The Lifetime ISA will be available for young adults from April 2017 as the Savings (Government Contributions) Bill receives Royal
Author: Jan_Oliff.
Cash ISAs used to work quite well
A vast amount of savings needs to be reviewed to save losses from over
Watch Out – There’s a [new] Scam About
IMPORTANT
I had a call today asking about ‘my’ life policies – who are you? – I asked. ‘We are the Life Team. We review policies for the life companies – did is you buy yours from a bank? Whatever po’licies you did buy must be unsuitable for you now so it must be reviewed’
New Year’s Resolution – 2017 and beyond
Not so much a New Year Resolution as an affirmation of our business principles. Principles that, unlike the usual resolutions, will last an entire year and beyond.
1 A commitment to good client outcomes. Ensuring that clients benefit first, the firms interest taking second place
2 Clients have an opportunity to make a difference as well as make money.
3 Our fees are good value. Clients get what they pay for and their expectations are exceeded
4 We support women.
5 We stand up to the bullies.
A commitment to good client outcomes, unlike some other organisations who still work to targets meaning that the selfish adviser is rewarded, even when they can damage the firm’s reputation and disregard the best outcome for clients.
We match the clients principles and values, by taking time to understand them. Profit comes from sustainable business models.
All fees are agreed in advance.
We believe that, in a male dominated sector, women bring a different perspective.
We are brave enough to challenge the received wisdom.
Whilst being a small firm, we achieve better outcomes by tailoring our advice to the client’s needs and wants.
Simple!
Jan
Why Would I Choose Someone with Passion?
As Christmas approaches, like so many other business people, I am starting to focus on
Four reasons to divest from fossil fuels
What do you think your future self will make of your current investment in fossil fuels?
An article from Alliance Trusts atinvestments.co.uk/en/common-content/insights/news/2016/november/4-reasons-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels
argues the case for divesting your holdings in the sector and checking that your pensions are also sensibly invested.
As a long term Financial Adviser for those wanting sustainable investment decisions I find this interesting and reflects one of the many concerns you may have about investment decisions.
I am able access their funds and well as many others.
For anyone as yet unsure, why not have an initial meeting with me to ask questions to help you to form your own views on this?
The PFS Annual Conference
In any profession is important to share with other professionals, exchange ideas and learn
Breakthrough for Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR)
As an experienced and enthusiastic adviser [IFA] in this area I am pleased to
Read moreBreakthrough for Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR)
Discouraging Pensions Freedom Buy-To-Let
The British love affair with rental property combined with the new pension freedoms is
America’s First All-Renewable-Energy City
Each day 1,800 tons of pine and timber slash, sustainably harvested within a 60-mile radius
Have we been Trumped on climate?
Yesterday we learned that the new President of the United States is to be Donald Trump – the candidate who called global warming ‘fictional’ and threatened to ‘cancel’ the Paris Agreement so many of us have worked hard to achieve. But is all lost for our transition to a low carbon global economy? We don’t think so.
The unprecedented international co-operation on climate change has seen a booming low carbon economy. Key points: renewables have overtaken coal, electric vehicles are the auto growth segment and ‘clean’ jobs are being created faster than any other. This is all happening globally and in the US.
Conservative strongholds and Trump states, such as Texas and North Carolina, are developing clean energy industries attracting new investment and jobs. They are unlikely to wave all that goodbye. In 2015, the clean energy industry brought $6.96 billion to North Carolina, boasting more than 26,000 full time jobs, 3,150 of which were created in 2015 alone. In Texas, more than 100,000 people are now working in the renewables sector. Of Trump’s voting public, 70% consider it a ‘high priority’ to cut greenhouse gas emissions with 40% of Republicans worried about climate change.
We don’t know yet how Mr Trump will act on climate policy, but we think the progress achieved to date is irreversible.
Contact Charlene Cranny at UKSIF for more information and resources around climate action.
Good Money Week Campaign
Good Money Week is the campaign to raise awareness of sustainable, responsible and ethical finance to help people make good money choices.
Good Money Week aims to ensure that everyone knows they have sustainable and ethical options when it comes to their financial decisions.
Good Money Week takes place this year from 30th October- 5th November.
During this annual event we make it a focus for the financial editors of national papers to publish real life stories about people who make the choice to invest in Socially Responsible Investments, (SRIs). The important thing is that they are not odd or extreme in their principles but normal people who take the time to consider the potential outcomes of investing.
If you can invest and get the same, or better, return on your investment and be certain that the investment meets your ethical values, then surely that’s a win-win.
There are of course the cynics who question those good intentions. In the same way that a driver of an electric vehicle is challenged over the source of the electricity they charge the vehicle with. Most of us ensure it’s from either wind or solar but it does not stop the cynics. Somehow doing thoughtful things, like using alternative energy or composting garden waste and not burning it is still considered odd!
Someone please explain it to me?
You might want also to explain why some prefer to drive a mile rather than walk. Walking restores your energy levels and keeps you fit, driving causes pollution, outside the school, in green spaces and around your homes! It’s a responsible life-style choice.
So therefore, if investing in thoughtful and responsible ways provides good returns and respects your values, what stops you?
Is it a lack of understanding, a question of not knowing where to find responsible investments or preferring to leave money with your bank so they can do irresponsible things with it?
To find out more about Good Money Week – goodmoneyweek.com
Or talk to me?
Increase in Will Disputes Attributed to Rising Property Prices
It has been reported that the increase in the number of children involved in inheritance disputes has been fuelled by rising property prices.
As the value of property has soared during the last decade, the estates of ‘ordinary’ families have become more likely to prompt inheritance disputes as families go to war over the division of assets. The High Court saw 116 cases of children challenging their parents’ estates in 2015, compared with 104 in 2014 – an 11% rise.
One reason for this surge is due to the rise in more complicated family structures which has led to more relatives, such as stepchildren, expecting to benefit from the estate.
There has also been an increase in cases where children challenge charity donations. This may be due to increased life expectancy which means it is becoming more common for parents to die when their children are middle-aged and assumed to be comfortable financially. If their children are perceived not to need as much financial help, parents may be more likely to make alternative arrangements for the distribution of their assets – to friends or charities, for example.
The children of the deceased can make a claim under the Inheritance Act if they feel reasonable provisions have not been made for them. There is also an option for those who were treated as the deceased’s child to claim against the estate, even if no formal or legal arrangement exists – such as when children have been adopted or fostered.
Tom Curran, Chief Executive at Kings Court Trust said: “Unfortunately, we do see family disputes over inheritance and it highlights how important it is to ensure your Will explicitly states how you want your estate to be distributed.
By ensuring that your Will is clearly and professionally written, your estate can be dealt with as smoothly as possible and reduces the likelihood of loved ones being unintentionally excluded when it comes to their inheritance. It is important that people understand the benefits of planning ahead, regardless of our age or health.”
Guide to Sustainable Energy
Back in July 2012, 
launched their first Guide to Sustainable Energy with the Thomas Edison quote:
“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait till oil and coal run out before we tackle that”
Quite. And he said that in 1931
This is taken directly from the Blue & Green Tomorrow web site
http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=e974b0822600f75da7c87950a&id=b600a10075&e=5d91347ec0
“We found the quote at the end of a great article on the New York Times Magazine website in its Current Thinking column, that was current thinking from 2007! Nine years on it’s still worth a read ( http://nyti.ms/1osEwbL ).
“You hold in your hand (on your smartphone, tablet or desktop) the fourth edition of our Guide and the current thinking remains – we’d put our money on solar energy, but also wind, tidal, wave and geothermal. And nuclear?
“Recently the UK government decided it would put our money on nuclear with the Hinkley Point C after months of dithering, perfectly illustrating everything that is wrong with government strategic thinking and energy policy. The wrong technology, with the wrong partners at the wrong price.
“Which is why we’re delighted to have contributions from Tidal Lagoon Power, Abundance Energy, Bristol Energy Cooperative and the excellent investment organisation (Alliance Trust, Foresight, Impax, Triodos and WHEB) that are putting money into distributed clean energy and storage – the right technology, with the right partners at the right price.
“And we also have an article about nuclear fusion – a technology which divides the environmentally minded. We don’t have a strong opinion on nuclear fusion and wanted to just present the technology. We believe you are more than capable of forming your own judgment.”
Read the Blue & Green Guide – here
Having a LPA in Place Should be Common and Natural
The Alzheimer’s Society reports that more than one million people in the UK will have dementia by 2025. Accidents, strokes, brain injuries and Parkinson’s Disease can also affect your ability to make your own decisions. Handling financial affairs can become virtually impossible and could cost a great deal of money and load the burden on relatives.
A report from ‘This is Money’ on analysis by Key Retirement Solutions found that more than 11,500 families every year are having to go to court to appoint ‘deputies’ so relatives and friends can make decision on behalf of ill or incapacitated people.
Without a lasting power of attorney** (LPA) in place, it can be difficult to access bank accounts.
For example, a 2013 British Bank Association Booklet, “Guidance for People Wanting to Manage a Bank Account for Someone Else”, said: “If one joint account holder loses mental capacity, banks and building societies can decide whether or not to temporarily restrict the use of the account to essential transactions only.”
We have all warned how the restricting of a joint account has severe implications as the joint owner cannot freely withdraw what is their own money without an order from the Court of Protection which could be devastating, especially if this is their only form of income, such as their pension, paid into this joint account.
Having a LPA in place should be as common and natural as making a will.
The UK authorities introduced LPAs in October 2007, replacing the previous system of enduring powers of attorney (EPA) – although an enduring power of attorney created before October 2007 remains valid.
The Treasury advises consumers: “If you want to give one or more people the power to completely manage your money and property if you lose mental capacity – that is, if you can’t make decisions for yourself – you have to set up a permanent power of attorney.
The people who will manage your finances are called your without the other (good for spreading the load).
You should also choose at least one replacement attorney who would take over if their attorney died or could no longer act for them. If they are older and the people they choose are all the same age as they are, they may not end up being the best people to act if and when their help is needed.”
Setting up a power of attorney is a big step and you need to understand all the implications and may want to get good legal advice.
The person setting up a power of attorney must have the capacity to make their own decisions.
It is a good idea to get it set up well before you need it. It is much harder and more expensive for someone to help you with you money and property if you have already lost mental capacity. And if you get it set up now, it is there if something happens to you suddenly, like an accident or a stroke.
Setting it up does not mean you have to give up control.
It takes several weeks to register a lasting power of attorney – yet another reason to get it set up early. If you lost mental capacity during those weeks, your attorney would not be able to act for you in the meantime.
The attorney you choose should be someone you really trust and preferably younger than you. Many people choose their husband, wife, partner, another family member or a close friend. You might choose more than one attorney.
If you do, they can decide whether they need to make decisions jointly (a good idea if they want two opinions on their finances) or whether each can decide things.
SEE this BBC item
Can Power of Attorney help protect your family against scams?
If an elderly relative starts to spend money irrationally, or in a way that is out of character, what powers do you have to intervene and stop them? Louise Minchin has heard from one woman who was worried about her father’s spending and when she eventually gained Power of Attorney over his affairs, discovered that more than £10,000 had disappeared from his bank account. We investigate what people can do if they feel their relative is becoming vulnerable to scams. bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04c0yl6
** Lasting power of attorney in England; known by other names in other UK domains