In the News – Home Finance
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 […]
In the News – Money
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 […]
How your front door could add value to your home
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 […]
Millions keeping ill health a secret
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 […]
Why it pays to update your pension expression of wishes
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 […]
Sorting out your mortgage during divorce
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 […]
The best time to sell your home
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 […]
What did the 2021 Budget have to say about housing?
Rishi Sunak stood up on Wednesday 3 March to give his highly anticipated Budget speech to the House of Commons. While other coronavirus support measures were first on the agenda, the Chancellor’s speech also revealed some important housing measures. Extension of Stamp Duty holiday The Chancellor announced a three-month extension of the temporary £500,000 nil […]
Hopes of a “swifter and more sustained economic recovery”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivered his second Budget on 3 March, which centred on a three-part plan to continue supporting people and businesses through the pandemic, to fix public finances once recovery is underway and to lay the foundations for the future economy. The Chancellor opened his statement by revealing the latest predictions […]
Key Points Spring Budget 2021
Job support Furlough scheme extended until 30 September 2021 – the government will continue to pay 80% of employees’ wages up to £2,500 a month until the end of June, employers then pay a 10% contribution in July, rising to 20% in August and September The Self Employment Support Scheme also extended until the end […]