Cyber liability – by our partners Russell Scanlan Ltd. Historically we have always tended to insure physical assets and liabilities; things we can see and touch – allowing us to manufacture a common perception about what would happen if such things were lost or damaged. Today and for several decades now, there is a far …
The funding of long-term care is an issue that hasn’t been resolved despite multiple attempts. A Royal Commission on the subject was established in 1997 and reported in 1999. Its proposals were rejected by the Labour government at the time as too costly to deliver. Since that date there has been a number of reports, …
Cyber security measures include keeping your personal and financial data safe. As cybercrime is on the rise, the security of our online accounts is a hot topic. However, a recent report by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NSCS) shows that millions of us are using passwords on our sensitive accounts that are almost laughably …
A government-commissioned report on student finance has proposed significant changes to the funding of university students in England. Students resident in England (different rules apply in other parts of the UK) pay a maximum university tuition fee of £9,250 per year, financed by a student loan. Further loans to cover maintenance plus interest at RPI+3% …
As people are living longer, a parallel older-age profile is emerging in the labour force indicating that people are working longer too. Labour market statistics for the period of December 2018 to February 2019 revealed some impressive results. In the UK, employment of those aged 16–64 was running at 76.1%, the joint highest level ever …
Last month several newspapers reported plans by the Labour Party to end inheritance tax and replace it with a gifts tax. The coverage was somewhat creative, as the idea was plucked from a paper prepared for the Labour Party primarily focused on reforming the taxation of land. The gifts tax section covered just half a …
The final few months of 2018 were a dark time for the world’s stock markets, with concerns about US trade policies and the effects of Brexit uncertainty leaving many markets posting an overall loss for the year. The prospects for 2019 did not look bright, with the spectre of the US Federal Reserve continuing to …
Last month we received the excellent news that The RU Group’s application to join the Personal Finance Society’s Pension Transfer Gold Standard was successful. The Gold Standard is a voluntary code of good practice for safeguarded and defined benefit pension transfer advice, based around a set of nine key principles. It has been set up …
What is a ‘set and forget’ investment approach? Do we advocate it? In most walks of life when you employ a professional or craftsman, you expect a little bit of action for your money. Now is generally better than later, and more is generally better than less. However, this generality does not apply in some …
‘Set-and-Forget’ Investment Approach? Forget it! Read More »
The BBC’s decision to scrap universal free TV licences for the over-75s is part of the larger debate about our growing ageing population. Free TV licences for the over-75s were introduced by Gordon Brown in his 2000 Budget. It was a classic tactical Budget measure, designed to please at a relatively modest initial cost. Fast …
