Financial education

Brewin Dolphin: The crisis has hit my income – should I cash in on my pension?

You can use your retirement savings pot as you wish from age 55 – rising to age 57 from 2028, the government recently confirmed. Yet while this offers flexibility, you need to think carefully before dipping into your retirement funds, or you could trigger unexpected tax charges or whittle away your funds too quickly. Here [...]

Close up of a happy young family playing at home

The Importance of investing early

Originally published on hsbc.co.uk Your twenties are a time when there are almost too many goals to save for. You may want to buy your first home, purchase a car, or save up to travel the world in the future. Whatever your goals, and whether your plans are short term or long term, they all [...]

Protect against Coronavirus scams: top tips from FCA and NCSC

Scammers take advantage of uncertainty and change. Reports of scams have been on the rise during the Covid pandemic. Advice from the FCA and NCSC

New year, new opportunities

Our top tips for financial planning in 2020, highlighting the recent updates to pensions.

We need to talk: talking to family about money

It’s not easy to talk about money. Alex Holder, journalist, shares experiences of talking about family finances around the dinner table.

Important financial issues to discuss with your family

Money is a notoriously difficult subject to discuss with family. But this is an extraordinary time, with concerns around ill-health amid an environment of rock-bottom interest rates, stock market volatility, and economic turmoil. The current situation could provide an opportunity for openly discussing financial issues. Here, we consider some potential topics. 1. Your estate Inheritance [...]

A row of houses representing inheritance tax IHT

How the equity release market fared in 2019

Equity release continues to be a major way of providing retirement income, according to research published by Key Retirement Solution, one of the UK’s leading equity release specialists. It wasn’t all plain sailing in 2019 as the sector suffered some of the effects of political and economic instability resulting in a 4% drop in total [...]