Independent Financial Advice Service from Principle First

High earners tax may miss target

March 11th, 2010

Government plans to review tax on high earners could hit many on salaries lower than the £130,000 target group. Those who receive a performance-related bonus, for instance, could be subject to hefty tax recovery charges.

Pension Schemes still best savings option – NAPF

March 10th, 2010

pension schemes

Pension schemes have come out tops with the majority of workers as being far ahead of other forms of saving. In a new survey, pensions came first with 44% of respondents, far ahead of property (18%) and well ahead of any other form of saving. Over three quarters of workers (77%) said they would regard a workplace or occupational pension as a significant plus point, when looking at any prospective employer.

Constant pension reviews needed to protect income

March 9th, 2010

Pension Review

Maximising the performance of your pension savings requires regular reviews and quality independent pensions advice. By constantly reassessing your pension investments, a good adviser can add thousands to your annual income in retirement. New figures from Aon Consulting use 3 scenarios to show the savings that are possible.

ISAs perfect for children’s savings

March 9th, 2010

Why lose this year’s allowances for tax-free savings in ISAs? With just weeks to go before this year’s ISA allowances of £7,200 expire, you could set up ISA accounts to save for your children’s education.

Cut life insurance premiums by quitting smoking

March 8th, 2010

Cut Life Insurance Premiums

A 45-year-old male smoker can save £276 on his annual life insurance premiums, and £1,000 per year on tobacco spending, by quitting cigarettes. The savings on tobacco will more than pay for the life insurance cover, according to Aviva.

Pensions rush as minimum age rises

March 8th, 2010

The minimum age for taking company pensions and personal pensions rises from 50 to 55 on April 6th. Numbers of those retiring were up by over 20% in January, as many rush to retire before the deadline.

Critical Illness Cover protects your children for free

March 5th, 2010

Critical Illness cover protects your child

If you are one of the13% of people in the UK who have taken out critical illness cover to protect themselves against losing their income through ill-health, you are probably aware that critical illness insurance offers identical cover for your children – free of charge.

State Pension changes penalise women

March 5th, 2010

Women turning 60 and claiming their basic state pension before April 6th stand to lose up to £20,000 of retirement income, compared to women turning 60 later this year. New rules that will apply after 6th April significantly relax the requirements to receive the full basic state pension for women.

Mortgage rates stable as Bank of England holds fast

March 4th, 2010

mortgage rates

The Bank of England has today decided to hold interest rates at the historic low of 0.5%. Customers seeking first time buyer mortgages right now are being advised to seek quality independent financial advice. An independent mortgage advisor, with their ‘whole of market’ approach, can find the very best mortgages based on the whole of the UK market, and will on average save you almost £1,000 on your annual mortgage repayments.

Income Protection Insurance for skilled workers

March 3rd, 2010

income protection insurance

Income protection insurance policies now allow skilled workers more control to clearly define events covered. You can now receive a payout if you are no longer able to perform your own specific job or activity, rather than having to be incapable of all activities within your profession.

Basic State Pension no longer meets needs

March 3rd, 2010

Are you one of the 27% of people soon to retire, who will rely on the basic state pension as their main means of support? If so, then you could be receiving basic state pension benefits that currently stand at less than £5,000 a year.

ISA ignorance blocks tax savings – NS&I

March 2nd, 2010

ISA

ISA allowances for the current year will expire on April 5th 2010, leaving savers just weeks to take up ISA savings of up to £7,200. New figures from National Savings & Investments (NS&I) reveal that only 15% of Britons understand the new Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) allowances of £10,200, which apply from April 6th.

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