What is happening with mortgage interest rates? Mortgage chaos in the form of interest rate hikes has dominated the headlines for the last few weeks. Lenders have scrambled to keep up with the rising cost of borrowing as the ECB have raised rates from 0 per cent just a year ago to 4 per
Why getting financial advice now on mortgage rates is important! Mortgage rates are shooting up and this has implications not only for day-to-day household budgets but it’s likely causing huge numbers of borrowers to struggle to pay their mortgages. This will not just affect those on tracker rates who, for the first time in
Tracker mortgages explained, and how to get to grips with rates! In recent times ‘I don’t know what a tracker mortgage is’ has changed to ‘I still don’t know what a tracker mortgage is’. This question comes up in my consultations time and time again, usually with an embarrassed smile, so let’s answer it
Following on of our recent blog articles where I discussed the benefits of Income Protection, I noticed an increase in queries regarding the broader issues of financial security should ‘the worst’ happen and a person’s income was compromised. For example: Q I AM currently a long-time renter with no short- or medium-term prospect of purchasing my
Q I want to get on the property ladder, but feel that I should wait a while and see what happens. What do you think I should do? Property markets are showing signs of slowing in response to higher interest rates in tandem with the cost-of-living crisis. But… As well as the cost of utility
Financial Health Check: Don’t put off what you can do today! IF you want to get fit, you need to become determined to achieve targets. Finance should be treated in the same manner. Ultimately, financial planning is about tailoring a solution to meet your precise requirements. There are a number of ‘universal’ needs that
Q I began paying into a pension last year and I contribute a regular monthly amount. I have noticed the current value is less than the contributions made. I have some questions about this. Firstly, why is this? Is it likely to continue this year or beyond? Should I stop my contributions until things settle
I have a Tracker Mortgage and the interest rate just keeps rising. What should I do? The European Central Bank (ECB) has been raising interest rates amid rising inflation. Last summer, the base borrowing rate was at 0%. Today, the base borrowing rate is 2.5% with growing speculation more rate hikes are inevitable. While initially
All about the Small Gift Exemption – what you need to know “My father wants to give my children money towards college for when they’re older but I heard there may be a tax implication. Is the correct and if so, how can I mitigate against it?” Yes, you can maximise the amount you
“I’m finding it really hard to keep up with these price hikes and am cancelling unnecessary expenditure. As I don’t have any dependents, I’m thinking of cancelling my mortgage protection as it is very expensive. Is this a good idea?” Mortgage Protection (MP) is a life insurance policy that helps repay the outstanding balance left