During my time as an adviser, I’ve noticed a regrettable tendency for financial issues to be overcomplicated. Articles in the national and trade press seem to take great delight in using the type of baffling language only properly understood by financial professionals. To my mind, simplicity always beats complexity when it comes to most aspects of financial planning. Complex explanations are usually unnecessary One key issue is that many in the industry try to overcomplicate and create complexity where it isn’t needed. This is particularly the case in the investment sector, but it can also be prevalent when it comes to taxation and pension arrangements. More often than not it will simply lead to people like yourself being confused, and... Read More

In last month’s newsletter you read about the four crucial questions you need to answer before designing your financial plan. However, there is one overriding question, which epitomises financial advice and planning for your financial future. This is often the elephant in the room and it’s what all of us really want to know. It will sit there as a subconscious feeling, whilst all the other questions you might typically ask are a means to “the end” – how should I invest my savings? Should I review my pensions? These are all the ‘means’. The question is this… Are we going to be OK? The front page of one of the tabloids caught my eye in the newsagents recently. They... Read More

Against the backdrop of the continuing war in Ukraine, the chancellor has delivered his spring statement. The war has contributed to uncertainty in the global economy, with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) saying that, “given the unfolding situation in Ukraine, there is unusually high uncertainty around the outlook”. Disruptions in global supply chains and the Ukraine war have led the OBR to revise downwards their forecast for growth over the next five years. The OBR now forecasts GDP to rise by 3.8% in 2022, down from its 6% growth forecast in last October’s economic and fiscal outlook. The OBR then forecasts growth of 1.8% in 2023, 2.1% in 2024, 1.8% in 2025, and 1.7% in 2026. Another current factor... Read More

No one likes conversations about death, especially when the conversation is with your spouse or partner and the death in question is that of either of you. It’s a depressing subject that you’d rather not have to think about – even more so if you’re both healthy and a happy life together. But it’s something you do need to confront, and the sooner the better. That’s because death is no respecter of timescales or plans – it can happen at any time. Read on to find out more of my thoughts about the “awkward conversation”, why you need to have it, and why you’ll feel much better when you have. It’s hard to prepare for the death of your spouse... Read More

Planning your financial future inevitably involves a lot of questions. When we’re putting your plan together, I’ll ask you plenty – questions around your lifestyle, financial priorities, aims, attitude to investment risk, and no end of others. It’s a natural and healthy part of the process. Likewise, you’ll have plenty of questions for me. Many of these come early in the client-adviser relationship as you’ll unload a lot of the queries that you’ve accumulated during your financial journey to date. I always encourage this. Being challenged with questions is part and parcel of being a planner and helps to ensure the plans we put together for you accurately reflect your needs and aspirations. Answering each others’ questions will help us... Read More