Author: Peter Blackburn

In this update:  The Power of Consistent Investing: Let Time Be Your Greatest Ally   When most people think about building wealth through investing, they often focus on finding the next big winner or timing the market perfectly. However, the real secret to long-term financial success lies...

In this update:  Cognitive Biases in Financial Planning and Investing The Role of Independent Financial Advice   Cognitive Biases in Financial Planning and Investing Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, which often affect financial planning and investing decisions. These biases can...

In this update:  The importance of time when investing. The importance of an emergency fund. Balancing both Why we avoid making economic and market predictions Why Investments aren't ideal for Ad Hoc withdrawals     Time and having an emergency fund are crucial aspects of a sound financial...

In this update:  The importance of Budgeting - Mapping your financial future.    Budgeting is like the GPS for your finances, ensuring that you know where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there. Without a budget, you’re essentially navigating your financial life...

In this update:  Voluntary National Insurance Contributions     National Insurance Contributions National Insurance can be a confusing subject, and we can be forgiven for wishing to overlook the nuance and complexity of it. Some time spent reviewing our own situation now, in good time for the future, may leave...

In this update:  The Big Picture The importance of portfolio rebalancing Withdrawal discipline   The Big Picture It can be difficult to see the big picture when all that we are exposed to, driven by the media machine, appears only to be chaos and disorder.  The good news is...

We have summarised the main points of yesterday's Spring Budget below, along with a reminder of various changes from April 2024 that we were already aware of. PENSIONS State Pension The triple lock means that the new state pension and basic state pension will increase by 8.5% in...

In this update:  Latest Retirement Living Standards   Latest Retirement Living Standards The latest update to the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) Retirement Living Standards (RLS) reveal a shift in the cost of retirement living driven by changes in the UK public's expectations and increases to the...

In this update:  Investing persists through all cycles Your retirement spend and your retirement duration   Investing persists through all cycles Interest rates are at levels we haven’t seen since before the Financial Crisis, tempting some people into cash, and away from investing. So does investing still make...