Over a year and a half ago, a digital revolution introduced a new way for people to handle their money: open banking. All of a sudden at the touch of a button, you could compare household bills, control direct debts and track payments across each of your bank accounts. Consumers can now provide their consent …
Introduction Many of you will know the old stock market adage: ‘Sell in May and go away, and come on back on St. Leger’s Day.’ The theory was that with everyone out of London for the summer season there was little business to be done and the stock market drifted lower. These days, of course, …
The idea of retiring in your 50s or even your 40s sounds like a pipe-dream to most, what with the increased cost of living, inflation and other economic factors slowly eating away at your predicted earnings. This hasn’t stopped the rise of the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement, though, a new method of frugal …
Earlier this year on May 10th, twelve colleagues from Insight Financial Associates slept rough for one night to raise funds for Soul Foundation a local charity that supports vulnerable people within the local community, ranging from feeding the homeless to offering support and mentorship to those released from prison. “We can’t do everything, but we …
Following an in depth study conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NCSR) and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), it has been discovered that only one in four people making financial gifts are aware of the risks of inheritance tax. Further to this, they found that only 45% of gifters reported being aware …
How is your financial wellbeing? Increasingly, people are talking about financial wellbeing. But what does it actually mean? Financial wellbeing is about having a sense of confidence and security around money. It’s about having enough money to meet everyday needs and being in control of your finances; having the financial freedom to make choices that …
Introduction May was a relatively quiet month, virtually nothing of any importance happened at all. Well, apart from the European elections, Theresa May’s decision to stand down and the re-escalation of the US/China trade war. Not content with that, Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Mexico and Angela Merkel decided that her potential successor wasn’t up …
The treasury has made a promise that since the mismanagement of private pension transfers from the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will make an effort to “stamp out bad practice.” So what exactly happened, and what comes next? Members of the (Defined Benefit) BSPS were given the choice to transfer …
A studyfound in 2018 that one in four adults have no savings. Many residents in the UK wish that they had cash to save, however high monthly outgoings and debt clearance seem to take priority. Saving for the little curveballs that life throws your way is a good way to maintain a sound mind, but …
Benjamin Franklin famously said, ‘In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes’. ‘And if your estate is valued over all the available allowances, everything above these will be taxed at 40% when you die. Even in death there’s no relief from taxes! However, there are certain steps you can …
