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Are you thinking about your longer term financial future? According to the Chartered Insurance Institute women are likely to be paid 30% less by working part time in comparison to their male counterparts. Furthermore a 5 year break (maybe as a result of maternity leave) could result in a pension pot worth 33% less. “When I look at my savings account, I don’t see pounds and pence, I see freedom.” – Merryn Somerset Web

Georgina Wright, a Chartered Financial Planner at Abbotstone Financial Solutions, discusses one of the most common concerns faced by clients in their financial planning.   As an independent financial adviser I have found that one of the most regularly asked questions  is “Will I have enough?”   “Will I have enough?”   This may be in terms of pensions, investments, savings and income – will there be eno

What would happen if I got run over by a bus? Just think for a minute. Just think about what would happen if you walked out of the house today and got run over a bus. What would be the implications for your family, your parents, children, or grandchildren? What position would that leave them in? OK, I appreciate that it’s a bit morbid but it does get you thinking. What would happen? Anyway, I want to just push that a

Should I combine my pensions? Many people have multiple pensions from a series of employers and keeping track of them all can be a headache. Whether to combine them or not depends on a variety of elements: Where are your pension funds at the moment? What are the charges? How flexible are the contracts? What are the reasons for combining them? Although clients often think that there is a need to ‘tidy up’ their pensio

Women and Money – Is it different? I recently read a quote on a twitter feed – “A woman’s best protection is a little money of her own” (Clare Boothe Luce). Born in 1903, Clare Boothe Luce was an American author, politician, U.S. Ambassador and public conservative figure. She was the first American woman appointed to a major ambassadorial post abroad So? What do you think? I disagree – why settle for a li

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, gave his first Autumn budget on Wednesday. Georgina Wright, Chartered Financial Planner at Abbotstone Financial Solutions looks at the main points as to what they mean for you and how this has played out against her own predictions. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has slashed its forecast for economic growth over the next few years. This may be a result of B

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, has announced that the government will publish its Autumn Budget on Wednesday 22 November 2017. The Autumn Budget sets out the government’s plans for the economy based on the latest forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). With just under a week to go there is much speculation as to what the Chancellor will introduce/reduce in his first budget s

From April 2017, those under the age of 40 can contribute to a lifetime ISA to the sum of £4,000 each tax year for the purpose of purchasing a first home or for retirement. At the end of each tax year the government will provide a 25% bonus on the contributions, so if you save £4,000 in the tax year the bonus will be £1,000. Savers will be able to make Lifetime ISA contributions and receive a bonus from the age of 18

Money. It’s generally always on our minds, making sure we have enough, making sure the kids have got what they want, making sure our investments are where they should be and giving us the best return, it’s never ending! If you don’t review your savings and investments regularly you stand to lose money. In fact, many banks, building societies and product providers rely on you doing nothing! Here are 5 signs that you n

Managing christmas spend is never easy. For most of us, it is the most expensive time of the year. Is there a way of managing the spend, however, and preventing it from spiralling out of control or managing to recoup expenditure? Robert Brealey, a chartered financial planner with Abbotstone Financial Solutions, advised that although it is a little late in the day for a 12-month action plan, it is never too late to co