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September and October can be a painful time for parents watching their children head of to university for the first time. Emotionally painful, because leaving a son or daughter in halls and driving off knowing they are not going to be at home for a while tugs at the heart strings.  Tough it out though

The FT recently carried an interesting article by Gideon Rachman on the growing global trend towards higher taxes on the wealthy. The position in France was featured where the increase of the top rate of tax to 75% has been presented by some in power as an ‘opportunity’ for the rich in France to show

Jaskarn Pawar imparts his wisdom giving us his top tips on what people should think about once they have retired. 1. What’s the best advice you would give someone who has recently retired? Sit down and think in detail about what you really want to do in retirement. Once you have a picture of your

Jason Witcombe offers up his best guidance for individuals approaching retirement and reassures individuals that with careful planning one can often retire sooner than first thought. 1. What’s the best advice you would give someone who is approaching retirement? To look at your finances as a whole rather than solely focusing on pensions. That way

Flora Maudsley-Barton tackles the difficult scenario of a couple who are considering divorce and gives her top financial tips to help keep things amicable when it comes to those joint assets. 1. What are the three most important things that couples should consider when they get divorced? Be realistic about the property market, ask your

Our kids are accomplished consumers, bombarded by advertising, and it’s easy to learn how to spendmoney. Sadly there isn’t a culture of financial education in schools, which leads to an ignorance of financial planning that is anything but bliss for many young adults as reality kicks in. Action at home is required. First, rewind and consider what YOU

Any mortgage borrower in the UK is likely to be aware of the tough lending conditions that have dominated the market in the last few years. Lenders have tightened their criteria and getting a mortgage has become much harder than it was in the boom years. The goal posts continue to move even now, as lenders continue

Karen Barrett, chief executive of adviser directory unbiased.co.uk, plans a tasty alternative career and says people’s love affair with houses is not over.         What was your first ever investment? An Aberdeen technology ISA, which was absolutely the worst decision anyone could have made as it was just before the dotcom bubble burst.

Lots of us – particularly in the current economic climate – have got our heads round having our loyalty cards with us when we’re out shopping, or searching online voucher sites for discounts before we head out for a meal.  Checking prices online when making higher value purchases is second nature too and we’re all

THE State pension was introduced a century ago when a quarter of working people died before they reached retirement and those who did drew it for an average of just five years. Today we’re all living much longer, so it’s not surprising that the State pension age is set to rocket. What’s changing? The State pension