While most of us don’t go through life expecting something bad to happen, the truth is that we never know what’s around the corner. Why not make 2020 the

year you put plans in place to safeguard yourself, your family and your home, so that you know you’re protected against life’s unexpected events?

When to take out protection cover

Most people look into buying a Life Insurance, Critical Illness or Income Protection policy following a significant life event: buying a home, getting married or having children.

Before taking out a policy, ho...

If you have dependents – people who rely on you financially – then you should have life insurance. In fact, if you have dependents and don’t have life insurance, you are exposing them to grave financial risk. And who would want to do that?

Life insurance tends not to feature on ‘to do’ lists because it makes us confront uncomfortable questions, such as what would happen to our loved ones if we were to die unexpectedly in the next few years.

However, we all carry a deep responsibility to ensure those we leave behind at least have sufficient...

Complex tax-efficient investments such as Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCT) are a consideration for those who may be able to tolerate a high level of investment risk.

EIS and VCT are investment vehicles which encourage investment in small, unquoted trading companies in their early stages, who are typically trying to raise capital. These initiatives benefit the economy by promoting innovation amongst the small higher-risk business community, which in turn drives productivity, creates jobs and boosts economi...

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

Financial planning is all about preparing for those things that may not be so certain (and taxes). Plans should be reviewed regularly so they adapt to changes in your circumstances and reflect developments in the wider economy and financial markets.

Cashflow modelling, sometimes known as cashflow forecasting takes a view of investments, debts, income and expenditure. It takes in to account things like inflation, changes in income and interest rates.

It can then be ...

Coronavirus is having a huge impact on all of our lives and, it goes without saying, that this must be a very unsettling time for everyone. Not surprisingly, we've received a number of queries from our clients in relation to protection cover and claims which I have made every effort to provide answers to in the following Q&A section.

Am I still covered? Providing you have paid your monthly premiums with your insurer, the cover we arranged remains in place and the terms of it are unaffected by the Coronavirus outbreak. If you have missed any...

In recent weeks, investors may have become accustomed to seeing markets lurch lower day by day. The gains made this week – by some measures the strongest since 1931 – are therefore particularly welcome. While it is too early to sound the all clear, and while we would caution against attempts to ‘call the bottom of the market’, we believe the outlook is improving. Consequently, at current levels, we see compelling opportunities for longer-term investors in stock markets.

You may be aware that on March 17, Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed that anyone struggling financially as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak will be able to take a three-month mortgage repayment holiday.

A number of lenders had already announced repayment holidays for those affected by Covid-19, but the Government's announcement means ALL lenders will now have to honour the three-month time frame.

A mortgage payment holiday is an agreement you will need make with your lender allowing you to temporarily stop or reduce your monthly mortgag...