Should you use a pension to avoid inheritance tax?
A Pension can be a powerful weapon in the fight against inheritance tax (IHT). This is because they are considered outside of your estate for IHT purposes – so anything left in your pension, after you die, can be passed on completely free of IHT. IHT is charged at 40 percent on the value of […]
Lenders begin stretching mortgage terms up to 40 years
Traditionally, mortgages would tend to last around 25 years, but the demand for longer deals has grown drastically. With people working and living longer, it comes as no surprise that there’s a higher demand for longer-term deals. Recent research has highlighted that 36% of first-time buyers now opt for a term 30 years and above […]
Dispelling 5 Myths about Equity Release
The popularity of equity release has grown significantly in recent years and for good reasons. It has changed in recent years is proving to be a financial solution for many people so industry experts suggest it will continue to grow. However, despite the appeal to some, there continues to be misconceptions amongst the public around […]
Is Equity Release the Solution for Interest Only Customers?
With the use of equity release surpassing 3 billion in 2017, an increase of 120% since 2016, could equity release really be the solution in helping an estimated 1.7 million mortgage customers pay off their interest-only mortgages? This issue is particularly worrying considering 200,000 of these customers have their loan maturing within 2 years, and […]
Is an Offset Mortgage right for me?
If you usually have a reasonable amount of cash sitting in a savings account earning a low interest rate but have an outstanding mortgage balance, then an Offset mortgage could be right for you! An Offset mortgage links your mortgage account to a savings account and offsets – hence the name- the balance of one […]
Brexit vs Mortgage Rates
Unsurprisingly, one of the questions we’ve been asked the most over the last few months is ‘What will happen to mortgage rates post-Brexit? Like everyone else, we can’t give definitive answers, but we can give you an idea of what we think is likely based on our years of experience as mortgage brokers and analysing […]
10 common myths when sourcing and paying for care
10 common myths when sourcing and paying for care It’s free! Well only sometimes. Firstly, if you don’t already, you’ll need to understand the difference between ‘social’ and ‘health’ care. Social care is best described as care needed to help with activities of daily living (washing, eating, mobility etc). It is the responsibility of […]
Protection Guide
Protection Guide This guide will provide you with a useful insight into the various levels of mortgage and family protection along with other valuable insurances such as building insurance, contents insurance, landlord insurance and the various forms of business protection. This guide will explain the potential benefit each of these will have to you and […]
Buy to Let Mortgage Guide
Buy to Let Mortgage Guide This guide will provide insightful information about the Buy to Let market, rental criteria, affordability and everything you need to know about purchasing an investment property and growing your portfolio. What is a Buy to Let? This is when a property is purchased for the sole purpose of being rented […]