Are you supporting adult children? Here’s why it should be part of your financial plan
A growing number of families are financially supporting their children or grandchildren as they navigate adulthood. A financial plan could help you understand the impact on your finances now and in the future. Stagnant wages, the rising cost of living, and difficulties getting on the property ladder mean younger generations are finding it difficult to...
How to approach retirement conversations with your partner
Retirement is a major life event that most people spend years planning and looking forward to. And yet, research by Moneybox (3 July 2026) reveals that 43% of over-55s have never discussed their retirement finances with anyone, and just 44% have spoken about them to their partner or spouse. This could leave couples with different...
How to stop following the crowd and set meaningful life goals
How are you setting your life goals? Are you following a well-trodden path or choosing aspirations that are meaningful to you? Everyone is different and spending some time thinking about what you want to achieve could lead to greater wellbeing and a sense of purpose. Imagine you're preparing for retirement. The traditional outlook would suggest...
6 useful tips for avoiding headline-driven decisions ahead of the Budget
The government will set out its tax, spending and economic plans for the year ahead and beyond on 28 October 2026 in the Autumn Budget. The weeks leading up to an Autumn Budget always feature rumours about what might change and how it could affect personal finances. With this Budget being the first for Prime...
The psychology behind favouring cash instead of investing
Psychology could be one reason why some people are reluctant to invest, even when it fits into their wider financial plan. Managing risk is an important part of life. You check the road before you cross the street, and you might be encouraged to take out home insurance just in case something happens. So, it’s...
Investment market update: August 2026
After months of volatility, markets were relatively calm in August, though economic data was mixed. Discover what factors may have affected your investment portfolio throughout August 2026. When markets opened on 3 August, it was a good start to the month. Falling oil prices led to the Stoxx Europe 600 index, which provides a broad...
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 you have a financial plan…
The psychology behind investment mistakes
Have you ever made an investment mistake? Looking back at what led to the mistake could help you identify potential triggers that might prevent you from repeating the error. When you first think about why an investment decision was “bad”, the lower-than-expected investment returns may be what comes to mind. As you contemplate what led…
Why updating your cashflow model is essential for staying on track
A cashflow model isn’t a one-off exercise. If you want to use it to inform your financial decisions, regular updates are essential. A cashflow model is a visual representation of your wealth and how it might change in the future. While the result cannot be guaranteed, it could be a useful tool that helps inform…
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 in these statements, without further…
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 your estate when calculating IHT,…
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 lost enthusiasm for AI. Asian…