Insights

Insights

  • Investment market update: July 2026

    Ongoing conflict in the Middle East and investor concerns that technology companies are overvalued continued to affect market performance. Read on to find out how these factors and others may have impacted your investment portfolio in July 2026. Markets started the month with a sell-off of chip stocks as investors [...]

    Published On: August 4, 2026
  • FIRE v financial planning: The importance of balancing tomorrow and today

    Every retirement plan looks different because we all have unique circumstances and aspirations in life. You will have to decide what you want your lifestyle to look like, what your priorities are, and when you want to stop working. For a certain group referred to as the FIRE (financial independence, [...]

    Published On: August 4, 2026
  • Explained: When Inheritance Tax could apply to gifts

    Gifting assets during your lifetime has become a common strategy for reducing a potential Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill. Indeed, according to Paragon Bank (31 July 2025), 1 in 5 savers aged over 65 are passing on cash for this reason. Yet, gifting doesn’t always mean that assets are excluded from [...]

    Published On: August 4, 2026
  • Business owners: Selling your business isn’t the finish line

    Selling your business is often a goal you’ve been working towards for years. But viewing it as the finish line, rather than the start of a new journey, could lead you to overlook steps that make the next chapter of your life more enjoyable. Entrepreneurs often find that their personal [...]

    Published On: August 4, 2026
  • 6 reasons why planning for your future is easy to delay

    Organising your finances and planning your future are important tasks. Yet, it’s something that many people put off. Procrastination isn’t simply a lack of discipline. It’s often linked to stress, fear of failure, and other psychological factors, and working with a financial planner could help overcome these obstacles. Even if [...]

    Published On: August 4, 2026
  • 2 upcoming ISA changes you should be aware of

    Key changes are being made to ISAs in April 2027, and they could affect how you use the tax-efficient wrapper. You might have read in the news or heard that the ISA allowance is being cut or that tax will now apply to cash savings. While there is some truth [...]

    Published On: August 4, 2026
  • Your guide to the new Inheritance Tax and pension rules

    Did you know that from 6 April 2027, most pensions will be included in your estate when calculating Inheritance Tax? The shake-up is expected to lead to an additional 10,500 estates becoming liable for the tax in 2027/28, and around 38,500 estates will pay more tax due to the reforms1. [...]

    Published On: July 7, 2026
  • Guide: The pros and cons of investing in buy-to-let

    Investing in buy-to-let property can provide a steady rental income, helping supplement your retirement fund or form part of the legacy you leave for loved ones. Statistics published by the government (29 August 2025) confirm that there were around 2.86 million private landlords in the UK in 2023/24. Since then, [...]

    Published On: July 6, 2026
  • Investment market update: June 2026

    According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a global recession could occur if the conflict in Iran continued into 2027. The organisation warned that delays in agreeing a peace deal would affect global growth and cause energy shortages. Indeed, the OECD said in a scenario where the [...]

    Published On: July 1, 2026
  • 5 fantastic reasons to make volunteering part of your retirement plan

    You might have spent years working, saving, and investing to build the wealth you and your family need for a comfortable and enjoyable future. Of course, having your finances in order is crucial if you want to ensure you don’t run out of money in later life and can maintain [...]

    Published On: July 1, 2026
  • The difference between building wealth and building business value

    As a business owner, your personal and business financial values are often closely linked, but they’re not the same. Focusing only on the valuation of your business when assessing whether you’re on track for personal long-term goals could be risky. In June, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk made headlines by becoming [...]

    Published On: July 1, 2026
  • The £12.3 billion cost of delaying estate planning

    Affluent families who delay estate planning could miss out on chances to reduce a potential Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill and pass more on to their families. Find out if you could benefit from considering IHT and how you might pass on assets tax-efficiently. According to a report covered by Today’s [...]

    Published On: July 1, 2026