own circumstances.
Please pass it on to colleagues and friends within the NHS.
We are a boutique firm of financial planners. We create financial plans designed to achieve a desired lifestyle. We will craft and implement your plan that will provide you with the greatest chance of accomplishing your unique goals based upon the values that you hold. Financial products are little more than the tools to achieve your required results
Call us today or visit our website for more information and to arrange a meeting
5 Traps to Avoid with the New NHS Pension2023-12-01T12:52:24+00:00

Changing Roles

As one of our senior members of staff – as a seasoned gentleman that turns 68 next month, Arthur Wynyard will no longer be advising clients. He will remain as a very valuable part of the team, bringing his experience to help me serve our clients even better by becoming a paraplanner. See my full press release here.
We are a boutique firm of financial planners. We create financial plans designed to achieve a desired lifestyle. We will craft and implement your plan that will provide you with the greatest chance of accomplishing your unique goals based upon the values that you hold. Financial products are little more than the tools to achieve your required results
Call us today or visit our website for more information and to arrange a meeting
Changing Roles2023-12-01T12:52:25+00:00

Taxing Times

There is little to get festively jolly about at the moment as the Government continue to review tax reliefs. Today the Office of Tax Simplification (which certainly does sound rather good!) and formed in July, published its interim report. The 109 page document is published for “public scrutiny and comment, the methodology we have used. We would particularly welcome your assessment as to whether you think this approach would be effective if applied to the full list of reliefs and allowances.” (Rt Hon Michael Jack).

The main allowances being considered within this document are

Reliefs under review:

Potentially retain
Capital gains tax relief on disposal of private residence
Income tax relief for players in the UEFA Champions League Final 2011
Income tax relief for repair and maintenance of work equipment

Potentially simplify
VAT: supplies to charities/ sales by charities
Gift aid
Lease premium relief
Capital allowances – enhanced capital allowances for energy and water efficient
technologies
Research and development tax relief

Potentially abolish
Exemption from benefit charge for late night taxis
Vaccine research relief
Millennium gift aid
Income tax exemption for National Savings Bank Ordinary Account interest
Luncheon vouchers – daily income tax relief for first 15p

However the list keeps growing and there is a pledge to review lots of other allowances and deferrals such as:

Enterprise Investment Schemes
Entrepreneurs Relief
Venture Capital Trusts
Film Tax Relief
Life Assurance Premium Relief
Life Assurance Bonds – 5% rule
Life Assurance Bonds – top slicing rule
Literary & creative artists relief
and many others – all making it considerably harder for me and every other IFA and a few Accountants to do some proper tax planning. We will obviously have to wait and see the next report, but in short- this may well pose a threat to many “normal” tax allowances.
We are a boutique firm of financial planners. We create financial plans designed to achieve a desired lifestyle. We will craft and implement your plan that will provide you with the greatest chance of accomplishing your unique goals based upon the values that you hold. Financial products are little more than the tools to achieve your required results
Call us today or visit our website for more information and to arrange a meeting
Taxing Times2023-12-01T12:52:26+00:00

The Joy of Stats – BBC4 i-player

Here’s an interesting programme from the BBC – The Joy of Stats. An amusing and interesting look at the importance and relevance of statistics within our lives. I’m reminded of a quote that one of my team (Arthur) likes to requote – “there are lies, damn lies and statistics”.
You will find a helpful reminder of one of the many statistical graphics that I use regularly – the normal distribution curve. Its perhaps an unusual recommendation – but do have a look, I challenge you not to be intrigued. There is an amazing graphic (truly!) showing the development of global health and wealth over the last 200 years.
We are a boutique firm of financial planners. We create financial plans designed to achieve a desired lifestyle. We will craft and implement your plan that will provide you with the greatest chance of accomplishing your unique goals based upon the values that you hold. Financial products are little more than the tools to achieve your required results
Call us today or visit our website for more information and to arrange a meeting
The Joy of Stats – BBC4 i-player2023-12-01T12:52:26+00:00

Christmas Shopping in Paris with Bulgari

Bulgari is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a fabulous exhibition in Paris at the Grand Palais. The show runs from tomorrow (1oth December) until 12th January. There are over 600 pieces, many owned by the good, the great, the rich and the famous over the last 125 years. As Christmas is coming and well, who needs an excuse to visit Paris?.. perhaps you could combine a visit with some shopping for a few Christmas presents – which I’m sure would be very appreciated by the recipient.
We are a boutique firm of financial planners. We create financial plans designed to achieve a desired lifestyle. We will craft and implement your plan that will provide you with the greatest chance of accomplishing your unique goals based upon the values that you hold. Financial products are little more than the tools to achieve your required results
Call us today or visit our website for more information and to arrange a meeting
Christmas Shopping in Paris with Bulgari2023-12-01T12:52:27+00:00

What to do when you leave an employer’s pension scheme

If you have an employer that pays into an investment based pension you need to take a couple of easy steps.

1. Ensure that you and your employer cease paying to the pension

2. Obtain a current fund value and statement from the pension company and ideally a breakdown of the payments made into it over the current tax year (starting from 6th April)

You then have 4 main options:

If you have a new job lined up – the new employer may offer a pension scheme if so you could:

  1. Transfer the old pension into the new employers pension
  2. Leave the old pension alone to grow
  3. Add to the old pension – either by paying into it yourself or possibly also getting the new employer to pay into it.
  4. Transfer the old pension into a better new pension (but not the employers pension)

An adviser will help guide you through the pros and cons of each. The key things to consider are the charges involved in any new arrangement and the investment choice. The most important thing is that you continue to build retirement benefits if you are able to do so. The more you put into a pension and the longer you do so, the better your pension ought to be.
Of course the pension should be reviewed carefully and you need to ensure that you have an investment strategy in place that works for you, suitable to your attitude to risk and your plans for retirement.

We are a boutique firm of financial planners. We create financial plans designed to achieve a desired lifestyle. We will craft and implement your plan that will provide you with the greatest chance of accomplishing your unique goals based upon the values that you hold. Financial products are little more than the tools to achieve your required results
Call us today or visit our website for more information and to arrange a meeting
What to do when you leave an employer’s pension scheme2023-12-01T12:52:27+00:00

Treasury sets MIR for flexible drawdown at £20,000 | News | Money Marketing

Treasury sets MIR for flexible drawdown at £20,000 News Money Marketing

Today’s news has the potential to reduce income taken from pensions in “draw down” to 100% of annuity rates. Prompting the question… why bother then? the answer (well, one simple/quick one) – Draw Down offers flexibility of income which can be helpful for income tax planning, though ever case must be considered on its own merits and within a context of what a client wants. The new rules will apply from April 2011.

We are a boutique firm of financial planners. We create financial plans designed to achieve a desired lifestyle. We will craft and implement your plan that will provide you with the greatest chance of accomplishing your unique goals based upon the values that you hold. Financial products are little more than the tools to achieve your required results
Call us today or visit our website for more information and to arrange a meeting
Treasury sets MIR for flexible drawdown at £20,000 | News | Money Marketing2023-12-01T12:52:28+00:00

The Markets – White Noise

The December Monthly Market Report is now available for downloading in our news section, this reflects data to the end of November and includes each year from 2001. I find this a helpful tool in reminding clients about the hard numbers of market movements with many markets falling over 50% in 2008. Yet it is all about timing – if you observe any of the previous versions we have made available you will note very different numbers. The one pattern that emerges is that nothing lasts, but some things linger.

We are a boutique firm of financial planners. We create financial plans designed to achieve a desired lifestyle. We will craft and implement your plan that will provide you with the greatest chance of accomplishing your unique goals based upon the values that you hold. Financial products are little more than the tools to achieve your required results
Call us today or visit our website for more information and to arrange a meeting
The Markets – White Noise2023-12-01T12:52:28+00:00
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