In most cases, the answer to this question is more than you’re putting in now! The minimum that you should be putting aside for your retirement plans, if you’re free of unsecured debts like credit cards and loans, is 12.5% of your income.

The government has launched a new savings scheme called Help to Save.  The new scheme was initially trialled in January 2018, then rolled out in stages and is now available to all those who are eligible. The savings scheme offers a free bonus on your savings, so it makes it even more attractive than a […]

In the US, the third Thursday every October is Get Smart About Credit Day, and we should piggyback on that here. It could be called Get Smart About Debt Day, because that’s exactly what credit is, it’s not our credit, it’s our DEBT!

Whatever you want to call it, use the day to begin the process of climbing out of debt with my simple tips.

More people are selling second properties. This could give rise to substantial CGT liabilities. How are those CGT liabilities calculated? Advance planning can reduce those CGT liabilities. It would seem that some of the tax measures announced by George Osborne in his Budget in 2015 are beginning to take effect.  More and more people are […]

The third quarter of 2018 is over. Returns have been mixed, with the USA the standout performer. Find out more about how all of the markets have performed in the last 9 months.

A report on Q3, which features world capital market performance and a timeline of events for the past few months. Compare small cap vs large cap, and emerging vs developed markets at a glance.

Years of academic research has shown that small cap investment can pack a big punch – with risk mitigated by substantial diversification.

When National Savings & Investments (NS&I) announced the launch of their new Junior ISA, they said that the Children’s Bond would be closed to new sales from September 2017, this is disapointiung, but with the JISA and the abilty to fund Pensions for children I can only asusme the demand was not there. NS&I have now […]

What’s better for retirement: property or pensions?  That’s the ‘killer question’.  The vast majority are wrong.  Over the last 30 years house prices have risen 434% (i.e. more than quadrupled).  But the stockmarket has done far better.  Assuming dividends are reinvested, the FTSE 100 has turned £10,000 in 1986 into £126,870 now.  And if you […]

Grandparents can make a real difference to their grandchildrens’  futures by helping with the costs of education. With the cost of a 3 year university course topping £50k*, grandchildren could otherwise be faced with a sizeable debt on leaving university, or worse, could be put off going altogether. The right combination of trust and investment […]