10th December 2024

A third of Gen X think they will never retire

Recently released research1 suggests a significant proportion of working age people are no longer planning a traditional ‘hard stop’ retirement, with 45 to 54-year-olds most likely to feel they will continue working beyond pensionable age.  Work work work  According to the survey, more than a fifth of working age adults think it unlikely they will […]

Many young mortgage holders do not have life cover

Research has found that 28% of young UK homeowners do not have life insurance1.  It is estimated that 1.7 million adults aged 18-40 do not have appropriate cover in place, despite having a mortgage. This oversight puts their dependants in a precarious financial position in the event of their death.  Why risk it?  Of those […]

Don’t just plan – protect your money

Are you confident you have all the relevant cover in place to protect your finances? Having a financial plan should go hand-in-hand with a conversation about insurance.  The statistics  We may not like to think about death, but the reality is it is inevitable; however, data has revealed that only 29% of UK adults have […]

2nd December 2024

Self-employed? Remember your pension

Over one million individuals have entered self-employment since 20201, so it is important to ensure you are still planning for retirement by making regular pension contributions.  A growing sector  In 2023, there were 4.2 million people in the UK’s solo self-employed sector – 3% higher than the previous year. Overall, the solo self-employed contributed £331bn […]

19th November 2024

Equity release update

Data suggests that confidence is growing among new and existing equity release customers.  Equity release customers rose by 12% in Q2 of this year, with total lending increasing by 15% to £578m1. There was also a quarterly and annual increase in the average loan size, which indicates that customer confidence is being restored.  More taking […]

9th May 2023

Home Finance – In the news

Buyers priced out  Some 41% of participants in a recent survey1 agreed with the statement, ‘I cannot afford to live in the area I want or need to live in’. Many renters and homeowners alike were unhappy with their current location, with job opportunities (37%), proximity to friends and family (35%) and a better lifestyle […]

Money – In the news

Digital pound likely this decade  The Treasury and the Bank of England have started consultations on a potential digital pound, or central bank digital currency (CBDC), that could be used by households and businesses instead of cash for everyday payments in-store and online. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said, “We want to investigate what is possible first, […]

3rd May 2023

Equity release – on the rise again

An increasing number of older homeowners are choosing to release equity, latest figures1 reveal, with cost-of-living pressures still the main reason for tapping into the value of their home.  Equity release allows over-55s to access some of the value of their home as tax-free cash. In total, homeowners used equity release to borrow £6.2bn in […]

Over 50 and re-joining the workforce? Remember your pension

It’s estimated that the number of people aged 50 to 64 who are economically inactive sits at 3.6 million, which is 300,000 higher than pre-pandemic1. There is no doubt that the UK’s economic growth will, in part, be reliant on getting the over-50s back into work.  If you retired early but are now having second […]

26th April 2023

Unaffordable deals trap mortgage prisoners

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been reported to estimate over a quarter of a million homeowners are trapped on mortgage deals because their lenders have become inactive or unable to authorise new products1.  What could change?  Many of these ‘mortgage prisoners’ are no longer able to keep up with repayments, prompting campaigners to reiterate […]