Tag Archives: Financial planning for women

Can you afford to survive a critical illness?

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I have two simple questions for you. Could you and your family survive financially if you suffered a serious illness and were unable to work? Even if you could, would it decimate your savings and future plans?

Being diagnosed with cancer, heart disease or having a stroke is something you don’t expect and is often a matter of bad luck, but you can take steps to make sure you and your family can manage without any financial problems, taking away a major cause of stress.

Let me tell you about a true story. This happened to a client of mine.

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The Mystery of the Missing Pensions

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Research has shown that a large number of people have forgotten UK pension plans, or lost track of a plan from years ago or from previous employment. The value of these lost pension funds is around £19.4 billion according to figures from the Association of British Insurers in 2019.

Other research estimates that one in eight UK citizens has at least one forgotten pension. When studies show that some 60% of UK adult are concerned about their retirement planning, it makes sense to ensure you don’t lose out by not having access to all your pension money.

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Is your family financially protected if you die? Six common errors.

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If you die and leave your family behind, you can’t stop the heartache, but you can make sure that they don”t have financial worries, that they can stay in their home or have enough money to relocate, and that your children can continue their education. Protecting your family in this way, should the worst happen,  is one of the kindest things you can ever do for them.

There are various reasons why people don’t take out life cover so in this short article I want to address some of these.

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Where there’s a Will there’s a way to protect your family

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Due to changes in legislation, this article has been updated and rewritten to so please see the latest one.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way to protect your family

Thank you

 

 

Expats in The UAE & Money. 10 mistakes you want to avoid

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This articles has been update so please see the below link for the article from August 2024

Living in the UAE. 10 major money mistakes you want to avoid

Living in the UAE. 10 major money mistakes you want to avoid

 

 

 

How much do those Christmas pop songs earn every year?

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Every year, we hear familiar songs on the radio but have you ever stopped to wonder just how much the writers and performers receive from the repeated airplay? The amounts may surprise you as for the biggest songs the amounts are very large indeed. No wonder some artists refer to these hits as their pension funds!

The revenue goes to writers and performers, not always the same people, but if they both write it and perform it, the income is even bigger. Many artists have given it a go but not all are successful. The actual amounts below are amalgamated from multiple sources as the Performing Rights Society does not release this information.

Most of the best loved Christmas songs are not recent ,with the 70s and 80s being a golden era in terms of the UK charts, so the total royalties have really added up over the years. The law in the UK changed in 2011 so that now royalties last the entire life of the songwriter and another 70 years after they have passed away. In the US, they are payable for 95 years following a similar change in legislation in 1998. These earnings can support not only the writers and artists but also their dependents.

Here are some facts and figures about some of the biggest earners.

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News: Beneficial changes for DIFC Wills

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The DIFC Wills Service Centre (formerly called the DIFC Wills and Probate Registry) has confirmed changes to the rules (the Amendments) which will come into effect from 30th June 2019. This is good news for anyone with UAE assets.

There are two major changes, summarised as follows:

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Travel & holidays – 20 money-related hints & tips

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We’re approaching the hottest time of the year in the UAE, a time when many people think about going on holiday to avoid the heat for a while. The long school summer holiday starts shortly so many families and teachers will travel during this time. With this in mind, I’d like to give you a few hints and tips for saving and safeguarding money when travelling.

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2019 – how is it going for you? A survey

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We’re nearly half way through the year, (and isn’t it going fast?) so I’d like to take a look at how UAE residents are finding it so far from a personal financial perspective. I would therefore be grateful if you could take just a few minutes to complete this survey.

Survey.  2019: how is it going for you?

The information gathered will be used in a future article on this website and for a show on Capital Radio UAE  ( http://www.cruae.ae) on 30th June, as one of my weekly Everything UAE segments which are broadcast every Sunday, just after 6pm.

Your input is very much appreciated. Thank you.

 

I write articles such as this one as part of the holistic personal financial planning service and that I provide to expats, and the general consumer, financial and legal information that I provide in The National newspaper, on Capital Radio UAE and on the Facebook group British Expats Dubai. If I can assist you with any personal financial issues, please contact me at keren@holbornassets.com  You will find many other useful articles on this website.

If you have yet to come across Capital Radio UAE, the station re-launched in the UAE in September 2018. You can listen online at http://www.cruae.ae or is the MyTuner Radio app with FM coming soon.  The station, a franchise of London’s famous Capital Radio, is aimed at the over 35s so plays the songs you know from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Verified listeners for my weekly segment on Capital are in excess of 315,000 and growing fast so listen in to hear useful information every week.

Need to know: UAE Consumer Protection Regulations

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 The UAE has had legislation in place to protect consumers for quite a few years but the details are not as well known as they might be so this article is an overview of the law and your rights when purchasing goods and services.

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