Financial Planning News & Views

Autumn statement 2024

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After boxing themselves into a manifesto promise of no tax rises for ‘working people’ on income tax, National Insurance, corporate tax, or VAT, the Government had to look elsewhere for the £40 billion of taxes needed to fill their public finance black hole. As ever, some of the changes announced …

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Spring Budget 2024

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In what was widely expected to be Mr Hunt’s final Budget ahead of an election, speculation in the final run up focused on the trade-offs that might be required around cutting taxes and meeting both fiscal rules and spending commitments. Ultimately the Chancellor had it both ways, with some headline …

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Autumn Statement 2023

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The Autumn Statement 2023 was delivered by the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on Wednesday 22nd November. Our summary boils his 110 different proposals down to a concise report of the key points. The Autumn Statement had been initially trailed as focusing on the longer term issues facing the country, but Mr …

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Spring Budget 2023

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After presenting a Budget-in-all-but name with the Autumn Statement, the Spring Budget was delivered against the backdrop of a day of widespread industrial action. The run-up to the event appeared deliberately downplayed, save for a late flurry of leaks highlighting a focus on childcare at one end of the scale …

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Embracing early retirement.

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The traditional retirement age is no longer what it used to be. More and more people are choosing to retire early, and there are a number of reasons why this is becoming increasingly popular.

One of the biggest reasons for embracing early retirement is the fact that people are living longer and healthier lives. This means that they can enjoy their retirement years more, and don’t have to worry about health issues as much.

Make sure you’re financially prepared. Another reason for retiring early is that many people simply want to enjoy their lives sooner rather than later. They don’t want to wait until they’re 65 or older to start enjoying life, and so they retire early instead.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to retire early, it’s important to make sure that you’re financially prepared for it. Make sure you have enough saved up to cover your costs.

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Recession: FAQs

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Definition: A recession is a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.

Why do they occur? Recessions tend to occur when there is a widespread drop in spending. A fall of 0.1% was originally reported for Q2 which would have represented a drop in two successive quarters, but the figures were recently revised up so for now, we’ve narrowly avoided going into an official recession by the skin of our teeth, but it does seem like only a matter of time…   

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MAXIMISING PENSION SAVINGS

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Get back to dreaming about your retirement. Not dreading it. Many people are feeling the pressure on their finances at the moment due to the backdrop of rising inflation and the cost-of-living soaring. In these circumstances, it can be difficult to think about your long-term finances or even contemplate saving …

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Your Countdown to Retirement Checklist

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As you approach the last five years before your retirement, there will be a lot of things to consider. You’ll need to think about your finances, your health, your housing situation and your plans for the future to live comfortably in retirement. In recent years, the changes to pensions legislation have created greater freedom and choice over how pension assets can be used. However, with freedom and choice comes complexity.

There has rarely been a more challenging time to retire, which is why it  has never been more important to understand your options. Remember, the choices you make today will have a big impact on the quality of your life later on.

As a result, there will be lots of questions you’ll need to ask: How much money will I need to have saved? What will my income sources be in retirement? What kind of lifestyle do I want in retirement? What will my health care needs be in retirement? What are my long-term care needs in retirement? What are my estate planning needs in retirement? What are my tax considerations in retirement?

There are also a number of things to review in order to ensure you have a comfortable and enjoyable retirement.

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