Tracing service may provide the help you need!
If you think you may have an old pension but are not sure of the details, the Pension Tracing Service may be able to help. They will try and match the information you give them to one of the schemes on their database and inform you of the results. If they have made a match they will provide you with the contact address of the scheme(s) and you can get in touch with them to see if you have any pension benefits.
In a low growth environment, which areas offer the best prospects?
Interest rates have fallen to their lowest levels in the Bank of England’s 315-year history and could fall even further, along with further inflationary falls.
Keeping your hard earned assets out of the hands of the taxman
Effective inheritance tax planning could save your beneficiaries thousands of pounds, maybe even hundreds of thousands depending on the size of your estate. At its simplest, inheritance tax (IHT) is the tax payable on your estate when you die if the value of your estate exceeds a certain amount.
With the abundance of choice, we can help you make the right decisions
With so many different protection options available, making the right decision to protect your personal and financial situation can seem overwhelming. There is a plethora of protection solutions which could help ensure that a lump sum, or a replacement income, becomes available to you in the event that it is needed. We can make sure that you are able to take the right decisions to deliver peace of mind for you and your family in the event of death, if you are too ill to work or if you are diagnosed with a critical illness.
Building a solid investment strategy through good and bad times
During this period of economic turbulence, what strategy should investors take? Your own attitude to risk is crucial. You may be comfortable to live with capital risk if it means the chance of a higher return in the end. Alternatively, you may be ‘risk averse’ and don’t want to risk your capital under any circumstances.
Your questions answered
There are a number of different reasons why you may wish to consider transferring your pension schemes, whether this is the result of a change of employment, poor investment performance, issues over the security of the pension scheme, or a need to improve flexibility.
Maximising an income from your pension fund
The earliest you are currently permitted to take your retirement benefits is from the age of 50, but this is set to rise to age 55 from April 2010. If you are considering setting up a conventional lifetime annuity, which pays a secure income for life, there is now no requirement to buy an annuity by the age of 75. However, you must start to take your benefits from the age of 75, in addition to any tax-free element.
The earlier you invest, the longer your money is outside of the reach of the taxman
By investing earlier in the tax year, you could make sure that you are using your Individual Savings Account (ISA) allowance to its full advantage. The earlier you invest, the longer your money is outside the reach of the taxman and has the opportunity to work harder for you.
Investing for an income in a low interest rate environment
If you are an income-seeking saver in search of good returns from your savings in this low interest rate environment, we can provide you with the professional advice you need to enable you to consider all the options available. In addition, we can help you determine what levels of income you may need and work with you to review this regularly as your requirements change. Another major consideration is your attitude towards risk for return and availability. This will determine which asset class you are comfortable investing in.
Do they have the potential to lead the recovery when the world economy begins to stabilise?
The term emerging markets appeared first during the 1990’s and is now widely used to describe countries not considered to be developed. Third World, lesser developed countries or under-developed countries. Developed meaning essentially the major European countries plus USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.