The decision to set money aside for your financial future, in the form of pension contributions, and other savings, is an easy one to make. However, the follow-up choice of where to actually put your money can be far more problematic. A knee-jerk response is often to consider a savings account offering a certain rate of interest on your money. Yet, evidence shows that investment in stocks and investment funds will outperform money in an interest-bearing account in the long term. But, stock market investments are remarkably misunderstood, especially given that stock markets have been around for close to 500 years.  Given how important investment is in helping you grow your wealth, it’s important to understand what it is, what... Read More

Uncertainty can be a big inhibitor when it comes to many aspects of your day-to-day life. From the mundane of what the weather will be like next week, to more important issues around your health and your job. Equally, when it comes to planning your future, financial uncertainty can always seem to pose apparent problems. This can include high-profile issues around market uncertainty, high inflation, and borrowing costs, as well as your own individual circumstances. Financial uncertainty can create a situation where you’re unsure about future financial outcomes. As a result, this could easily affect your decision-making process.  When it comes to your future financial security, and meeting your obligations, it can also cause deep anxiety and stress. In reality,... Read More

Although it’s traditional to see the move from work to retirement as something to celebrate, it can also be a challenging time. You’ll be going from being in work, with all the disciplines and structures involved with a full-time job, to a life where all your time is your own. Furthermore, even if you make a gradual transition into retirement, there will eventually come a time when your income will derive solely from your accrued pension fund and other savings, rather than from a regular income every month. Because of this, it’s important to plan ahead and to be aware of the potential challenges you may face moving from work to free time. Not only in terms of the “pounds... Read More

In one of my previous articles, you read about why you shouldn’t underestimate the cost of your retirement and why planning ahead and budgeting can be so important. As a follow up to that, this article should help get you thinking about how much income you’ll need once you stop working, and some of the key factors that could dictate your financial commitments. How you plan your time will be important A point I made quite strongly in the previous article was that an assumption that your outgoings will automatically decrease once you retire is often an erroneous one. At a very basic level, while you’re working, you aren’t spending money. But once you retire you’ll have more time on... Read More

Growing your wealth is an important part of financial planning. Ensuring that your money keeps up with (and hopefully outpaces) inflation is crucial, as it means that what you save now will help you to afford your lifestyle in future. One of the most prevalent issues that I find clients to have, though, is in deciding how to grow their wealth. Some common options that you might be considering include: Investing on the stock market in shares, funds, bonds, and other assets Creating a buy-to-let (BTL) property portfolio Running a business. Each comes with various advantages and drawbacks in terms of what you’ll have to spend and the returns you can generate. But in my view, this begs a more... Read More