What are the financial benefits of getting married? Q My partner and I have been livingtogether for 15 years. We are very happy to be in a committed, long-term relationship. We have been told that by not getting married we lose some financial benefits. Is there really a financial case for getting wed and what
Q It’s my 50th birthday soon and I’ve been working hard in various jobs for almost 35 years. I want to be in a position to retire by the time I’m 60. How can I make sure that can happen? A This answer is a long one. I’ll send you a list of the information
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
Q My partner and I saved diligently for a deposit so we could buy our first home. We have a respectable sum saved, but are getting confusing messages about whether now is a good time to buy. On one hand we hear the housing market is in crisis and we should buy when we can,
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
My partner and I are cohabiting, but what are the implications in terms of inheritance tax? Q My partner and I bought a house seven years ago and while we do not intend to marry we are in a committed long term relationship. We have taken out life cover but friends frequently advise we should
I’m worried about my mortgage repayments. What should I do if they rise? Q My mortgage repayment is rising all the time, it is beginning to cause me stress. When I asked my lender, I was informed I cannot fix the rate. I’m worried repayments will rise to a level I can’t afford. What happens
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