News

Launched in April 2021, the government guarantee scheme for 95% loan to value (LTV) mortgages has been welcome news for prospective homebuyers with a 5% deposit. The scheme offers a government ‘guarantee’ on 95% LTV mortgages to encourage cautious lenders to bring back these deals. The guarantee applies to the portion of the loan over […]

With the limited resumption of international travel prompting a flurry of holiday bookings, whether you’re raring to fly or sticking with a staycation, make sure you don’t leave your home vulnerable. With lockdowns preventing us from going on holiday for much of the past year, it’s little wonder we’re all desperate to get away. However, […]

Workers on lower salaries with more than one job are at risk of a poorer retirement, as they miss out on employer pension contributions, a new study has concluded1. Excluded from auto enrolment Auto enrolment was introduced to encourage people to save more in their pensions during their working years. Under the scheme, employers are […]

Investing in your garden It seems that gardens have become more important to UK homeowners during the pandemic1, with 58% saying that their garden has become more of a priority, resulting in a willingness to spend considerably more on their outdoor space. Just 12% of homeowners normally spend more than £600 on their garden each […]

Holiday selfie could invalidate insurance With travel back on the agenda for many, think twice before posting a holiday selfie on social media. Your insurer may consider this as advertising the fact that you are away from home, leaving your property unoccupied and invalidating your insurance cover. Unfortunately, more and more criminals are using social […]

With the pandemic and Stamp Duty holiday causing a stampede to move home, canny sellers have been keen to add as much value to their property as possible. So, they might be interested in new research1 which has discovered a little-known way of increasing the value of your home: door colour. Lockdown blues According to […]

According to a recent survey1, seven million people (13% of the population) are keeping mental health issues secret from their loved ones, while just under four million (7%) are hiding a physical health problem. As well as causing symptoms such as anxiety (34%), guilt (29%) and difficulties sleeping (25%), keeping secrets from our families can […]

An expression of wishes tells your pension provider who you would like the beneficiaries of your pension to be in the event of your death. Multiple beneficiaries can be named, and you can state how much of your pension you want each to receive. However, while many people complete an expression of wishes when they […]

Divorce can be an incredibly stressful time for couples and the financial impact it can have only adds to the pressure. The number of couples getting divorced surged by almost a fifth in 20191. Although data for 2020 has not yet been released, after the strains of the last year or so, unfortunately it would […]

We’re all relieved that spring is here – it’s been a long, difficult winter. But for sellers, there’s some good news: spring to early summer has historically been the best time of year to put your house on the market1. Where flowers bloom, so does hope Spring is traditionally an optimistic time of year, buoying […]