21 Sep 2020

As the Government confirms extended support for rail companies, some question if the franchise system is the worst of all worlds

24 Aug 2020

Mixed messages on retail shopping but hope for the High Street .

17 Aug 2020

In general unemployed people over the age of 50 are twice as likely to be out of work for 12 months or longer, compared to those younger than 50.During the pandemic, women aged over 50 have been hit hardest, with nearly 100,000 leaving the workforce entirely. Being forced into retirement like this is not something that can be predicted however, planning for a comfortable retirement is something we can help with.

3 Aug 2020

London is still pulling ahead of the rest of the country in wealth, health and education, the IFS warns. The difference between wages in London and the UK at large has shrunk but, there are still big gaps in both earnings and productivity.

28 Jul 2020

Tim Davison, Chartered Financial Adviser for Shaw Gibbs Financial Planning has achieved the SOLLA Later Life accreditation, the Highest Standard for advice in the Later Life Market. The Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA) helps people and their families in finding trusted accredited financial advisers who understand financial needs in later life.

29 Jun 2020

Under the new proposals, customers who are yet to request a payment freeze or an arranged interest-free overdraft of up to £500 will have until the 31 October to do so. For those who have already taken up support and are still experiencing temporary payment difficulties due to the Pandemic,

7 May 2020

The UK’s community of Certified Financial Planner (CFPTM) professionals has come together to offer their advice pro-bono in a series of money guides for the consumer, published by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI). The guides, which Shaw Gibbs contributed to contain tips from CISI’s CFPTM members on managing finances during the coronavirus pandemic.

15 Apr 2020

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed a package of temporary measures to help people with some of the most commonly used consumer credit products. Following a short consultation the FCA will be going ahead with the proposals which will give firms the flexibility under the FCA rules to provide temporary financial relief to those facing payment difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.

30 Mar 2020

It is disappointing that we have to warn people to beware of new scams which are surfacing as some try to take advantage of this pandemic in order to try and steal from those worried about their health or finances. One to watch out for is what appears to be a message from the Government offering £258 to everyone as COVID-19 RELIEVE and an apparent Council Tax web page.

24 Mar 2020

In the last few weeks we have seen falls in stockmarket levels which have little parallel within the last 20 years, and that includes the financial crisis. A combination of 10 years general growth in stockmarkets followed by COVID-19 and an oil price war have fuelled fear around the world. By the time those selling out of the market reacted the vast majority were already behind the curve; many will have been tempted to buy back in with each spike since, afraid that they would miss the recovery; many will then have sold again when markets continued to fall.

11 Mar 2020

The Bank of England has announced an emergency cut in interest rates to shore up the economy amid the coronavirus outbreak.

17 Feb 2020

Possible delay to the Budget following Sajid Javid’s resignation

10 Feb 2020

With Shaw Gibbs hosting MIND for a Wellbeing Day this week, one of the issues we will be addressing is Financial Wellbeing

13 Jan 2020

The Commons voted 330 to 231 in favour of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill and it will now pass to the House of Lords for further scrutiny next week.

3 Jan 2020

France's transport strike against pension reform has entered its 29th day, making it the longest rail workers' strike since May 1968.

16 Dec 2019

As the country contemplates the election results, people's thoughts will turn to the potential effect on their finances.

15 Oct 2019

The Budget has been announced for 6 November, with Chancellor Sajid Javid saying it will be "the first budget after leaving the EU".

24 Sep 2019

Thomas Cook has collapsed after last-minute negotiations aimed at saving the 178-year-old holiday firm failed.

19 Aug 2019

History has to be against the Chancellor given previous attempts to do so have ended up with more not less complexity.

13 Aug 2019

Wage growth in the UK reached an 11-year high in the year to June, and the employment rate was its joint highest since 1971, official figures show.

8 Jul 2019

It’s a problem faced not just by doctors however, the NHS depends so much on doctors doing overtime that the impact of the Tapered Annual Allowance is hitting us all.

10 Jun 2019

The boss of broker Hargreaves Lansdown has issued an apology following the suspension of a fund it sells.

6 Jun 2019

People with pensions and savings invested in Neil Woodford's now suspended flagship fund have expressed concern over how it was promoted.

3 Jun 2019

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is, especially if you’re being cold-called about it

13 May 2019

Planning on somebody dying to provide a house deposit is never a good way to start out

15 Apr 2019

Rediscovering the savings culture means making it about what your money will do for you

1 Apr 2019

Thousands of first-time investors who lost their savings through investment with London Capital & Finance (LCF) are unlikely to qualify for compensation.

13 Mar 2019

Consumers conned and FCA failed to act and yet there are more firms out there marketing these sort of false promises.

31 Jan 2019

FCA recognise some of the risks inherent in the Government’s dash to pension freedoms

22 Jan 2019

Whether for pensions or investments invariably a cold call is not for your benefit so it’s good to see action being taken given the level of scams involving pensions.

16 Oct 2018

One in seven people have lost track of their money sitting in savings accounts or pensions - with half blaming lost passwords, a survey suggests. Some 52% of those asked who had lost track of their funds suggested it was the result of a forgotten password.

19 Sep 2018

The average amount that savers with income-drawdown plans withdrew from their pensions rose sharply last year, prompting new concerns that people could run out of money in retirement.

1 Sep 2018

Muddled thinking however, without the relief, pension savings will fall whilst tax is then due on pension withdrawals.

29 Aug 2018

Given that the highest we’ve seen was 54 times, there could be some truth to this

8 Aug 2018

Interest rates raised by 0.25% but, unless you have a tracker or Standard Variable Rate Mortgage, will you notice any difference?

26 Jul 2018

Inflation remained at 2.4% for the third month in a row in June, according to the Office for National Statistics

9 Jul 2018

More people in work but individual productivity still stagnant around the same levels as 2008

28 Jun 2018

Is an Interest Rate rise closer than we thought?

19 Jun 2018

Most Plan holders will now qualify for a windfall, however they will need to be patient as the sale completes

1 Jun 2018

The prospect of an EU/UK/Canada v US trade war is not something to look forward to

29 May 2018

Italian politics hits investments and may have a part to play in how good or bad Brexit is

23 May 2018

Surely by 65 you have earned the right not to pay National Insurance – or should you?

16 May 2018

Surely this also raises questions about all the investment managers who bought Carillion?

3 Apr 2018

A teenage Canadian lottery winner had a choice of C$£1,000,000 or c$1,000 per week for life.

19 Feb 2018

Fraudsters are “cloning” well known investment companies

7 Feb 2018

Responsible lending or protecting against potential losses? As the value of digital currency Bitcoin fluctuates, Lloyds Bank have banned their customers from using credit card debt as a method for purchasing;

30 Jan 2018

Pensions continue to attract unwanted attention so watch out for anything unusual or too good to be true.

8 Jan 2018

With stabilising housing prices and interest rates still low, is now the best time to buy?

18 Dec 2017

If you think pensions are complicated enough, be glad you are not a Scottish taxpayer.

4 Dec 2017

A warning to all those who plan to spend more than they earn in December, before relying on a good credit card balance transfer deal in January.

2 Dec 2017

Transfer values are likely to continue to reduce as gilt yields improve on the back of interest rate rises

6 Nov 2017

Should you remortgage while interest rates are still low - even with an early repayment charge to pay?

4 Oct 2017

Given that auto enrolment works mainly because of the employer contribution, auto enrolment for the self-employed is a chocolate teapot.

22 Sep 2017

If it looks too good to be true it generally is – be careful chasing returns if you don’t want the risk that goes with it

19 Sep 2017

As life expectancy increases, the Government need to put more money into the state pension fund and individuals need to save more if we are to retire on time.

11 Sep 2017

Earlier retirement and longer life expectancy works OK so long as you know how you’re going to pay for it

5 Sep 2017

A new way of raising investment funds for start ups, an alternative to raising money via initial public offerings.

26 Jul 2017

Leaseholders are now being charged large sums of ground rent on their properties, which has led to government proposing a ban on new houses being sold as leasehold.

19 Jul 2017

The rise in pension to 68 has been brought forward from 2044 as was originally proposed. Such changes will affect those currently between the ages of 39-47.

10 Jul 2017

Warren Buffet agrees that in the main, index-funds are the way to go

30 Jun 2017

What do the Bank of England's new rules on mortgages mean for you?

12 Jun 2017

Instead of optimism from returning to a sitting Conservative Government with an increased majority, June has given us greater uncertainty and a dip in confidence – what a difference a May makes !

24 May 2017

Once upon a time the banks were considered a safe haven for small investors – for anyone considering investing into individual shares, this is a salutary tale of how all shares are inherently risky no matter which company they are in.

8 May 2017

Despite good investment returns over the last few years, this article demonstrates how difficult it remains to fund the high pension promises of the past.

2 May 2017

According to new research, the ‘Bank of Mum & Dad’ is one of the biggest mortgage lenders.

18 Apr 2017

The snap election announcement could cause market volatility, so what should investors do?

4 Apr 2017

As US rates rise and the UK savings ratio continues to fall, the future for investments becomes even less certain.

27 Mar 2017

Deadline for increasing your State Pension looms but buying an increase may not be the best thing to do.

23 Mar 2017

Under 30 and don’t want to work into your 70’s? You’ll need to rely on your private pension and not the State.

20 Mar 2017

This is a great example of the irrational nature of markets. Given that we have known for some time that May would trigger Article 50 by the end of March, what rational reason can there be for a sharp drop in sterling when it happens? Did currency traders think it wouldn’t and are surprised?

13 Mar 2017

Despite changes to dividend allowance, we hold the same review as written in our investment articles last week – to gain the best advantage, consider which assets go into which tax wrapper.

10 Mar 2017

Buy for Uni, one method of buying property whilst studying or assisting those who are.

7 Mar 2017

A number of tax changes have had a big impact on those with investments in the last year. Read on to find out the key developments.

8 Feb 2017

Landmark ruling could see unmarried partners be able to claim spouse’s benefits from pension schemes. Being able to prove financial inter-dependency appears to be key here so having a joint bank account could prove very valuable indeed.

31 Jan 2017

Mortgages are getting more complex to arrange but what if you have a mortgage under old rules and your lender won’t let you remortgage to a lower deal, that would save you money each month? In a recent case the Financial Ombudsman has said this is punishing borrowers.

16 Jan 2017

So the uncertainty created by Brexit continues to be “good” for UK investors as markets will no doubt continue to forge ahead as sterling’s decline benefits major companies with earnings primarily in USD.

12 Jan 2017

Not always easy to look this closely at yourself but if you recognise yourself as one of these types that could make a big difference.

16 Dec 2016

The world is changing – the established order is under threat, one such example is the traditional auto industry. How would your investment portfolio adapt to these trends, is it futureproof?