Category Archives: saving money

7 Retirement planning mistakes that could cost you thousands

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We all know that we need to plan for our future but few of us want to contemplate getting older so it is easy to keep putting off the topic. The fact is that planning for retirement is one of the most important financial steps you’ll ever take. Despite good intentions, many people fall into common traps that can delay or even totally derail their retirement goals.

These mistakes may seem small now, but over time, they could cost you a huge amount of money; tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds or dollars.

Here are 7 retirement planning mistakes you should avoid, with action points.

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UK tax returns – a low-cost service

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Do you need to submit a self assessment tax return to HMRC? Want a bit of help but don’t want to pay a lot of money?

I have the answer for you!

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Beware banking fraud. How to beat the scammers.

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The sad reality is that there are large number of scammers who are working hard to hack your accounts, obtain your information, and take your money. Far too many are successful but you can take some smart, and logical, steps to reduce your risk of falling prey to a scammer.

Fraudsters are organised and clever and will often choose their targets using information that you have posted or shared online. Some can even see spending habits so will target based on that. They can go to extraordinary lengths to try and convince you they are genuine so we all need to stay one step ahead.

These days, our lives are online and, in our smartphones, so we need to take steps to protect ourselves.

We need to take steps so we don’t become a victim.

In this article I want to give you some useful tips to keep your banking secure and on to avoid the most common financial scams.

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New Year, new financial you? 10 tips for getting on track in 2024

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Whether or not you make formal resolutions at the start of a year, I am willing to bet that you have certain hopes when it comes to your financial situation.

You may dream of retiring at age 55. Perhaps you want to buy a holiday home or an investment property? Do you want to take a year off to travel the world? Maybe you know you need to put a few things in place to get properly organised?

You need to take action to turn these hopes into reality.

Invariably we could all do a little better and a little focus rarely goes amiss. With that in mind here’s a list of 10 steps you can take to get yourself financially fitter in 2024.

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Financial Wellness. What is it and can you improve yours?

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Wellness is a term that has become very popular in the past few years. We tend to think of it in terms of mental or physical health but it is time we looked at financial wellness.

Simply put, financial wellness is a relative measure of how well a person manages their financial life. We all want to be financially well and this article is about what it means and how you can improve your financial wellness.

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Planning your financial future – the top 10 mistakes you want to avoid

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Too many people bury their heads in the sand when it comes to planning for their financial future so we need to face some facts.

The reality is that most people are facing a significant shortfall in their retirement income.

According to recent figures, the average UK pension pot totals just £50,000 and the average pension income is £500 a week. That income will not just be from the pensions, but from other sources such as the state pension, personal investments or property.

The average UK resident has savings of just £17,365 and 34% have no savings or less than £1,000. Equivalent figures are not available for GCC expats but given that our incomes are higher than UK averages I would hope it is rather more. That said, I all too frequently come across people without any savings or investments.

In this article I  look at some of the mistakes you want to avoid and issues that you really cannot afford to ignore.

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10 sensible steps for smart investing

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I have put together a simple guide to 10 practical and logical steps you need to follow when investing so to find out more, read on…

It is too easy to side-tracked from planning your future, our lives are busy after all, but it rarely needs to be as complicated as some might make out. My role is to make this simpler and easier for you so while we discuss serious topics, so our conversation is friendly and the language straightforward.

The financial services industry is full of jargon and sales messages so sometimes it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction, the reality from the adverts and the sales pitches.

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10 Financial Resolutions for 2022 you can actually keep

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Many of us make New Year resolutions, but how many of those are about our finances? And how many of them do we really keep?

financial resolutions2020 and 2021 have been tough years for large numbers of people and we can’t be sure of what else is in store, but knowing you have taken all the right financial steps will put you in a good position to weather any future storm.

Invariably, we could all do a little better and some focus rarely goes amiss. With that in mind here’s a list of 10 steps you can take to get yourself financially fitter in 2022.

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Why investing can be more than just money

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For a significant number of investors, investing in shares and funds can feel like a dance with the devil as they have to compromise personal values to achieve a return. With the growing awareness of the environmental impact of modern life, interest in ethical and environmental funds is increasing, and you can get a good return on your investment without troubling your conscience.

There has been a substantial increase in interest in this area, and accompanying press coverage, in the past year but there has also been a lot of ‘jumping on a band wagon’ and there is more to this kind of investing than picking a fund with a name that seems to fit.

In this article I aim to give you an overview of what these funds are, why cryptocurrencies do not fit in this sector, and how you can invest and feel good about it.

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New Year, new financial you? 10 tips for getting on track in 2021

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Many of us make New Year resolutions, but how many of those are about our finances? 2020 was a tough year for large numbers of people, and we aren’t out of the woods yet, but knowing you have taken all the right steps will give you some peace of mind.

Invariably we could all spend less and save more and a little focus rarely goes amiss.

With that in mind here’s a list of 10 steps you can take to get yourself financially fitter in 2020.

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