020 8542 8084 |info@solomonsifa.co.uk
FacebookLinkedInInstagram

KINTSUGI

TODAY’S BLOG

KINTSUGI

I first spotted a reference to this 400 year old Japanese art form whilst I was watching the delayed 2020 Olympics in the Summer (I can’t believe I had never heard of it before) … the BBC did a really nice VT about it and it really resonated with me.

I recently had a conversation with a close friend who had experienced a very traumatic bereavement and she said that she still felt like she was a ‘mosaic’ in her grief … a broken tile that she was haphazardly putting back together – we talked about Kintsugi (Japanese for ‘golden repair’) and it was a light bulb moment for her … that there was a sense of beauty in the rebuilding of her fractured life.

WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER

The old adage “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” holds good in the depths of our humanness; but Kintsugi is a stunning physical representation of this.

From a very practical viewpoint, I can’t abide ‘waste’ of any description – time, money, resources etc; so Kintsugi appeals to me on a very basic level!  If only I could afford to buy a piece of this art for myself!  Maybe I’ll have to add it to my bucket list of ‘new skills to learn when I have the time’ (note – I am not creative at all, but I do like to fix things so maybe this is the perfect hobby for me?)

We generally try and find a way to relate our blog posts to financial planning and sometimes it’s difficult to find a parallel; but this one is easy … when new clients come to us they often have a random and disorderly selection of ‘pieces’ that we help them to put together into something meaningful … and there is great pleasure to be had for us and them when the final ‘piece’ is ready – I’m not sure financial planning is quite what you would call an ‘art form’ but there is here too an unexpected beauty in the process …

Debbie Harris
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on our blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to us about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email [email protected]

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected] 
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected]    Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

KINTSUGI2023-12-01T12:13:01+00:00

ENERGY COST CRISIS

TODAY’S BLOG

ENERGY COST CRISIS

It seems that there is a weekly crisis at present, by the time you read this there will likely be a new one! I wonder if you are bracing yourself for an expensive winter? As you probably know, there is a global surge in the cost of gas at wholesale has led many companies to drastically increase their prices. While many companies have reacted by hiking up costs even more for customers, others have taken themselves off price comparison websites and some have gone bust. Its worth mentioning that price comparison websites aren’t all that you may imagine, they are not whole of market and only show companies that provide them with a commission.

Anyway your household and mine are facing much higher gas bills this winter due to a global surge in wholesale gas prices that have forced some energy companies to go bust. The British public has already been hit with energy price hikes over the last few months and could be paying hundreds more this winter, unless they counterbalance the extra costs by making some simple changes to their usage. The news that another five energy firms have folded in recent months will no doubt worry many householders but Ofgem has said it “has systems in place to look after consumers”. An Ofgem spokesman said that currently wholesale gas prices are at a record high, driven by international supply and demand factors. This is undoubtedly putting pressure on companies – with four leaving the market over the last few weeks. In the past few months Utility Point, People’s Energy, PfP Energy, MoneyPlus Energy and Hub Energy have all ceased trading – something which is thought to have affected half a million British households.  More recently Green and AVRO Energy both collapsed with an estimated 800,000 customers between them – Octopus has stepped in to takeover.

Energy Crisis 2021

FULL OF GAS

These consumers will be given a new supplier, that means extra hassle for them with the costs passed onto customers. Speaking from personal experience, my supplier “Green Energy Network” went bust last year and we were switched over to EDF. An unfortunately timed problem with the meter itself during this period, left us in limbo as we waited for a new account to be registered and set up, which too several weeks. We finally got there and it wasnt a major problem, but it wasnt “straight-forward”.

OFGEM added that it is working closely with the Government to manage the wider implications of the global gas price increase and it is not thought that this will lead to a complete halt in supply. Make of that what you will, I’m yet to be convinced that the current Government could successfuly manage a raffle.

As such there is no better time to see if you qualify for the Warm Home Discount Scheme, which could ensure some people are £140 better off. To find out, people can speak to their energy supplier, most of them are signed up to the scheme if they have 250,000 customers or more. More than two million UK households should qualify for this rebate on their energy bills this year and it’s important to get in touch with them early as there is only a limited amount of people energy companies can help.

What I might suggest is that you get on with reviewing your gas supply. I would recommend having a look at Martin Lewis’ website www.moneysavingexpert.com where you can do a search. If you want a £50 discount off Octopus, here is a code that you can use (I get £50 too) but do your own research about what is best for your usage. Here is the link: https://share.octopus.energy/tulip-shark-521.

Long story short, make a record and update your spending plan – either just let us know with an email, or update your information within our secure portal.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email [email protected]

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected] 
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected]    Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

ENERGY COST CRISIS2025-01-27T15:37:51+00:00

CASH IN HAND?

TODAY’S BLOG

CASH IN HAND?

At this stage, I am hopeful that the pandemic is drawing to a close, but aware that there are still potential problems and concerning infection rates. As many of us have been tucked away out of harm’s way, you may have had little use for your cash, making most of your purchases online or using contactless payments.

As we all gradually find our winter coats, perhaps there is a crumpled £20 note in a pocket, or better still £50. Well, take this winter as your last reminder that the old £20 and £50 notes are due to be “worthless” from 30 September… next year!

You really have the usual options of spending or depositing them, but leaving the old £20 or £50 in a wallet will soon be an expensive receipt.

New Polymer £20
New Polymer £50

MONEY GOES AROUND

There are approximately £9 billion worth of paper £20 and £15 billion worth of paper £50 notes still in circulation. As they are returned to the Bank of England, these are being replaced with the new polymer £20 notes featuring J.M.W. Turner, and polymer £50 notes featuring Alan Turing. After 30 September 2022, the new polymer notes will be the only ones with legal tender status.

After 30 September 2022 people with a UK bank account will still be able to deposit withdrawn notes into their account. Some Post Offices may also accept withdrawn notes as payment for goods and services or as a deposit to an account accessed via them.

The Bank of England will continue to exchange all withdrawn notes. For more information on this please see their Exchanging Old Banknotes page.

Speaking ahead of the date, the Bank of England’s Chief Cashier Sarah John said “In recent years we have been changing our banknotes from paper to polymer because this makes them more difficult to counterfeit, and means they are more durable. The polymer £20 featuring the artist J.M.W. Turner, and the polymer £50 featuring the scientist Alan Turing are now in wide circulation, and we are in the process of withdrawing their paper equivalents. So we want to remind the public that they have one year from today to spend their paper banknotes.”

The new polymer £20 was first issued on 20 February 2020, and the polymer £50 note was first issued on 23 June 2021. You may not have even seen one yet! These notes complete the Bank of England’s first polymer series. The introduction of polymer banknotes allows for a new generation of security features which make them even harder to counterfeit. The notes are also resistant to dirt and moisture and so remain in better condition for longer. These notes also have tactile features that allow the blind and partially sighted to use them.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email [email protected]

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected] 
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected]    Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

CASH IN HAND?2023-12-01T12:13:03+00:00

THE CHERRY TREE

TODAY’S BLOG

THE CHERRY TREE

I think it is a Chinese proverb that ask:

When is the best time to plant a cherry tree? Ten Years ago.

When is the second best time to plant a cherry tree? Now

I love proverbs (and old adages … and frankly the odd cliché or two!), but I have often struggled with this particular one.

In my spectacularly naive early twenties, I supposed the proverb to be all about starting young and getting on with it; having goals and taking steps to achieve my objectives and ambitions.  And throughout my twenties I worked incredibly hard at ‘living this truth’.

Following the arrival of my son in my mid-twenties, my career nose-dived; before my beautiful boy was even six months old, I was made redundant. Self-employment followed before taking on a job I loathed (but stuck at for 12 months before acknowledging defeat) and finally ending in a short period of unemployment.

I learned some pretty tough lessons the hard way during those years.  I also learned some pretty awesome things about myself too – that I was up for the challenge; that I was resilient; that I was resourceful – and most importantly that I could reinvent myself and simply start over.

I could plant a cherry tree…

Proverbs to live by

CONSCIOUS THOUGHTFULNESS

It wasn’t so much about the fact that I would have to wait 10 years to taste its fruit; it was that I had actively and consciously with thoughtfulness and determination, set in motion a chain of events that I would relish, savour and enjoy over the coming years (it’s about the journey as much as the destination – well … I did warn you that I like a cliché!).

To me this proverb (as with most of them) means more than just one thing – it can have different meanings for different people and even different meanings for the same person over time.  The cherry tree proverb addresses procrastination, regret, hindsight, patience, a long-term mindset … but most importantly it makes a clear declaration that it is never too late to start!

NEVER TOO LATE

We had the honour recently of welcoming some new clients to the Solomon’s community who were well into their retirement, but recognised that they wanted to plant their cherry tree and it didn’t matter that they may or may not be around to see it bear fruit – just knowing that it will is enough.

We would always encourage people to get financial planning as ‘early’ as possible – so long as ‘leaving it late’ doesn’t become ‘leaving it’.  I will leave you with a final thought – financial planning is not the cherry tree itself – financial planning is the soil …

Debbie Harris
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email [email protected]

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected] 
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected]    Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

THE CHERRY TREE2023-12-01T12:13:04+00:00

AS SAFE AS HOUSES…

TODAY’S BLOG

AS SAFE AS HOUSES

I am not really sure what the reason is, but most people trust their own bank. I guess that a degree of trust has to be there in order for you to agree to bank with them. However, there is a huge amount of inertia when it comes to banking. I don’t know if it is still the case but not so long ago a bank customer was more likely to leave their marriage than the leave the bank.

On 8 July 2021 the regulator concluded yet another investigation and disciplinary action against the Bank with the horse (again). This is prone to jokes about stable doors and a few about the long face. This time house insurance sales. Those awkward hassle reminder letters that tell you its time to renew.

I’m stretching a little, but I am basing my own assumptions on the statements made by the FCA. Long story short, loyal customers were not getting deals they thought were good and there was never any real attempt to compare just how wonderful the cost of insurance was against others. This all happened a few years ago… back in 2017 the home insurance market of 18 million policies and 12.29% of those with Lloyds Bank General Insurance. I make that about 2.2m policies. The premiums paid to Lloyds amounted to a tidy £713m… so that’s an average premium of about £336.

LONG FACE ABOUT FINE

BOLTING THE STABLE DOOR

In fairness to Lloyds they have already repaid customers £13.5m. The FCA have fined Lloyds £90,688,400 due to the misleading renewal and marketing literature, of which there were over 9m “renewal communications” between January 2009 and November 2017. So the problem went on for 8 years and its nearly 5 years after period concerned that a fine has been issued. There really is something about stables, horses and bolting here isn’t there?

Is it just me or is this about 2.2m polices sold each year since 2009… 12 years of premiums or about £8,556m for a £90m fine. It’s about 1% of premiums over those 12 years. Fair enough I am extrapolating the data, but I doubt its far off.

May I make a suggestion? Do not use your Bank for your insurance, or indeed anything other than banking. We see this sort of stuff on a regular basis, yet people remain loyal to their Banks. Use an insurance broker who will assess the market. I use Richard Hiscox at 1Stop. The main advantage is that price competition is part of the issue, the other is whether claims themselves ever get paid out easily with minimal fuss. This experience is something most of us have little of (thankfully) but an insurance broker sees this stuff every single week.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email [email protected]

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected] 
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected]    Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

AS SAFE AS HOUSES…2023-12-01T12:13:05+00:00

THE JOURNEY TO TRUST

TODAY’S BLOG

THE JOURNEY TO TRUST

I don’t remember where I heard it, learned it or read it, but a phrase that has stuck with me for a very long time is “trust is earned”. Throughout the course of a normal week, month or year I meet with various new potential clients. Sadly, many people have had a pretty bad experience of financial services, either directly themselves or through pieced together information from someone significant in their lives.

I was reminded this morning of this and how trust is something that evolves over time by keeping promises, often not the big things, but the little things – replying to a call, being clear about expectations, costs and so on.

I have a large black and white picture in the waiting area of the office. It is a still from the 1953 movie Roman Holiday. You will probably know it, starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert. As a reminder, it’s the tale of a Princess called Ann, (Hepburn) who escapes her royal duties and meets up, unwittingly with two reporters, Joe Bradley (Peck) and Irving Radovich (Albert) who know precisely who she is and have the prospect of a career-making scoop on their hands. After a night on the town (and who wouldn’t in Rome!) being a romantic comedy, the princess naturally falls for Bradley, but is he simply using his charms to get what he wants?

ROMAN HOLIDAY - JOURNEY TO TRUST

CAPTURE A MOMENT

The still is of the moment that the princess is now back in her familiar Royal duties greeting guests and is faced with Bradley, instantly realising that her world might be overturned depending on whether Bradley is worthy of her trust. It is a moment of realisation of what it at stake, whose interests will be served?

To my mind when financial planning is done properly, you reveal a lot about who you are. You will know that we talk about your past experiences, your hopes for the future and your present reality. Understanding your values, verbalising them along with revealing past “mistakes” is very exposing. You have to trust that I and my team will handle this with care.

So, when we get back to the office, notice the large black and white picture and remember that anything that relates to “who you are” is strictly confidential.

As an aside, the film has an interesting back story. The screenplay was written by Dalton Trumbo who was a blacklisted writer in Hollywood at the time because of the ridiculous politics of McCarthyism. The screenplay, won the Oscar in 1954 and like many other blacklisted writers, a pseudonym was used or another writer “fronted”. It wasn’t until 1992 that the Academy finally acknowledged Trumbo and with the Oscar presented posthumously to his widow. Trumbo’s story itself was made into an excellent film in 2015.

Here are the two trailers, both films available but not showing at a cinema. Trailers with 62 years between them.

Roman Holiday 1953

and Trumbo 2015

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email [email protected]

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected] 
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected]    Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

THE JOURNEY TO TRUST2023-12-01T12:13:06+00:00

AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH

TODAY’S BLOG

AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH

Following a recent move, I find myself living relatively close to the lovely area of Box Hill, just one of many areas of natural beauty that the Surrey Hills have to offer. Naturally, I decided to climb this vast (in my eyes) hill armed with my new-found affinity for going on walks, borne out of the depths of multiple National lockdowns – I’m sure that many of you will relate.

With some effort (made harder by my choice to climb in a practically vertical fashion up the 275 large steps to the summit instead of one of the rather more gentle inclines available), I made it to the top of the hill. I sampled the magnificent views and treated myself to a coffee – I felt that I’d earned it. I thought that the hard part was done.

Alas, I was wrong. My descent back down the hill was treacherous beyond imagination, leading to more than a few dicey moments and a poignant feeling of regret at my frankly dreadful choice of footwear. I lived to walk another day, though I’m sure that it was touch and go there for a moment!

As many of you already understand, accumulation of wealth is the growing of capital through various different means, most commonly saving and investing. We’ll call this ‘the climb’. This is the process involved in a financial plan that often comes to mind first and without doubt takes hard work, discipline and a detailed plan in order to reach any goals discussed at the outset. You would not be blamed for placing the greatest amount of importance on this stage. But what about decumulation?

In contrast, decumulation of wealth is the direct opposite of accumulation – utilising your capital (sometimes referred to as ‘spending down’) to cater for any one person’s particular needs, most often in retirement. We’ll call this ‘the descent’. This sounds like a wonderful situation to be in, and it is, but there are many potential pitfalls that one could fall into without proper thought and planning. Enter your financial planner. To ensure that you use the assets that you have worked so hard to accumulate over many years in the best, most efficient way possible – in order to allow you to continue to live the life you want to live – for us here at Solomon’s, that is what financial planning is all about.

So it’s important to remember that there are at least two sides to every hill – and any good climber will tell you how important it is to plan for traversing the other side. The descent can require as much consideration as the climb.

Daniel Liddicott
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on our blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to Dominic about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email [email protected]

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected] 
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected]    Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH2023-12-01T12:13:08+00:00

EROTICISM AND FANTASY IN YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN

TODAY’S BLOG

EROTICISM & FANTASY? IS THIS ANOTHER CLICKBAIT TITLE?

Whilst some of you are new to the blog and proper financial planning, many of you are aware that financial planning, when done well, is not really about money. Its about you. Your values, your hopes and your lifestyle.

In 2020 most of us took a battering, a year unlike any we had known. Whilst we greeted 2021 with the relief that 2020 was over, we have come to realise that things are far from normal and that there is much that keeps us living with a deep sense of frustration and perhaps fear. As the UK passed 100,000 covid deaths, we recognise another rather depressing landmark.

The restrictions of the pandemic have not been easy, exposing the pressures in our lives and creating new ones. Whether you are married or single, many have found relationships and normal aspects of life to be under pressures that they never imagined. Working from home has its benefits, but the confinement isn’t always helpful. Perhaps your home is empty, perhaps it is rammed full of people, attention and connection has been ruptured. Not being able to hug or kiss friends and family, to enjoy the normality of human interactions has reminded us of who and what is important.

Eroticism and fantasy

THE IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN

In February and March we all paid the price of investing with exaggerated market volatility, this was mercifully short-lived. It was also within our financial expectations, these things happen, regularly. The cause may be different, but the impact is not. The Government has been spending and it would seem handing out large sums of money to friends, this will have to be repaid by you and me, but what about the price our relationships have paid?

You may now be thinking to yourself, hang on, a financial planner has nothing to do with my relationships, where is this going? Let me cut to the chase. Money is often cited as a major cause of relationship breakdown. I don’t really believe it is. Not having enough or using it how you would like to can be. However, its deeper and more than that – it’s about your expectations which are a concoction of past experiences (“good” and “bad”) and your hopes for the future fused in the present.

Our hopes have been challenged and many have struggled with a sense of the future, particularly for young people. The magnitude of the stress on our wellbeing is significant. We have had many delights and joys removed and we have had to do the work of imagining, finding, creating and trying new ones. The loss of hope can be overwhelming, devastating, flattening and in many cases final.

REGAINING “EROTICISM AND FANTASY” 

So, I am going to offer you another real challenge. In our culture, we have little or no education about relationships – in all forms. That’s not to say that we aren’t blasted with messages about them, that is constant, but rarely does intimacy in its broadest sense get discussed. Irrespective of whether you are in a relationship or not, have a look at some of the work by Esther Perel (an expert!).Yes, I am even going to suggest you do pay attention to her work on the erotic, (a word neither of us expected me to use in a financial blog!) a term that she uses broadly. In fact I am going to suggest that you invest (I use the word quite deliberately) all of 46 minutes watching her webcast on YouTube “How Eroticism and Fantasy Can Help You Embrace A New Year”. Now there is a title to frighten you right? …

Perhaps to put your mind at ease, Esther playfully uses the term erotic when “creativity” is the word that resonates. Her talk is about life, not about sex. I appreciate that this may evoke mixed feelings within you, but my intention is simply to offer some access to meaningful hope. Hope and optimism are the oxygen of investors and financial planning.

Don’t worry, I am not going to go any further with this, other than to say that if a financial plan is simply about money, it isn’t really your plan, its probably someone else’s. Your plans are unique to you and I know that at the heart of them is relationship and a sense of connectedness. Remember the redemption of Mr Scrooge just a month ago?

With my very best intentions, I challenge/encourage you to watch… If I have overstepped the mark, accept my apologies, if it’s helpful let me know. You need to start the video at 1:30 – it was a livestream broadcast.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email [email protected]

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected] 
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected]    Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

EROTICISM AND FANTASY IN YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN2023-12-01T12:13:10+00:00

NEW YEAR, SAME OLD PROBLEMS

TODAY’S BLOG

NEW YEAR, SAME OLD PROBLEMS?

The year finally draws to a close, thoughts turn to resolutions for 2021. Perhaps thinking 12 days ahead is easier than 12 months. Yet we all hope that the vaccine will be rapidly and successfully deployed so that we can pick ourselves up and face a new year, with some degree of reduced anxiety.

This may take a while and so can I urge to you complete your 10 Minute Challenge items. If you really cannot bring yourself to tick off these important tasks, can I ask you to simply jot down on a piece of paper your plans for 2021. Then send it to me as an email (preferably placing it on the portal).

HAPPY NEW YEAR

FORGET THE RESOLUTIONS – MAKE IT EASY

I am not interested in resolutions. Most of us find these rather like hopeful pie-crust promises – easily made, easily broken. No I am after some of the practical goals and tasks that you want to get done this year, things that I can have input into or help with… so that’s things like (and of course any such list it not exhaustive and needs adapting to your circumstances).

  • Your bank balance – rates are awful, but what is your comfort cash balance?
  • Your monthly savings level (how much you want to squirrel away each month)
  • When you intend to retire
  • If you are retired, what challenge are you facing in 2021?
  • What income you need
  • Clearing or reducing your mortgage
  • Your job or career – any changes to work patterns, promotions, redundancy concerns?
  • Expectations for your business or perhaps starting one (or another one)
  • Where you live – any plans to make alterations to anything that requires finance?
  • Any big purchases? Electric car? Alternative energy?
  • How you will measure 2021 as a successful year.

You will appreciate that some of our clients work in the NHS, we also advise a few teachers. Most of us will have some time to note down some thoughts. PLEASE send these to me. This is precisely what proper financial planning is all about – where your life, values and money all meet. You may think your plans are not terribly ambitious or hanging on the hopes of “normal life resuming”. I offer no judgement, simply want to know so that we can do an even better job for you in 2021.

Enjoy New Year’s Eve and the zoom calls with your friends and family. We will be ready to go again on Tuesday and I look forward to it.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email [email protected]

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected] 
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected]    Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

NEW YEAR, SAME OLD PROBLEMS2025-01-28T10:06:07+00:00

KODACHROME

TODAY’S BLOG

KODACHROME

We’ve all probably watched more on television in the last 6 months than perhaps we have for many years. The other night I watched Kodachrome. I had reasonable hopes given the cast (Ed Harris, Jason Sudeikis, Elizabeth Olsen) and the plot, which was suggested as a father and son trip to get some final film developed at the last place to offer the service before closing. A sense of the now or never.

Famous photographer Ben Ryder (Harris) is at deaths door, much like his Kodak film slides. His relationship with his son Matt (Sudeikis) is also “mostly dead” rather like Kodak. At a crossroads or cul-de-sac (you decide) the two are reunited through contrived circumstance, on a journey together for different reasons. Ben to get 4 old rolls of film developed and Matt to get an interview, both with the air of desperate “last chance” about them.

SOLOMONS IFA - KODACHROME

NOT IN FOCUS

There are lots of possibilities for this, how change, endings and loss are handled for example. If you knew you had a few weeks to live, how would you conduct yourself in your final days. Perhaps a question many of us may have thought about more than usual recently. How do we handle ageing and the constant advancement of technology that can leave us behind, perhaps feeling (or being) redundant and consigned to history. How will we leave our mark, impression or do we even want to?

Sadly, the script and plot failed to cope with difficulty or nuance.  The film is seemingly at a loss for ideas. Perhaps I am wrong, but there is a point in the story where Matt returns to his Uncle’s adoptive home, where Matt lived from age 13 following the death of his mother and the chosen absence of his father. Matt is now an adult in the music business, something of an expert. Yet the room he returns to in his uncle’s home is as it was left – vinyl and posters intact. Whilst I imagine this may happen sometimes, it seems improbable that an adolescent’s room is left for well over a decade (well over) in its original state.

DEPTH

Unsurprisingly, the plot becomes ever more simplistic and lacks any depth of vision (ironic for a photographer). Words are said, tantrums had, departures, threats, ultimatums but we all know where this is headed – a “just in time” redemptive ending, where a man’s work is validated above his ability to be present or available to that which he suggests is important.

Life is rarely like this. We often do not get ample warning to adequately address painful experiences. No final road trip with a mission. The voice of the financial planner is to act as a reminder that life is brief. We all know it is, but most of us live as though it will last forever. Planning finances to last and to be sufficient, so that you can squeeze all the joy you want from your allotted time, whatever that means for you. It has a connection with money, but it is not about money. Its about the choices we make to live.

USE BY: SEE END

So, let me suggest something else. You have 4 rolls of film, (unlike digital images which are so instant and numerous that there is little focus on the importance of the subject and its composition). One roll for each quarter of your remaining time (I would not be so harsh as to divide it up into quarters and give you what should be left). At the end of each future quarter period, I take one from you. What have you filled it with? Even this is clearly a daft suggestion – we simply do not know how much time we have. What we do know is what is important to each of us. The job of the planner is to help you maximise the time you have available and help you calculate what is possible given the resources you have. Like Kodachrome, we all have a shelf-life, this life is to be used. Unlike the food in your fridge, we simply do not have the use by date. This is a reminder check your stock and plan. We all know how disappointing waste is, particularly when at one point it was within our control. Today is your day of control.

SOLOMONS IFA - THE LIFE YOU SHOOT

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email [email protected]

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected] 
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – [email protected]    Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY  |  DATA PROTECTION

KODACHROME2025-02-04T16:14:52+00:00

LOCATION

Solomon’s
The Old Mill
Cobham Park Road
Cobham
Surrey
KT11 3NE

OTHER

Home
FAQ
Financial Services Sector
Press & Media
Privacy Policy

CONTACT

[email protected]
020 8542 8084

Go to Top