Buying a house is one of the biggest financial commitments most people will make, yet a surprising number of buyers proceed without fully understanding the condition of the property they’re purchasing. In fact, research suggests that as many as 80% of buyers in the UK do not commission an independent survey before completing their purchase (Direct Line Home Insurance). This means many homeowners may be unknowingly taking on costly repairs or structural issues that could have been identified beforehand.

A property may look perfect on the surface, but hidden problems such as damp, structural movement, or outdated wiring can turn a dream home into a financial nightmare. This is where house surveys come in.

For many people, the goal of estate planning is simple: to ensure their loved ones inherit their assets safely, without unnecessary financial risk. However, passing on wealth isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. Assets can be unintentionally lost in several ways, through long-term care costs, remarriage, or even changes in family circumstances.

A Property Protection Trust is one way to safeguard your home for your beneficiaries while ensuring a surviving partner can continue living in the property. This blog explores how a PPT works, who it may be suitable for, and the benefits it offers in protecting one of your most valuable assets.

Planning for retirement can feel overwhelming, especially when faced with decisions about investments, risk levels, and future income. Many workplace pension schemes offer a feature called lifestyling, designed to automatically adjust how your pension is invested as you approach retirement.

But how does lifestyling actually work? And is it the right strategy for you? In this blog, we’ll break down the concept, follow an example of an employee’s pension journey throughout their working life, explore the advantages and disadvantages, and discuss why financial advice can be valuable.

If you hold investments that generate dividend income, understanding the dividend allowance is crucial. Introduced to simplify the tax system and encourage investment, the dividend allowance determines how much tax-free dividend income you can receive each tax year. However, with recent changes to tax allowances and increasing rates, it is more important than ever to grasp the implications of dividends on your overall tax liability.

Life insurance is often the cornerstone of financial planning, providing peace of mind and financial security to loved ones in the event of death. However, the variety of policy options can be overwhelming. In this blog, we’ll explore the three primary types of life insurance - level, increasing, and decreasing policies, along with their uses, pros, and cons. We’ll also consider real-life examples to help you better understand when each type might be appropriate.

If your mortgage product is set to expire in 2025, it’s a good time to start planning your next steps. The mortgage landscape is constantly changing, and being prepared can save you money, reduce stress, and help you make the most of your financial situation. Here are seven key factors to consider before your current deal ends.

As we enter a new year, it’s a perfect time to review your financial plans, especially your pensions. Whether you’re preparing for retirement or simply want to maximise the value of your pension pot, 2025 could be the year you take your pension strategy to the next level. Here are seven ways to make your pensions work harder for you this year.

The loss of mental capacity is something few of us want to imagine, but it’s an essential consideration when planning for the future. If an individual loses the ability to make decisions for themselves, their finances can become frozen, leading to significant challenges for their loved ones. Understanding the legal and financial processes involved, including applying for deputyship, and the associated costs can highlight why proactive planning through a Property and Financial Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is so important.

Pensions are one of the most significant investments you will make in your lifetime, offering financial security in retirement. Unfortunately, they are also a prime target for fraudsters. Scammers often employ sophisticated tactics to lure unsuspecting individuals into schemes that can leave them significantly out of pocket. By understanding the risks, knowing the red flags, and taking proactive measures, you can help protect yourself and your hard-earned pension savings.

For directors and shareholders, the untimely death of a fellow shareholder can cause significant disruption to the business. Beyond the emotional impact, there are practical, financial, and operational issues that arise, which could jeopardise the future of the company.

Short-term investing is often a challenge, as the need for capital preservation outweighs the appetite for risk. Whether it’s funded a large home renovation, or repaying a mortgage balance at the end of a fixed-rate period, individuals planning for expenses within a 3-year horizon must carefully evaluate their options. The key considerations are minimising fluctuations, maximising returns, and ensuring liquidity while taking advantage of tax-efficient wrappers when possible.

Save As You Earn (SAYE) schemes, also known as Sharesave schemes, are a government-backed initiative allowing employees to save regularly and potentially benefit from purchasing shares in their employer’s company. SAYE schemes, which offer significant tax advantages, are often used as an employee reward mechanism to foster loyalty and incentivise staff.

When purchasing a property with someone else, whether a spouse, partner, family member, or friend, it’s essential to decide how you will hold ownership. In the UK, two primary ways to co-own property are through joint tenancy and tenants in common. Each structure has distinct legal and financial implications, so choosing the right one can have a significant impact on your estate planning, financial security, and future goals.

While ISAs offer valuable tax benefits during your lifetime, it’s essential to understand how they’re handled after death, especially if you want to minimise complications for your beneficiaries. This post will cover what an ISA is, what happens to it upon the account holder’s death, the probate process, and the benefits and drawbacks involved.

Home renovations can add significant value to your property and improve your quality of life; but financing them can be a major concern. One option to consider is a further advance on your mortgage. This can be an attractive alternative to personal loans, as it typically allows you to tap into your home’s equity at a comparatively lower-interest rate. In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits, potential drawbacks, and key considerations when taking a further advance to fund home renovations.

When thinking about financial protection, many people focus on protecting the income earner of the household. It makes sense—if that person can no longer work, the family might struggle to pay the bills, cover the mortgage, or meet other financial obligations. But there’s another essential member of the family who often gets overlooked in these discussions: the stay-at-home parent.

As you approach or enter retirement, managing your investments becomes increasingly important to ensure that your funds last as long as possible. A critical concept to understand during this phase is pound cost ravaging, sometimes referred to as sequence of returns risk. This is a situation that can seriously impact the sustainability and longevity of your investments, particularly if you are withdrawing money when markets are down.

When it comes to investing, timing the market is notoriously difficult, if not impossible, essentially speculation which can be fraught with additional risk. For the average investor, trying to predict market highs and lows can lead to missed opportunities and unnecessary stress. A strategy known as pound cost averaging offers a simple yet effective way to build long-term wealth by reducing the impact of market volatility. In essence, it involves making regular contributions to an investment or your pension, regardless of market conditions, which can help smooth out the fluctuations in asset prices over time.

For many aspiring homeowners, particularly first-time buyers, stepping onto the property ladder can feel like a daunting financial hurdle. Rising house prices and stringent lending criteria mean that getting approved for a mortgage can sometimes be out of reach. This is where a Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor (JBSP) mortgage comes in—a flexible option designed to make homeownership more accessible, especially for those needing extra support.

In this blog post, we’ll explore what a JBSP mortgage is, how it works, and the benefits and potential drawbacks for those considering this option.

Planning for your child’s financial future is one of the most important steps you can take as a parent. One of the most effective ways to do this is by investing in a Junior ISA (JISA). These tax-efficient accounts allow you to save and invest money on behalf of your child, which can build a solid financial foundation by the time they reach adulthood. In this blog, we’ll explore how you can secure your child’s future by investing in Junior ISAs, explaining the two types—Cash JISA and Stocks & Shares JISA—and illustrating the potential growth of a regular savings plan alongside the potential advantages and disadvantages of using these types of plans.