The idea of building wealth, requires discipline, effort, time and investment ! But it can be achieved by anybody if you follow some simple steps. And above all, think long term. The plan should be considered boring and predictable, it’s not a get rich quick journey. However, you can achieve […]
What is dividend tax (in the UK)
Dividend tax in the UK is a personal tax on any dividends received over certain levels. It is normally applied to individual or company shares payments exceeding annual allowances. The level of tax payable will depend upon your annual allowance during the tax year (April 6th to April 5th). Depending […]
What is salary sacrifice – when dealing with pensions !
Quite simply, if you employer offers you salary sacrifice. You choose to give up some or all of any income or salary in return for any specific benefit. The range of benefits offered will obviously vary between companies and different employers. But they will form the following main categories: By […]
What is revenge saving !
It is a new relevant new term in the world of personal finance in that, people are saying “enough” to so called impulsive spending. Which causes financial stress or worry, uncertainty, regret on an instant decision, whim or spare of the moment decision. So instead people are trying to channel […]
What is talk money week ?
Talk Money Week is an annual campaign that hopefully encourages open discussions, conversations and engagement into personal finance. Financial well-being, money management where individuals become connected with their finances. The subject of personal finance, or the world of investing can appear too complex and confusing to most people. As we […]
How do UK pensions work – (simple guide)
What is a pension? Quite simply, a pension is a tax-efficient way of saving money for your later retirement. There are different types of pensions in the UK. As a result of previous actions, it does confuse a lot of people. Mainly because the rules keep changing and also because we […]
What is pension awareness week !
Pension Awareness Week for 2025, runs from the 15th to 19th September 2025. It is a national campaign designed to boost understanding of pensions and encourage people to take control of their retirement planning. It has been running for several years now, with the aim of getting employee’s, employer’s and […]
How much tax-free cash can I take from my pension ?
Under current UK pension rules, you can usually take up to 25% from each of your pensions as tax-free lump sums, provided the total amount taken is less than £268,275. This can be applicable across numerous DB & DC pensions, you aren’t restricted to accessing tax-free sum from only 1 […]
When can I access my pension !
Under current UK pension rules, the earliest you can access your private or workplace pension is set to age 55. This is known as the minimum pension age and has been effective since 6th April 2010. Prior to this date it could have been aged 50, an individual could still […]
How to create passive income !
The idea of creating an income stream in which you get paid without working is nothing new. It’s actually the fundamental basis of any investing or future retirement plan. Whereby someone can increase and generate additional sources of income. In recent times, it has become somewhat trendy and fashionable and […]
The Intelligent Investor – Book review
The book “The Intelligent Investor” written by Benjamin Graham back in 1949, is considered the investment bible for modern day investors. According to the world’s most successful investors, it has been the go to book for information on how to become a great investor. The book highlights great wisdom into […]
What are dividends and how do they work ?
So what exactly is a dividend, it can be seen as most of the most important parts or reasons to invest within a specific or certain stock or company. Firstly, let’s explain what exactly a dividend is ? A dividend is a portion of the company’s profits or earnings paid […]
How to create a simple investment portfolio
So do do I build a simple Investment portfolio ? For those of you new to investing. The idea of creating an investment portfolio may seem daunting and frightening but it shouldn’t be. You need to get the basics right and it ultimately depends on 2 things when starting out. […]
What is a stocks & shares ISA ?
A stocks and shares ISA (individual savings account) is an account in the UK, that allows an individual to save or invest a limited amount within a tax-free investment wrapper. You can invest across numerous types of investments such as company shares, funds, ETF’s, investment trusts or bonds. It is […]
Do I need a financial lifetime plan ?
For the vast majority of people the idea of personal finances and the world of savings and investing can appear daunting, confusing and complicated. Probably because we are never taught the basics from school education or our parents as the subject is considered taboo to discuss. But have your ever […]
What is a trivial pension lump sum payment !
Under current UK pension rules, the trivial commutation lump sum rules allows an individual to access certain benefits from age 55 (MPA) or from age 57 after April 2028, as a complete one-off lump sum payment. As long as their total benefits across all their schemes don’t exceed £ 30,000 […]
where are my pensions contributions invested ?
Thanks to the introduction of Auto Enrolment (AE) back in 2012, most people employed are automatically enrolled into a workplace Defined Contribution (DC) pension plan. But have you ever asked yourself, or even considered where are my monthly contributions invested. Where do my contributions actually go, after they are deducted […]
How Buffett Does It – book review (24 simple investing strategies from the world’s greater value investor)
This best selling book “How Buffett Does It” was written by James Pardoe in 2005. Which explains in very simple ideas how he became the world’s greatest investor. The book examines how Buffett’s record paints picture of his clear beliefs and principles that he implements when making investments. By following […]
How to avoid a pension scam ?
Unfortunately, Pension scams in the UK is common occurrence as it can be seen as being very profitable for pension scammers to obtain money by so-called fraud and deception. We don’t teach the basics about personal finance and the world of investing. As speaking to people on daily basis about […]
What is the 4% rule !
The 4% rule is a retirement guideline suggesting that you can withdraw 4% of your retirement portfolio annually in the first year of retirement. You can then adjust that withdrawal by inflation each subsequent year, and still reasonably expect your savings to last for at least 30 years. It’s a […]
Why is the price of gold still rising ?
This is a common question asked recently as people are people bombarded with radio advertisements, news articles, tv adverts, social media ads about the price of gold going galactic. But why is this specific class of asset having such a meteoritic rise in recent times. Are we in some kind […]
Warren Buffett Way (2nd edition) book review
The Warren Buffett Way (2nd edition) was written by Robert G. Hagstrom way back in 2005. Even though, the book is nearly 20 years old, it is still considered to be a great insight into the man considered the world’s greatest and most successful investor. Who is Robert G. Hagstrom, […]
Rule #1 – Phil Town book review – A simple strategy for successful investing in 15 minutes a week.
Firstly, who is Phil Town. He is a self-made investor and widely renowned public speaker on investing based in the USA. He wrote one of the most successful investing books out there, called Rule #1 The Simple Strategy for Successful Investing in only 15 minuted a week. Amazon link to […]
How to become a ISA Millionaire ?
The idea of becoming an ISA millionaire may be a distant dream or reality for some people, but it is a distant possibility or viable scenario for most people. According to recent information released there are 4850 ISA millionaires according to HMRC. The figure has been increased dramatically over recent […]
Simple Path to Wealth (book review)
The Simple Path to Wealth, written by Jim L.Collins back in 2016 is considered an investment masterclass to assist people with regards to the subject of investing. The formula is quite simple about how to invest and amass enough money to reach so-called Financial Independence, or work your future on […]