Lavender Financial Planners

Time in the market, not timing the market

October 30, 2020 by Lavender Financial Planners

Investment market swings can be unnerving, but they shouldn’t distract you from staying focused on your financial goals. Periods of market volatility will undoubtedly be unsettling times for most investors.

The risks of incurring losses can make holding investments difficult to bear, with the temptation being to sell out and cut your losses. But volatility is part and parcel of investing.

Day-to-day ups and downs of the markets Rather than focus on the day-to-day ups and downs of the markets, it is far more important to focus on the things you can control. With global markets in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, investors have been faced with an impossible dilemma: whether to stay invested or to withdraw to a safe haven.

It is important to remember what really matters: it is ‘time in the market, not timing the market’ that dictates long-term returns.

Life Insurance Protection

October 29, 2020 by Lavender Financial Planners

For many of us, projecting ourselves into the future to see what‘s around the next bend is not an easy thing to do. However, without thinking, we insure our cars, homes and even our mobile phones – so it goes without saying that you should also be insured for your full replacement value to ensure that your loved ones and business are financially catered for in the event of your unexpected death.

Making sure that you have the correct type and level of life insurance in place will help you to financially protect them. Life insurance provides a safety net. Ultimately, it offers reassurance that your family and business would be protected financially should the worst happen. We never know what life has in store for us so it’s important to get the right life insurance policy. A good place to start is asking yourself three questions:

What do I need to protect?

How much cover do I need?

How long will I need the cover for?

Tax Relief and Pensions

October 16, 2020 by Lavender Financial Planners

Saving into a pension is one of the most tax efficient ways to save for your retirement. Not only do pensions enable you to grow your retirement savings largely free of tax, but they also provide tax relief on the contributions you make.

There are various complex pension allowances in place that you need to be aware of and understand how to make the most of them. These limit the amount of money you can contribute to a pension in a year, as well as the total amount of money you can build up in your pension accounts, while still enjoying the full tax benefits.

Generating income from investments throughout your retirement years

October 14, 2020 by Lavender Financial Planners

The time has finally come, you’re ready to retire. You’ve worked hard all your working life to save and prepare for your retirement, but how should you approach investing now that you’re no longer earning a salary? When it comes to investing in retirement, even during volatile markets, the right strategy can help make sure your retirement savings last.

For many, the idea of retirement means getting away from the stresses of everyday life. But with living costs rising and interest rates low, retirees still need to think about how they can continue to generate income from their investments throughout their retirement years.

It is not unusual for people to live more than 30 years once retired, due to increased incentives to quit work early and rising life expectancy, which in itself can present a major risk that retirees may outlive their savings. The longer the time spent in retirement, the harder it becomes to be certain about the adequacy of your assets.

A GUIDE TO PENSIONS ON DIVORCE

October 9, 2020 by Lavender Financial Planners

woman in white dress shirt and black skirt sitting on gray couch

If you’re going through a divorce, dividing up any pensions you have will usually be one of the largest financial decisions you need to make. Agreeing financial arrangements in your divorce can seem daunting; there are so many misconceptions and myths as to what each party is entitled to that it gets confusing.

The rules surrounding dissolution of a registered civil partnership are the same as those for divorce. In this guide, we use the term ‘divorce’ to mean the end of a registered civil partnership as well as the end of a marriage A pension is often the largest or second largest capital asset in a marriage or registered civil partnership. However, pensions can be complex and confusing at the best of times.

Frequently, one person has a substantial pension and the other might have none or a very limited pension provision because, for example, they have given up their job to look after the children.

A decision will need to be made as to whether that pension or pensions should be shared or if you should receive more of another asset, such as the home instead.

Redundancy – is it safe to proceed?

October 8, 2020 by Lavender Financial Planners

Redundancies are an unfortunate consequence of current times, with the Government’s furlough scheme coming to an end the expectation is that there will be more employers making cuts to their workforce.

Remember: “Redundancy isn’t personal, personal identities should not be tied with your professional image”

If you are facing redundancy, it is important to understand exactly what is included in the package being offered to you, how it’s taxed and the impact it may have on your tax allowances and benefits.

Please read through the 10 key points I have listed below, each will hopefully help you understand what you should know in relation to your redundancy payment and most importantly help you plan for the future

Making a Will

October 2, 2020 by Lavender Financial Planners

We spend our lives working to provide for ourselves and our loved ones. You may have a house or flat (in the UK or overseas), shares, savings and investments as well as your personal possessions. All of these assets are your ‘estate’. Making a Will ensures that when you die, your estate is shared according to your wishes.

Law will decide
If you die with no valid Will in England or Wales, the law will decide who gets what. If you have no living family members, all your property and possessions will go to the Crown. If you make a Will, you can also make sure you don’t pay more Inheritance Tax than you legally need to. It’s an essential part of your financial planning. Not only does it set out your wishes, but die without a Will and your estate will generally be divided according to the rules of intestacy, which may not reflect your wishes. Without one, the state directs who inherits, so your loved ones, relatives, friends and favourite charities may get nothing.

Getting my finances in order

September 25, 2020 by Lavender Financial Planners

When it comes to making financial decisions, you don’t have to go it alone The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak has affected people in various ways. However, this has undoubtedly been a time for contemplation surrounding our personal finances. Many have taken the new-found time at home to conduct a review of their finances, to assess necessary and unnecessary expenditure. While uncertainty with the job market continues, a tighter grip on finances is key.

Tracking your finances gives you a baseline to help track your progress and helps you to see spending mistakes before they become disastrous personal finance problems. Even if you have a solid financial plan in place, it still needs to be updated regularly to ensure it reflects any life changes. But what should your priorities focus on now? Is it time to turn your attention to your pension, ISA or your mortgage, or something else? Should you be thinking about investing more for your children’s education or putting an estate plan in place? And then there are those previous company pension schemes to review – is it three, four…or was it five? Sound Familiar?

If you’re unsure what diagnosis to give your current money situation, maybe it’s time to consider a financial health check. But where do you start? Read on for hints and tips to assist.

Have you got control of your retirement plans?

September 18, 2020 by Lavender Financial Planners

An increasing number of people in later life are saving little or nothing for their golden years, instead expecting to fall back on the State Pension. Some people are ‘under-estimating their life expectancy’ which means that the money they do save for retirement will have to
stretch further.

As millions of people move within a decade of their State Pension many have still not thought about how long their retirement might last. It’s worrying that so many over-50s are potentially sleepwalking into their old age and are expecting to be better off than they will be.

Lasting Power of Attorney – peace of mind that there is someone you trust to look after your affairs

September 4, 2020 by Lavender Financial Planners

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows you to appoint one or more people to make decisions on your behalf during your lifetime. The people you appoint to manage your affairs are called the ‘attorneys’.

An LPA is a completely separate legal document to your Will, although many people put them in place at the same time as getting their Will written, as part of wanting to plan for the future.

During your lifetime
Once you have an LPA in place, you can have peace of mind that there is someone you trust to look after your affairs if you became unable to do so yourself during your lifetime. This may occur, for example, because of an illness, old age or an accident. Having an LPA in place can allow your attorney to have authority to deal with your finances and property, as well as make decisions about your health and welfare. Your LPA can include binding instructions together with general preferences for your attorney to consider. Your LPA should reflect your particular wishes so you know that the things that matter most would be taken care of.

Time in the market, not timing the market

Life Insurance Protection

Tax Relief and Pensions

Generating income from investments throughout your retirement years

Redundancy – is it safe to proceed?

Making a Will

Getting my finances in order

Have you got control of your retirement plans?

Lasting Power of Attorney – peace of mind that there is someone you trust to look after your affairs

AJ

CC

RK

MF & JF

SG & RG

KT & WT

Subscribe to our newsletter

Testimonials

AJ

CC

RK

MF & JF

SG & RG

KT & WT

Subscribe to our newsletter