News

Rate cuts are coming thick and fast while inflation continues to erode returns.Since the base rate was cut from 0.5% to 0.25% earlier this month,more than 50 bank and building societies have announced rate reductions on selected savings accounts.Many were instant with the majority of the remainder reducing rates from the 1st September. Whilst the latest cut comes as no real surprise this is on top of over 1500 rate reductions this year. ... Read More

As the Olympics fades from our TV screens and we bask in the glow of the huge achievement of the GB&I team, it’s time to reflect on the lessons we, mere mortals, take from the success. ... Read More

Moving abroad and getting settled there can be challenging and rewarding but one of the things that you don't normally think about at the time is, what about your UK based pensions that you have left behind? As things settle down and you realise that your new country of residence will be your forever home this can then be something to consider. The UK Authorities have introduced rules that if you want to look at transferring any benefits out of a regulated pension that has any kind of guarantees attached you must have this signed by a properly qualified financial adviser. This may seem like a simple straightforward exercise but by this they actually mean that the financial adviser must deem that it is in your best interests to transfer and that it is the right advice to do so. Currently this involves the production of a transfer value analysis report (TVAS). Some companies outsource this to others which can be costly and time consuming, however we produce these reports in house.... Read More

I'm frequently asked if I can sign off a final salary transfer that is in excess of £30,000. The simple answer to that question is yes I am authorised in that area and could "sign the transfer off" but only if I feel that it is the best advice for you to do so. ... Read More

The package of measures announced by the BoE today featured five key policy elements: it halved the Bank Rate from 0.5% to 0.25%, provided guidance that rates would fall further and restarted its Gilt-buying programme, to the tune of GBP 60 billion. The BoE also introduced two measures designed to support lending to UK companies: it added a new Term Funding Scheme to reinforce the pass-through of the cut in the Bank Rate, and committed to purchasing up to GBP 10 billion of UK corporate bonds.... Read More

With the Brexit vote and the long term future of interest rates and gilt rates where they are we are currently experiencing a big increase in Cash Equivalent Transfer Values (CETV's). Typically these have gone up by around 10% in the past few months but one client has seen their transfer value increase by 15.6% since March 2016. These types of scheme have very valuable guaranteed benefits and we can help you to understand their true value and help to consider if an alternative is suitable or not. ... Read More