by Brian Downton | J, Jan, 2016 | blog, protection
“Expect the unexpected” may be an old cliché but the unexpected can and does happen. Hoping that it happens to someone else is a very poor strategy in terms of family protection. To put the matter quite simply, if you have people who depend on you in any way, you...
by Brian Downton | J, Jan, 2016 | blog, wealth-management
In the UK today often people consistently put away too little money each month to fund the cost of their retirements. Too many people simply spend for today being unaware that tomorrow waits for nobody. Throughout the working lives for many of us the day on which we...
by Brian Downton | J, Jan, 2016 | blog, wealth-management
The film Jupiter Ascending is arguably a sci-fi version of Cinderella. Jupiter (Mila Kunis) lives a life of drudgery until she discovers her true destiny. The new state pension rules aim to save those planning for retirement from a life of penny-pinching. In short...
by Brian Downton | J, Jan, 2016 | blog, mortgages
While having an offer on a house accepted may be a cause for celebration, it is actually a fairly early point in the procedure for buying a property. Here is a summary of the steps to complete before you pick up your keys. Organize a Solicitor You may be able to find...
by Brian Downton | J, Jan, 2016 | blog, protection
For some of us, a good proportion of our time is spent avoiding thinking about difficult or uncomfortable things. Tax bills, medical checkups, dealing with difficult people at work are just a few, but one of the more overlooked areas in many of our lives is that of...
by Brian Downton | J, Jan, 2016 | blog, general
As the old saying goes – what goes up must come down. Recently oil prices have been coming down quite spectacularly. This has naturally raised the question of how investors can benefit from this. To answer this question, we need to understand why oil prices have...
by Brian Downton | J, Jan, 2016 | blog, wealth-management
In the past year, due to pensions reform, the UK pensions market has undergone radical change and savers will have more autonomy and more choices now than ever before after 6th April 2015. Whilst this is undoubtedly a positive development for many, it also means that...
by Brian Downton | J, Jan, 2016 | blog, wealth-management
With the General Election now less than 100 days away, the contenders are throwing their economic hats into the ring. Although none of the 3 main parties has provided a manifesto as yet, they have all been giving their views on tax and spending and reducing the UK...
