In Focus News & Insights

A famous Spanish song is entitled ‘Seville has a special colour’ and Seville is indeed warm, vibrant, full of history and has a great atmosphere – whether you are into all of that or merely enjoy a glass of red wine and a plate of 5J Spanish Ham.

Seville was the chosen City for Blacktower Financial Management Group’s Annual Conference held on 15th January 2016.

Not just any conference…no! On the strike of midnight that night BFM Group turned 30 years young. So, this was not just a celebration of our achievements throughout the year – but one of history and recognition.

For so many, the new year brings new resolve to look into long-term financial plans; plans, perhaps, that have been neglected or put to the back of the mind in the year just passed.

It’s a busy old time of year for IFAs (independent financial advisers) because each January we see customers taking stock and seeking advice. This is a good thing, but it takes decisiveness and a certain amount of nerve to finally grasp the nettle and put plans into action.

I am compelled to discuss some sales tactics that are becoming increasingly frustrating by companies that are forcing their customers to take out products that they do not necessarily need or want.

I myself became a victim of this practice this week when hiring a car which was booked online and with full super cover taken and then only been forced to take out the hire companies insurance when I went to pick the car up – this is an ongoing situation for me which I am not letting lie and may update in a future article.

Your cash is earning nothing in the bank, in fact it’s actually losing its worth in all probability because of the corrosive effect of inflation.  Even ostriches have to raise their heads at some point, if only to breathe.

Quite frankly it’s time for people to start taking control of their money instead of letting the banks bleed them.  In the days we are in now with increased life expectancy, a longer wait for retirement and the pension freedoms that there are around, there could not be a better time for savers to act and improve their lot.  So you go to see a financial adviser, what is he going to say?

We believe that you need to do your homework before making any investment decision. That may include reading financial publications, researching online, and discussing options with your friends and family. Many people, however, find the task of selecting investments too daunting to undertake on their own. To invest responsibly, they do their homework, and they seek the professional guidance and advice of a financial adviser.

Benefit from the Experience of a Financial Adviser

We encourage investors to take a long-term view when they invest. By looking down the road, many people realise that they do not have the experience, time, training or patience to make informed investment decisions alone. That is where the value of an investment professional really makes a difference. 

Many of you will have read the articles extolling the virtues of the new pension freedoms introduced last April. Indeed, the new freedoms are good in that they don’t mean that pensioners are forced into poor value for money annuity schemes. For some though, the temptation to spend, spend, spend, will be too much and what happens to them?

Dot com boom, dot com bust!  High Interest rates low interest rates, Strong Euro, weak Euro.  What was a good thing last year is the worst thing this year.  ‘The only thing certain in Life is death and Taxes’ quote made famous by Benjamin Franklin 1789.

As you already know there are a substantial number of pension types available.  How we came to have them, or what they actually are, still remains a mystery to many of us since these were thrust upon us (to some extent) by well meaning employers way back when.  This week we´re going to bust the Pension Jargon for the types of Pensions available.

Cash Balance Pension

A Cash Balance Pension is a pension arrangement, where your employer promises you a pension pot of a specified amount, when you reach retirement age.  Typically, the amount is calculated as a proportion of your salary for each year of service.  You know how much your pot will be, but there is no promise as to the amount of pension you will be able to buy (or take) from it.