Lisa is a university lecturer and a keen kayaker in her early 50s. She’s also a single mum to two teenage daughters – Lila and Eliza. Lila is in the final year of her A-levels and Eliza is in the first year of her GCSEs. Both daughters are very academic – Lila wants to be a doctor and Eliza a vet.

 With the cost-of-living crisis showing no signs of lessening its grip, despite earning over £50,000 a year, Lisa is finding she has less and less disposable income at the end of the month. With the cost of her daughters’ continuing education and ...

How important is your credit history for mortgage lenders?

The cost-of-living crisis and inflationary pressures has put pressure on people’s finances and made it harder for people to get on the housing ladder due to affordability constraints and more people having a less than perfect credit history.

How important is your credit history for mortgage lenders?

Looking into your credit history is one of the ways in which a mortgage lender will gain information on how reliable you have been at paying back debts and loans in the past. A mortg...

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised everybody on 22 May – including many in his party – with his announcement of a general election on Thursday 4 July.

At the start of 2024, Rishi Sunak said that his “working assumption” was that the general election would be held “in the second half of the year”. His unexpected choice of 4 July just passes that midway threshold, so what happens next?

Election timeline

The run-up to the dissolution of parliament will see a week of frantically trying to pass outstanding legislation (including the Mar...

Every year brings new possibilities – and at the start of the 2024/25 tax year, it’s time to maximise your financial options and opportunities. If you’re an investor or saver then there are plenty of tax perks you can take advantage of. But the clock is ticking before the tax year door slams shuts and our team of experts are on hand to ensure that you receive the information you need to make the best decisions for you and your finances.  

So, what should my priorities be?

Well, there’s little benefit to having an ISA allowance if you ...

The financial world can seem a complex place to navigate at times, particularly when it comes to areas like inheritance and estate planning. But that’s where our trusted and skilled teams of specialists come into their own – helping you through the process and handing you that most priceless of commodities; peace of mind. 

Don’t wait until the last minute – get advice as early as possible

If retirement is looming or if you’ve already stopped working, then your mind may be turning to the best way of ensuring that your financial leg...

How to improve your chances of passing a mortgage affordability assessment

Getting on the housing ladder can feel like one of the hardest and longest processes in the world and the cost of living crisis is probably not helping. You need to come across as attractive as possible for lenders to consider you but there are many factors that can reduce how much lenders are willing to let you borrow for your home, from debt to low household income.

So how do lenders decide whether to offer you a mortgage? 

If you’re applying for a new mortgage...

When preparing to buy your first home, saving for a deposit can be a difficult process. As house prices, inflation, cost of living and mortgage rates increase, it can mean that some mortgage lenders may require larger deposits of the property value. This can be challenging trying to save a large sum of money and for some within a limited time. It’s also important to consider all the other costs that are involved in buying a property – conveyancing, legal fees, insurance policies and moving costs to name a few.

How much do I need to save?...

Life is busy, we get it. But is anything more important than being in control of your future? Recent research* suggests that only 44% of UK adults have made a will, which means that you’re far from alone if you haven’t yet got around to completing what, for some, appears to be a daunting task.

It’s always worth bearing in mind that if you die without a will, the law decides who inherits everything you own (your assets) according to certain criteria called ‘intestacy rules’. So your assets may not be divided up as you would like, meaning you...