Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a limited package of support to help ease the cost-of-living crisis but resisted calls to scrap the planned National Insurance hike.

Living costs have soared since Covid-19 restrictions were eased and the Russian invasion of Ukraine has pushed gas and fuel prices up further. The annual rate of inflation jumped to a 30-year high of 6.2% in February, up from 5.5% in January. Inflation had been predicted to begin levelling off this year, but with the impact of climbing energy and food prices it now looks se...

 Persistently high inflation is putting pressure on central banks to raise interest rates, which unsettled markets during the first few weeks of the year

At the start of 2020, the World Bank issued a warning that the global economy faces a variety of challenges, including new Covid variants, high inflation and an uncertain geopolitical landscape. Its economists lowered their growth forecasts and suggested that some richer countries might not reach pre-pandemic levels of output until 2023, with poorer ones taking longer.

Central bank moneta...

In the Financial Lives 2020 survey from the FCA, it has been found that older adults were more likely to hold a savings account of any type, than younger adults. For example, 83% of those aged 55+ did, compared with 63% of 18–24-year-olds. So, how could an ISA help you?

ISA
An ISA is an individual savings account that allows you to save tax-free money in a cash or investment account, so you could end up getting more for your money. An ISA is a medium to long term investment, which aims to increase the value of the money you invest for ...

How easy have you found managing your personal and business finances over the last two years?

Are you confident that you know the best strategies for managing your personal and business finances?

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Cindy and Rebecca have come together to share simple strategies you can use to shockproof your personal and business finances. Cindy and Rebecca have over 40 years of experience of advising and guiding their clients through challenging and uncertain circumstances.

Click on the link to register.

Cindy an...

To keep your investments from losing value or slowing the growth of your assets, avoid these common investing mistakes.

There are more risks and opportunities than ever for investors to navigate in today’s rapidly evolving markets. Here are four approaches we believe every investor should follow.

Don’t pile into cash – stay invested
The biggest advantage of cash is that it offers relative safety. Cash can help diversify a portfolio during times of volatility and is easy to access in an emergency. With cash, you’ll be paid interest on the ...

Host Aimee Lungutescu, is joined by Penny Group’s Sanjay Assarpota, Cavendish Brooke’s Jack Spiers and Blue Heron’s Rebecca Harbrow. The group discuss what it takes to build a successful career in financial advice – including building and maintaining a client bank, as well as tips for young advisers in the early stages of their career.

Listen to the podcast here

You might be thinking about whether to invest in crypto currencies. We explain why it may not be the right choice, and how to better approach your portfolio.

This year has been eventful for bitcoin, with the cryptocurrency reaching a record high and then almost halving in value all in the space of six weeks. The walk-back in May from Tesla’s Elon Musk in his support of bitcoin underlined concerns around the idea of cryptocurrencies as a stable investment. Musk – previously an outspoken supporter – announced his company would not be accep...

Many fixed mortgage deals will be approaching the end of their term this October, so it’s a good idea to review your buy-to-let mortgage.

With interest rates still at low levels and demand for rental properties increasing around the country, investing in a buy-to-let (BTL) is a popular choice for many.

Buy to let basics

A BTL mortgage is a specific type of product for those who want to buy a property with the intention of renting it. Because of this, there are different terms and rules around a BTL mortgage (compared to a regular mortga...

In Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s second financial statement this year, there were few surprises as he looks to fix the economy following the pandemic.

With inflation climbing and interest rate rises on the horizon, Britain is at a critical period in terms of its economic future. Multiple lockdowns caused the UK economy to slump by 10% while the government spent more than £100 billion supporting jobs.

Now the economy is recovering the chancellor is under increasing pressure to balance the books and claw back money spent on fighting the Covid cri...