Lanzarote Sun, Watch Your Behaviour!

After the crazy year that we’ve just had in the Prince household (new baby, completing major house renovations), we decided a holiday was in order. Lanzarote was the chosen destination and our 3 year old daughter talked excitedly whilst we stressed about getting the bags within weight. We arrived at the Gran Castillo in Playa [...]

Share

NHS Pension Scheme – Should You Become A Deferred Member To Avoid Tax Charges? – Hot Topics Q & A

Q. A question that a lot of GPs in my age group(50) are asking is “Is it still worth staying in the NHS Superannuation Scheme?” Whilst it has been described as the best thing since sliced bread, and is probably still a good idea for younger GPs, it is looking less and less attractive for older GPs. Several [...]

Share

Investing: Letting Go Can Be Good For Your Wealth

In many areas of life, intense activity and constant monitoring of results represent the path to success. In investment, that approach gets turned on its head. The Chinese philosophy of Taoism has a word for it: “Wuwei”. It literally means “non-doing”. In other words, the busier we are with our long-term investments and the more [...]

Share

All Aboard For Holidays & Mini-Breaks

Have you seen the Michael Portillo TV programmes about the Bradshaw train guides that started in the Victorian era? He has done scores of these in the UK and in Europe, the aim being to take this guide book along to recreate the exact same routes Mr Bradshaw took. The latest series was using the [...]

Share

Are Financial Adviser Numbers Falling? – Hot Topics Q&A

Q. I have read in the press that the number of Financial Advisers was set to fall when the new rules on professionalism and fees came in this January. Has this actually happened, and if so why? A. This was indeed widely predicted, and yes in practice if you look at the latest figures from the [...]

Share

Money Habits – Why 60% of Premiership Footballers Go Bankrupt!

There have been quite a few headlines on the subject of well known sportsmen getting into financial difficulties in the last year or so. Some of the figures are quite simply staggering! The headline above is backed up by statistics from Xpro, who are a charity for ex-players. Their figures show that:     Three [...]

Share

Annual Footie, Curry & Karaoke

Every year or so I get together with a group of friends at our ‘away day jaunt’, where we meet up to have a few beers and laughs, with a curry normally thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, it also involves watching our football team – Sunderland AFC. As we’ve aged we’ve come to the [...]

Share

NHS Pension Contribution Rates 2013/14 – What Are They? – Hot Topics Q & A

Q. Can you please clarify what I will be asked to pay into the NHS Pension Scheme from April 2013 as I am aware that the contribution percentages are increasing for members? A. Yes, you’re correct. You will need to pay more to be a member of the scheme. Whilst not great news, it’s still an excellent [...]

Share

Picking Shares & Forecasting The Stockmarket – It’s Cool For Cats!

You’ve no doubt heard the line about stock picking being better left to blind-folded, dart-throwing orangutans. Now there’s new competition – from cats. The Observer newspaper staged an experiment, pitting a panel of market professionals and a group of students against a ginger feline called Orlando in a competition to see who would have the [...]

Share

In the Round & Discovering Kings (Graeme)

Well here we are in the second month of the year already! When I was younger the expression ‘time flies’ was simply that – an expression. Now I find myself saying this with real meaning to all and sundry, and when with retired clients and the subject comes up, they nod sagely as if to [...]

Share