This is the second of two related articles about financial planning as a couple. In the first piece, you read about the problems you and your partner could face if you aren’t prepared to plan your financial future and manage your finances together. These ranged from how a lack of joint planning could result in small financial issues becoming major ones, to the problem of financial infidelity. Now read about the other side of the coin – how joint financial planning can make your relationship stronger, and why there are tangible monetary advantages to planning as a couple. 1. The planning process will create a solid foundation for your financial future It’s likely one of you will take the lead... Read More

The start of a new year is often a time when you set out with firm intentions to improve your life. If you’re planning to do more exercise and improve your fitness, you aren’t alone. A YouGov survey found that those two activities topped the list for more than half of Britons (53%) who intend to make a resolution for 2023. Likewise, 43% say they plan to lose weight and the same proportion are resolving to improve their diet. It’s also common to make financial resolutions for the new year, such as to clear your credit card debts, or to save more money each month. But if you’re in a partnership and not planning your financial future with your spouse... Read More

History is littered with examples of wily fraudsters taking advantage of unsuspecting individuals and stealing their money. There have been countless scams, from the “sale of the Roman empire” scam in 193 AD to the original Ponzi scheme in 1920, and its many derivatives. Usually this was done by word of mouth or newspaper advertisements. But more recently, extraordinary advances in online technology means scammers can target you remotely without having to meet you face-to-face or even talk to you on the phone. Most financial scams these days tend to fall under two different categories: Those looking to obtain your personal information in order to be able to target your bank account and other financial holdings Those looking to persuade... Read More

While the end of the year is often the time to think back over the last 12 months, it’s also the time to “look to the future now” as Slade reliably inform us each Christmas! New Year resolutions are an obvious manifestation of this. But going beyond that, it’s well worth you considering setting yourself some longer-term goals – particularly from a financial perspective. Having these can help you manage your money, because they’ll prompt you to see that every decision you make affects your long-term financial health. It’s important to set yourself the right goals If you’re minded to set yourself some financial targets, there are some key pointers you need to consider. You should make your goals specific... Read More

Financial planning is all about looking forward rather than back. For example, one of the big financial risk warnings is based around past investment performance being no guide to the future. But at times like this, when the economic news is woeful, it can be salutary to stop and look back to see how far we’ve come. Living, as we do, in a time of 24-hour news and instant social media assessment, there’s always a danger of just seeing things in the here and now rather than in a wider context. So, as an antidote to the doom and gloom bombarding you right now, read on to see things in a more historical context, and discover why the present day... Read More