family Archives - Financial Planning in Surrey

Lasting Power of Attorney – the DIY option … ?

Debbie Harris
Nov 2024 • 2 min read

Lasting Power of Attorney – the DIY option … ?

Last month, I sat down with my elderly parents (it still feels weird referring to them in that way – they just don’t seem ‘old’ to me!) and we thrashed out their lasting powers of attorney instructions.

We interspersed the tough conversations with lots of gallows humour (that’s how we do it in my family) and submitted the applications to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). We could have done it online, but my dad is a self-proclaimed dinosaur and insisted we send them in the post (with cheques … none of that new-fangled online banking stuff for him!)

About a month later we received confirmation that the applications had been received and could take around 12 weeks to be processed.

To my surprise then about a week later, we received another letter (or rather four of them – one for each LPA) to say that the applications had been processed (and not rejected!) and we could expect to receive certificates within about five weeks. Well played OPG – under-promised and over-delivered!

Anyway – despite the intense stress of making sure everyone signed everything in the right place and in the right order (that’s important!), the process was remarkably straightforward and simple.

Dominic and Daniel (our financial planners here at Solomon’s) have been encouraging clients to put LPAs in place sooner rather than later and to have a go at doing it yourselves rather than incurring the expense of engaging a legal representative (we were quoted over £1,000 for a solicitor to do it!).

I am pleased to confirm that my experience of helping my parents do theirs was really positive. It’s always great when someone in the team here has the ‘actual’ lived experience of things like this, so that we can confidently make recommendations to you and explain the process and the potential obstacles. If Daniel or Dominic have advised you to ‘have a go’ – I would encourage you to do so – it feels daunting I know, but it really wasn’t difficult in the end.

Just a couple of things to bear in mind …

~ you need someone to be the applicant and someone else to be the ‘proposer’ (an independent person – could be a friend or trusted colleague) to say that they have discussed the LPA with the donor (the person who the LPA is for) to ensure that they are not under any duress to sign their powers away! You need attorneys (and possibly replacement attorneys). And they all need to sign the forms in the correct order. With the ones we did – we were all together in the same place at the same time, so it was easy to do this; but will be slightly more difficult if you cannot arrange such a gathering (we did it over a shared meal together which made it a far more enjoyable experience!)

~ there are two types of LPA – one for finance and property related matters and another for health and medical issues (the cost currently is £82.00 per LPA per individual)

~ get them in place well in advance of when you think you might need to enact them (as it can take many months to complete the process – especially if the application forms are rejected at any point)

As ever – if you need any further information or help with this, please get in touch – we are always happy to assist.

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Lasting Power of Attorney – the DIY option … ?Jemima Thomas2025-01-21T15:19:51+00:00

What decisions would you alter from your past?

Dominic Thomas
August 2024 • 3 min read

What decisions would you alter from your past?

The appearance of Michael J Fox on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury with Coldplay was a reminder of the need to savour the moments that we have.

For those who don’t know, Michael J Fox has had a successful career in film and television, most notably for his performance as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future movies. He has since revealed his battle with Parkinson’s disease which has had an increasingly debilitating effect.

In the original movie, teenager Marty McFly travels in time from 1985 to 1955 and meets his parents when they were at High School. The difference in fashion, attitudes and culture in just three decades made for good entertainment. Today it is now longer since the film was released than the time travel that Marty experienced, nearly a decade longer! As with most time travelling fantasies, the lesson learned is that a change in the timeline will likely lead to different outcomes.

Aporia is yet another film on the topic, but rather than travel back, time is bent to change the past. Malcolm’s sudden death as a result of a drunk driver leaves Sophie widowed and struggling to make ends meet, their daughter Riley is becoming increasingly disinterested in school or friends. Malcolm’s friend seems to have done the impossible in his spare room and invented a working Time Machine. Sophie (despite having seen Back to the Future!) decides to interrupt the time continuum with the hope of preventing the fatal accident.

I am sorry to say that my pedantic self took over as events unfold, I immediately thought, why don’t you now take out a decent level of life assurance! This is your warning, you have seen how difficult life can be when tragedy strikes and a lack of funds merely compounds the difficulty. Whist money does not compensate for the loss of a loved one, it certainly helps survivors to cope and continue.

No, it’s not terribly romantic of me is it! But then my view is that romance is for the living. Early in my career there was a well-known training film about the impact of death on a family. Its aim was to highlight the importance of life assurance and the relieving of stress on a widow… which of course had the agenda of getting me (and every other adviser) to sell more life assurance.

Over the years I have worked with many people who have lost a loved one. Some were far better prepared than others and some were not prepared at all. We get constant reminders that life is short and death is inevitable; yet most of us avoid thinking through the consequences of our death on the families and businesses we may leave behind.

It’s time to change that. You can take action today, there are not as many tomorrows as you think.

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What decisions would you alter from your past?Jemima Thomas2025-01-21T15:41:28+00:00

One life at a time

Dominic Thomas
Feb 2024 • 4 min read

One life at a time

Sitting in the front row of the audience, he turned to see refugees standing around him, the feeling of raw emotion suddenly rising and filling his being as the magnitude of one man’s efforts had resulted in simple, raw, exposed humanity – life.

I suspect that you have heard about or may even remember seeing the moment that Nicholas Winton is met with an audience of his rescued refugees, as they rise to greet the man. The moment will likely be branded into your mind; it’s truly unforgettable.

There is something about a mild-mannered stockbroker from Maidenhead who not simply changed lives, but made them possible, that resonates with anyone possessing a pulse.

The new film One Life currently on release, is the remarkable tale of this man set a little more than nine months before WW2. I hope that it is a reminder to you that however small your own actions and power may seem, they can be life-saving.

Winton visited Prague in December 1938 at the suggestion of a friend and met with Warriner, Chadwick and Wellington who exposed him to their urgent work attempting to help key individuals flee Europe out of the thousands gathering in makeshift camps all hoping for help. He was fortunate to have never met the Gestapo (I so want to mock by writing gazpacho) and his life was never particularly endangered, but he was deeply moved by the plight of refugees who were fleeing Hitler’s Nazis following the night of mayhem ‘Kristallnacht’ on 9^th November 1938 which followed the Munich Agreement in September which ceded Sudetenland and the subsequent full invasion in March 1939.

A time before email, social media and mobile phones, live images from anywhere on earth beamed into the palm of your hand. A trusty typewriter, filing cabinet and antiquated telephone system along with waiting (and pushing) to see those possessing the ability to grant permission. The challenge of bureaucratic lunacy and soulless governance has a modern familiarity, but in 1938, refugees under 18 were not permitted into Britain.

Winton and his mother pushed the wheels of the Civil Service into agreeing a process for granting permission to hundreds and potentially thousands of refugees fleeing extermination in Europe. They raised funds (£50 fee for each refugee), completed the paperwork and placed children with willing people having taken out adverts in newspapers. Some 669 children were spared annihilation in Europe, eventually finding refuge here in Britain after a perilous journey through hostile nations before war broke out, ending any viability of a visa.

Winton’s part in the story may never have been acknowledged had his wife not found his scrapbook from the period, detailing names of children and their foster families. It is highly unlikely that any of the children would have escaped had he and his mother not taken the action that they did.

Today we see horrors around the world with alarming frequency. In my December round up, I stated that “the world is currently safer than it ever has been for many of us”. By way of some context… our world was changed by the attacks in the US on 11^th September 2001 which resulted in 2,996 deaths largely on the day itself. Pearl Harbour, which was the catalyst for the US joining the war saw 2,403 deaths on 7^th December 1941.

The second world war itself lasted six years and conservatively resulted in 70 million deaths. That’s equivalent to 22 deaths for every minute of the war, a staggering 31,934 every day.

We can draw many lessons or conclusions from Winton’s story; but for me it’s a reminder that action takes many forms, being sufficiently resourced and able to provide solutions to great challenges is key for most of us. Our ability to respond has untold impact. Of the millions that ultimately died, Winton and his collaborators saved 669, each one significant and priceless.

Below is the trailer for the rather wonderful new film released by Warner Brothers.

And here is the online exhibition, a tour through some of the personal items and documents held in the Sir Nicholas Winton Memorial Trust, illustrating different episodes in his life.

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One life at a timeJemima Thomas2024-02-08T15:49:41+00:00

Money management for children

Debbie Harris
Feb 2024 • 2 min read

We don’t need no education…

It is widely recognised and acknowledged that children start forming their spending and saving habits as young as seven years old; yet still we do not teach money management skills in our Primary schools here in England.

Largely therefore our children develop their relationship with money in a very organic way – largely from what they see or hear (from parents, friends, advertising, TV programmes, social media etc); which means it is basically a game of luck as to whether a child learns good habits or bad habits!

The Scout Association has seen this ‘gap’ in the education of our young people and has introduced a merit badge called the Money Skills Award (with some funding from HSBC and consultation with the charity Young Money).

In order to achieve this badge, children have to complete a selection of money-related tasks … anything from creating their own currency to budgeting for a trip.

Bear Grylls, UK Chief Scout, hopes the new badge will help Cub Scouts and Beaver Scouts develop life-long financial skills “in a way that only Scouts can by helping them build their confidence and understanding of money in hands-on format”.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in use of contactless payment methods, young children typically may not see coins and notes very often anymore and instead have a sense of money coming from a ‘magic card’ that seemingly has an endless supply!

Older children are also suffering from the impact of the pandemic – with literacy and numeracy ‘falling short’; the knock-on effect of which is that millions of people have problems budgeting effectively, planning for the future and making informed decisions about their finances.

At Solomon’s we have a real and genuine desire to educate people (regardless of age) around the sensible and wise use of their resources and we often look for ways to impart useful information in an easy to understand format.

For any of our clients with young children (or grandchildren), if you would like to receive any resources from us that might be helpful – please do let us know; we are building a useful ‘bank’ of information from various sources that we could pass on to you.

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Money management for childrenJemima Thomas2024-02-01T09:53:09+00:00

Lost Gardens of Heligan

Debbie Harris
August 2023 • 5 min read

Lost Gardens of Heligan

I spent last week in a beautiful part of the world called Gorran Haven, Cornwall.

I have been going there each year with my wider family for over 20 years – it’s our home from home (17 of us attended this year!).

Many years ago, we visited The Lost Gardens of Heligan which is (as their website says) an “astonishing story of regeneration”.

In the 1990s these Victorian productive and ornamental gardens were rediscovered in the grounds of an old mansion house under mountains of brambles and ivy and since then have been lovingly restored to something close to their former glory across 200 acres (so far).

On the estate, there are ‘living sculptures’, magnificent woodland walks, bee hives, farm animals, a ‘jungle’, giant rhubarb plants, enormous rhododendrons, productive gardens (herbs, vegetables, fruit), pleasure grounds, natural climbing trails for kids and adults alike and many ‘work’ areas that were used in Victorian times and have been left much as they were – all providing something of a glimpse back in time.

We went again this year and I was most inspired by the growth that had taken place since my last visit – the workforce there have managed to achieve an evolution of sorts without appearing to have interfered too much with nature’s processes. It was as wonderful as I remembered; in fact it was better – largely not too much had been tampered with; but certain things had been tweaked, enhanced, emphasised and it was breathtaking.

On reflection, it reminded me (a little!) of why we tell our clients to trust the investment process – it’s a long-term endeavour; it only needs minor tweaks along the way; and can be managed effectively with mindful and careful ‘interference’. Importantly it takes time and patience (and an expert hand). Your financial plan may not look like a fine ornamental garden; it may not be an inspirational thing of beauty; but it is ultimately your creation and speaks of your life, your wishes, your legacy and ought therefore to be treated with respect and care by people who think it matters – you and us.

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Lost Gardens of HeliganJemima Thomas2023-12-01T12:12:29+00:00

Flat pack fever

Daniel Liddicott
March 2023 • 4 min read

Flat pack fever

Flat pack furniture – a phrase that strikes fear into the hearts of most people, and often for very good reason – the poorly labelled pieces; the multitude of supposedly vital fixtures and fittings; the cryptic instructions seemingly written with the sole purpose to confuse and annoy.

I am delighted to say that my wife and I are expecting our first child at the end of March! This is, and has been, an extremely exciting and often anxiety-inducing time. I am sure that I am describing a period of time that is familiar to many of you. In amongst all of the preparations, baby book reading and antenatal classes, there is the inevitable task of assembling our unborn bundle of joy’s nursery furniture. Unless, of course, you wisely paid for the outsourcing of said assembly process – alas, we did not.

So began an entire Sunday of unpacking boxes, organising various pieces, deciphering assembly instructions and good old elbow grease – not to mention dusting off our toolbox that is used so sparingly. It took a great deal of patience, persistence and a coffee or three – but my wife and I ended the day proud that we had persevered, feeling that little bit more prepared for our baby’s arrival.

Financial planning requires persistence and perseverance. It requires all of those vital ‘fixtures and fittings’ – your savings, investments and pensions. Whilst sticking to the plan can feel painful at times, particularly through the current cost-of-living crisis and the adverse market conditions that we have seen over the past 12 months; enduring through the difficult moments will help you to achieve what you set out to do at the beginning.

I would be lying if I told you that the mental and physical strain of piecing together those jigsaw puzzle-esque pieces of furniture didn’t give me pause, but the sense of achievement from staying the course and completing the task at hand gave me a great sense of achievement at the end of the day. The increased preparedness that I felt for our baby’s arrival after having set up the nursery was profound – and a welcome, cathartic surprise.

If you feel the need to reach out during these testing times, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. We are here for you when you need us, to guide you and be the reassuring voice that encourages you to stick to your well-made plans.

And speaking of testing times, I am due to be extremely busy in both my personal and professional life in the very near future – tax year end baby on the way!

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Flat pack feverJemima Thomas2023-12-01T12:12:35+00:00

Farewell for now

Abigail Liddicott
Feb 2023 • 3 min read

Farewell for now

I like to think that there are many different seasons in life. Change can often be bittersweet. When the crocuses and snowdrops begin to emerge, the excitement of Spring sets in, new life. I am thrilled to announce that my husband and I are expecting a baby, and this week, according to the midwives, I am 37 weeks pregnant.

There is so much anticipation and excitement buzzing around. There are books to be read; classes to attend; product reviews and research to be done; conversations with our elders who have done this all before. Although the joy and delight are our primary feelings there is also a goodbye to our life as just the two of us, and a pause on my income. There is something wonderful about being able to spend money on something that you’ve saved for and desired for so long. Filling a spare room with furniture that you had only fantasised about. Now we will enter a new phase of budgeting as our priorities shift.

I am taking some time off to nest, rest and welcome our first child. Becoming a parent is a dream of mine so I am very excited for what lies in store, albeit nervous at the same time. It has been lovely getting to know the clients I have interacted with over the past couple of years, thank you for all your engagement, it is so appreciated. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with a fun, dynamic, caring team at Solomon’s. I know you will be well looked after by the rest of the team whilst I am away.

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Farewell for nowJemima Thomas2023-12-01T12:12:36+00:00

Planning – Christmas is coming

Debbie Harris
Dec 2022 • 6 min read

The goose is getting fat, Christmas is coming

As I write, it is the middle of November, but we are galloping towards the festive season at a pace – bombarded by supermarket adverts, neighbours putting their fairy lights up (already!), and the internet promising fantastic bargains if you are willing to part with your money on one particular day of the year.

It all seems so frenetic (and it is), but this year I have decided to slow things down a little; get my priorities in order; and be mindful during the planning process (there it is … the P word!).

As a financial planning firm – these are three things that are crucial to a job well done and a job done well.

1. SLOW DOWN

Hit the ‘pause’ button; take a break; stop – you cannot see the wood for the trees if you are running around the forest like a headless chicken

2. PRIORITISE

Figure out what is important; what you really care about; what matters – only in reflection and introspection do these things become clear

3. BE MINDFUL IN THE PLANNING

It’s all very well to have grand plans and ‘big goals’; but we HAVE to be realistic around what can be achieved with what we have. That visit to Lapland to race red-nosed reindeer will have to be put on hold! We must also remember that time is a finite source – things can be done with all the time in the World; but we don’t have the luxury of that – our tomorrow is never guaranteed

PLANNING – ENJOY THE FRUITS…

All that in mind, I have booked tickets to see a pantomime with my daughter this year (Cinderella ON ICE!); I will be attending a choral performance at a theatre (on my own – I couldn’t convince any of my lot to join me!); I have a ‘Christmas Jumper Evening’ at a pub scheduled next month and I have arranged a shopping-followed-by-dinner date with my siblings. All things that bring me joy; all things that I have carefully selected to do with my time; all things that I will be able to look back on with a smile.

I’m not so worried about ‘the big day’ itself (although I have ordered my turkey … who knows whether I’ll actually get it … bird flu has wiped out huge swathes of the turkey population across the UK this year) – there’s always a slightly anti-climatical feel to the day for me – I enjoy the build up; the anticipation; the socialising – but once the turkey and trimmings have been devoured; it’s all over and there is a sadness to that – the tinsel doesn’t look so shiny; the leftover orange creams in the Quality Street Tin look resigned to their fate; and the tree is a dry, droopy version of its former glory.

I always enjoy the post-Christmas clean-up to be honest … it always feels good to clear away the (admittedly pretty) clutter and start the New Year with a clean, fresh slate (one of the reasons why I love Mondays too I think!)

So whatever your Christmas will look and feel like; whatever your preferred ways are to spend your time; whatever your beliefs about gifting and celebrating; I hope that you are able to plan your festive season mindfully and to execute your plan beautifully.

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 info@solomonsifa.co.uk

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Planning – Christmas is comingJemima Thomas2023-12-01T12:12:41+00:00

Life assurance – not all it seems

Dominic Thomas
Dec 2022 • 11 min read

When life assurance is not all it seems

Life assurance is one of the few solutions to the question ”how can I help?” when posed to a family that has just experienced permanent, life-changing loss. Over the three decades that I have been advising clients, this is, without doubt, one of the most challenging.

Most of us live as though we have an abundant supply of tomorrow. Rarely does anyone really wake and decide that life assurance (or any financial protection) is the major task to get done today.

Death is of course a subject that literature and our culture regularly address, yet in those intimate spaces of our lives, it’s a topic rarely discussed, perhaps one of the last taboos. This was never more starkly revealed to me when (many years ago) someone told me not to talk of death and Wills because he believed that it would make it a reality. Naturally he never became a client (I only work with mortals).

LIFE ASSURANCE – BAD SISTERS

I was intrigued by a series on Apple TV called ‘Bad Sisters’. I enjoyed the series, but wanted to address the premise of the drama – which confused me initially. I will not ruin the story at all by simply saying that a claim against a life assurance policy is being challenged by the adviser, which in my world does not reflect the truth.

A WASTE OF MONEY?

Advisers arrange financial protection (life assurance, critical illness cover and income protection). These are all policies that everyone takes out hoping to never have to claim on them, because to do so means something awful has happened to you. We all actually want the cover to be a ‘waste’ of your money… though using as little of it as possible to secure the right, most appropriate balance of cover.

MAKING A CLAIM

In the event of a claim, it is the insurer that assesses the legitimacy of a claim against the policy terms. In the case of life assurance, it is fairly evident if a claim is valid (the assured has died). In more nuanced cover (income protection and critical illness), the assured is alive and unwell, the question is therefore “is the condition being suffered covered?”. In both circumstances fraud is not uncommon, though I would suggest it is pretty rare and most claims are paid out fairly swiftly and appropriately. An oversimplified for instance, is that a broken arm is not grounds for a claim for a critical illness or inability to work long term, the loss of an arm, however may be grounds, particularly if you are a surgeon.

BROKER BEWARE…

The series, whilst set in Ireland and therefore not regulated by the FCA, has the insurance broker Claffin & Sons investigate a claim for life assurance. Whether in Ireland or here in the UK, this is an alarm bell for authenticity. The small family run insurance broker is reluctantly run by son Thomas Claffin after his father committed suicide. Early on it is evident that all is not well, a database of no policies and concern about the collapse of the business. This is not how things work, unless fraud is being committed.

I can assure you that in the event of a claim, I and probably any adviser will be eager to get you funds from the insurance claim as this is probably the most obviously meaningful aspect of our work, protecting you and your family when disaster strikes, providing funds to make the financial pain disappear. Advisers will certainly want to ensure that a claim for the more complex cover is worth claiming for (broken arm example), but will then seek to hassle the insurer for agreement and payment of funds to you the claimant. Some insurers are better than others in terms of efficiency, but we have never had a valid claim refused.

Claffin didn’t arrange cover, they simply committed fraud, taking and living off the premiums and hoping that their clients didn’t make a claim. That is fraud (honestly I am not spoiling the excellent series and plot).

A PAPER TRAIL WELL DOCUMENTED

You will have a policy document with an insurer and be paying monthly premiums or in some circumstances, annually. These will show on your bank statement and are not paid to the adviser or broker. Even with all the mergers and subsequent name changes for the insurance company you are paying, you will receive a plethora of correspondence, the main challenge being to keep up to speed of who say Commerical Union, Clerical Medical, Friends Provident, Skandia (and so on) now are. You have a unique policy number. If in any doubt get in touch. If you are unsure if you have enough financial protection or perhaps too much now, please ask.

As for the series by Sharon Horgan, I thoroughly enjoyed it. My purpose here is not to suggest otherwise, merely to explain how an insurance claim would work in practice. Here is the trailer for the series, with a cast that includes….

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Life assurance – not all it seemsJemima Thomas2025-01-21T15:41:30+00:00

Leaving a legacy behind

Most of us want to leave a legacy – whether that be children, grandchildren, a financial inheritance, making an impact in our job or the charity we support. But what if our legacy can be bigger than that … ?

Having just had England’s hottest Summer on record, it feels poignant to think about the small steps we can take in the ‘here and now’ that lead to achieving bigger picture goals in the future. With harsher, colder Winters becoming a growing reality and hotter, drier Summers becoming the new norm, we must ask ourselves – what are the small things that we can do in our everyday lives that will help slow down these potentially drastic climate changes?

There are lots of things we can do and we know that many of our clients take this responsibility very seriously, but here are some of the things that are important to me personally and that I have made a conscious choice to be mindful about:

Reducing meat consumption

Cutting down on meat consumption is a big way that we can impact our environment – particularly since the way that we currently farm is not sustainable. Forests and habitats are cut down to provide space and to grow feed for animals – which leads to reduced biodiversity. Cutting down rainforests to use the land for beef farms also has a direct link to how our water cycle works

Purchasing locally grown food

Eating local produce reduces fuel emissions that result from importing food from across the world

Supporting organic farmers

Whilst organic food is more expensive, it supports our ecosystems. Pesticides (used in producing non-organic products) have been linked to causing hormone imbalances (amongst other things) in the body, all of which can cause a whole host of health issues. It is currently legal in many countries across the world to use pesticides that kill pollinating insects – which as we know are crucial for the health and future of our ecosystems

Changing travel routines

Walking or using a bicycle is a great way to stay fit and healthy, as well as keeping our environment free of pollutants. Using public transport or car sharing is a good way to lower our carbon emissions. Thoughtfully choosing a car that can be charged using electricity or has a good C02 emissions rating or thinking about whether or not your family really requires multiple cars is all about being mindful of our decisions and the impact that they have globally

Reusing and recycling

There is so much unwanted household waste from clothes and furniture to broken TVs and toys that children have outgrown. Trying to fix things that are broken instead of automatically throwing them into landfill or giving things away to someone who might need them are two ways of getting the most use out of our possessions

I hope this brief look at the changes I am trying to make in my own life has motivated you to also think about the future we’re creating for the people we leave behind. Together hopefully we can begin to reverse some of the effects of climate change … small stones to create larger ripples.

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Leaving a legacy behindJemima Thomas2023-12-01T12:12:43+00:00

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