Personal finance topics overview

This section contains a series of snippets about independent financial advice, tax, savings, protection and other personal finance topics. The articles are free to use.

Please remember, if you use this copy in your own material you are responsible for your own compliance. If you use any statistics from IFAP / Unbiased.co.uk, please state the source as Unbiased.co.uk.

Ethical investment – making money with a clear conscience
We hear increasingly about the growing popularity of ethical investment, but is it something that all potential investors understand? This factsheet answers questions ranging from “What is being ethical?” to “Can ethical investment work for me?”, and helps consumers on the way to identifying companies and funds that are ethical. It also identifies the questions that people who are interested in investing ethically should be asking their local IFA. To read this factsheet simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
Equity release – an overview
The current UK retirement funding crisis is well-documented, and most of us know that we’re not saving enough for old age. But what about the older generations that are facing these financial dilemmas in the present day? Equity release plans – also called lifetime mortgages, home reversion or home income plans – are one way of releasing cash to make life more comfortable, but how do they work? And what are the pros and cons? This guide introduces people to the concept of equity release and aims to help consumers identify whether or not it is a suitable option for them. To read this guide simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
Join the saving revolution
State retirement support is gradually reducing, shifting the onus onto individuals to provide for their own long-term financial security. In addition, the stockmarket falls of recent years have eroded many people’s nest eggs, and costs of major life commitments such as raising children have risen sharply. But ironically, it seems that saving has become a thing of the past. This guide demonstrates why this situation needs to change and shows the ways in which people can get saving, including a budget planner. To read this guide simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
Financial practicalities of bereavement
Death is a subject that most people do not like to think about, so inevitably there are also plenty of people who put off writing a will until it is too late. But this can be problematic - causing hardship and upset to those left behind. This guide maps out the initial steps to make when someone dies in order to address any financial issues. It covers funerals, wills, estate valuation and inheritance tax, as well as issues such as claiming money due and probate. To read this guide simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
Surviving an economic downturn
There is always speculation as to when the next recession may emerge, and equally as to when precisely an economy can be deemed ‘in recession’. But regardless of these debates, consumers should take some action to insulate their finances against any negative effects a recession may bring. This brochure guides people through the options available to do so including unemployment insurance, remortgaging and reducing debt. It also looks at the ways people can potentially reap benefits from an economic downturn. To read this guide simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
IFAs help you plan for your family
Raising children is undoubtedly a financial burden and this factsheet aims to help parents kick start the financial planning process as soon as possible. It urges people to review their pension arrangements, consider life insurance policies, get to know their employment rights and think about investment options for children such as National Savings & Investments Children’s Bonus Bonds. To read this factsheet simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
Basics of offshore and expatriate finances
Successive governments have made it less attractive to put money offshore to avoid tax. Nevertheless, for many there are still advantages to investing offshore, particularly the tax deferral benefits. But what exactly are these benefits and who is entitled to invest offshore? Likewise, how do expatriates go about paying as little tax as possible? This factsheet explains all...To read this factsheet simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
An IFA can help you fight back against the taxman
We waste a staggering £10 billion per year in unnecessary tax payments and missed tax breaks by burying our heads in the sand and neglecting to plan our personal tax affairs. But most people don’t know the first place to start when it comes to tax planning. This guide shows people how to take tax advantages and make their savings and investments tax-efficient. It also points out ten simple tax saving steps. To read this guide simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
Meaning of independent financial advice
No major financial decision should be taken lightly, especially with so many products available to consumers in today’s market. These decisions can seem intimidating, but an independent financial adviser can give you invaluable guidance through these processes, offering impartial advice for a relatively small cost. This guide provides an introduction to the type, nature and costs of an independent financial adviser. It also provides an indication of how to approach an adviser to ensure you get the best quality of advice. To read this guide simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
Guarding against housing market uncertainty
The currently buoyant housing market may be great news for those who own their own home, but interest rate rises and the potential for price crashes make the majority of the population nervous, prompting important choices about remortgaging and financial planning. This guide provides useful advice on remortgaging, flexible mortgages, renting property, crisis management for situations such as negative equity and uses brief examples to further clarify this complex and nervous area of personal finance. To read this guide simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
An IFA can broaden your investment horizons
More and more people are investing in pension funds to secure their financial future, but there is increasingly a need for people to invest for future spending on healthcare, education and other large costs. To this end, there are a multitude of options available to an investor, all with particular risks and benefits associated with them. This guide dispels some myths about various investment options and related issues such as the different investment and savings products available and tax planning. To read this guide simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
Financial protection for you and your family
Buying life insurance is not a topic people typically approach with relish, but one that everyone who starts a family inevitably faces. There is of course a broad array of protection policies including life assurance, critical illness cover and more straightforward (or so it might seem) health insurance. This guide sets out the various types of policies available, the best ways to approach purchasing them and also issues such as tax which are central when making these decisions. To read this guide simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
A parent’s guide to education fees planning
The cost of starting a family is now larger than ever, not least due to school and university fees which are such significant expenditures that the planning for them must begin years in advance. This factsheet examines how various financial products such as mortgages and loans can be best tailored to an individual’s situation, and also how to invest your savings to make the most of your capital which is earmarked for spending on your child’s education. To read this factsheet simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
Funding for university
Since the introduction of tuition fees, higher education has become more and more expensive and funding yourself or your children to getting a degree is an ever-increasing financial burden. This fact sheet provides straightforward advice on how to prepare for inevitable debt, find work at university, and getting the best deal on basics such as insurance and borrowing. It focuses on knowing your rights and staying in control of your budget, as far as possible, whilst still enjoying your university experience! To read this factsheet simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
Get your key facts straight for financial advice
Recent changes to the financial advice industry have left many people confused over the credentials and costs of seeing an independent financial adviser. This factsheet takes the reader through the differences between independent, tied and multi-tied financial advisers, and why they can vary in independence and quality of advice. It also provides a guide to fee and commission-based systems of charging for advice, and how to examine the credentials of an adviser you engage. To read this factsheet simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.
Confused about endowments
Endowment policies, so popular in previous decades, have seen many people suffer severe financial loss as their mortgage policies ‘undershot’ due to over-optimistic growth rates assumed during the buoyant market of the 1980s. This guide attempts to clarify misconceptions about buying endowments by explaining how they are often linked to mortgages, the principle of with-profits policies, and what action policyholders affected by shortfalls can take to minimise potential problems. To read this guide simply visit www.unbiased.co.uk and look in the Personal Finance menu.

Personal finance topics overview

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