Almost 79% of those with workplace pensions would welcome increasing their savings alongside employer contributions, research by Ipsos Mori has found. This finding follows calls to raise the minimum automatic-enrolment (AE) contribution levels. Scottish Widows called for a 12% minimum contribution by 2020, while Aviva said it wanted a 12.5% by 2028, arguing raising the […]
For some years now the child benefit tax charge for higher earners has had an impact on families and the implications of this charge aren’t always immediately obvious! Child benefit can be claimed for all children under the age of 16. The current benefit is £20.70 per week for the first child and £13.70 for […]
Retirement planning is a relatively modern concept. If you go back 100 years most people expected to work until they died or at best be supported by their children. Even 50 years ago retirement would have meant 5 to 10 years of fairly quiet life before you died. Today most people looking to stop working […]
Are mortgage interest rates set to increase? The next opportunity for a change in interest rates is just around the corner and there is wide spread speculation that rates are now set to rise. Predictions of a 0.25% increase in the bank rate are rife, having been fuelled by the Governor of the Bank of […]
Following the changes to retirement planning in April 2015 we have seen a significant increase in members of traditional company pension schemes ‘Defined benefit Pensions’ asking us to obtain cash equivalent transfer values. These pensions have always been considered gold plated because they promise to pay a secure, index-linked income for life, based on final […]
From Norwich to Peterborough and up and down the land the shape of the high street is changing. Banks and Building Societies are withdrawing their face to face presence in droves in favour of a more technology based service. Our experience is that whilst some clients are happy with internet and telephone services that many […]