Tag Archives: financial planning

Checking & Savings, Financial, Financial Information, Financial Services, Investment, IRA, Money, Personal Finance, Retirement

Standard Life Reports Spain Tops Overseas Retirement Hotspots

Standard Life has revealed the top retirement hotspots outside the UK with the Spain at the top of the list, followed by Australia, USA, France and Ireland.

John Lawson, Head of Pensions Policy, Standard Life commented: “Retiring abroad is a dream for many people, but does require careful planning and advice. Many people think living abroad is cheaper than living in the UK, but this isn’t always the case. Doing your homework in advance of moving, matching your retirement income and expenditure, and making the appropriate decisions around purchasing an annuity or using income drawdown are key considerations. Your retirement income could also be subject to exchange rates and currency fluctuations, as well as local tax laws.

“You also need to think about your state pension and what, if any, reciprocal agreement is in place. A reciprocal agreement entitles you to any increases in the UK state pension paid for by the country you retire to. However, if there isn’t a reciprocal agreement in place, then you need to be very careful your retirement income is sufficient to cover your living costs over a long period of time. Over a 20 year retirement, your basic state UK pension could halve in real terms if a reciprocal arrangement is not in place.”

If an individual moves abroad permanently, any increases in their UK state pension will only apply if they are living in an EU country (including Gibraltar and Switzerland), or a country with a reciprocal social security agreement with the UK. Where the individual is living outside these countries, the amount of UK state pension they will receive each year is frozen at the amount initially paid when first claimed (or if the pensioner emigrated more than one year after payment began, at the rate in force when emigrating). Popular retirement countries outside these reciprocal agreements include Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

Those who are considering retiring abroad in the future, but are wondering if their retirement savings will be sufficient can go to www.yourfuturemoney.co.uk, where they can check if their retirement planning is on track.

Via EPR Network
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Checking & Savings, Financial, Financial Information, Financial Services, Investment, IRA, Money, Personal Finance, Retirement

Standard Life Reveals University Debt Headache For Parents

Standard Life has revealed that more than half of parents potentially underestimate the maximum amount of debt their child could leave university with.

When asked to take into account the increase in tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000 per year from 2012, and any other debts accumulated from living expenses, student loans, bank loans etc. 58 per cent of parents think the maximum debt their children could leave with is £40,000 or under, including many who think this would be a lot less. This total is well under the maximum figure of £54,000 calculated by the long-term savings and investment company Standard Life.

Despite this, a fifth (21 per cent) of parents have started to make regular savings to help ease the costs of their children’s university education, and nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of parents are putting money aside on special occasions (e.g. birthdays or one-off windfalls).

Julie Hutchison, head of technical insight at Standard Life, said: “The findings of our research are positive as they show that parents have identified the need to save for their children’s time at university. Unfortunately their expectations of what that cost could be and therefore the target amount they want to save might actually be too low.”

Parents who have longer to save are taking full advantage, as more than half of parents (55 per cent) with children aged 0 to 9 are putting money aside for their child’s university costs. Conversely seven out of ten (70 per cent) parents with children aged 14 to 17 aren’t doing the same.

Julie continued: “Attending University is of course a worthwhile pursuit but can be expensive with the costs of tuition fees, living costs and course material all adding up over the years. Even though a student loan can be taken to cover all these outgoings, parents can also seriously help reduce these costs.”

More than half (53 per cent) of parents who save on a regular basis are saving less than £50 a month towards their child’s university costs, 27% are saving £50 – £100, 7 per cent are saving £101 – £200 and 4 per cent of parents are saving more than £200.

Out of the 56 per cent of parents who are not saving for their children’s university costs, almost two-thirds (63 per cent) say they can’t afford to at the moment, with one in ten (10 per cent) having just not considered it.

The research also looked at the saving attitudes of grandparents of children under 18, with one in ten (9 per cent) saving for their grandchildren’s university education on a regular basis, 16 per cent on occasions and 2 per cent as a one-off lump sum. Of those not saving, a quarter (24 per cent) have just not considered it, with 15 per cent thinking the child’s parents are saving up sufficient funds.

Regionally parents in the Midlands are saving the most with 52 per cent putting money aside for their children’s university costs. It’s followed by London (48 per cent), Scotland (44 per cent), Southern England and East of England (both 42 per cent) with the North of England saving the least (39 per cent).

Via EPR Network
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Principle First To Offer Remote Financial Advice

Principle First now offers clients the ability to interact with an adviser online, as they are brought across to his screen to discuss their financial plan using a range of graphical tools, charts and graphs illustrating their proposed or current investments.

Principle First’s remote financial advice service has already been rolled out as a pilot project, and has passed the test with flying colours.

Gareth Flanagan, founder and managing director of Principle First, said: “Our clients have already given our remote advice service a very strong ‘thumbs up’.

“I think people love the idea of tending to their future and current financial planning from the comfort of their own home.”

A potential client can log onto the Principle First website to make an investments enquiry.

The Principle First remote advice service offers visual and graphical illustrations to complement discussions on mortgages, life insurance, tax planning and savings as well.

Gareth Flanagan added: “The real beauty of remote financial advice is its ability to cut through the resistance of many consumers to visit a financial adviser.

“It’s amazing to think that only 20% of consumers seek and accept free, no-obligation help with their financial plan and pensions. Many of those consult only banks and building societies who, due to their limited product range, place their funds in the worst-performing sectors.”

Principle First has found that this resistance is based on three erroneous beliefs, which undermine a customer’s self-confidence in approaching an adviser.

Consumers often believe that financial planning is only for the wealthy, and that they simply do not have enough wealth to justify the attentions of a professional financial adviser.

Via EPR Network
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Debts, Financial, Financial Management, Financial Services, Money, Personal Finance

24% Of Students In The UK Expect To Graduate With Over £20,000 Of Debt

Responding to a report that found that 24% of students in the UK expect to graduate with over £20,000 of debt, Debt Advisers Direct has advised students that with the right financial planning, the amount of debt they take on can be reduced.

The company added that students should avoid taking on debt (i.e. any debt outside their regular student loan) wherever possible, as this could increase their risk of debt problems in the future.

Research by the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) looked into the financial expectations of UK students. It found that 24% thought they would leave university with more than £20,000 of debt – although the picture varied between countries.

In Scotland, Scottish-born students are not required to pay university tuition fees. This is reflected in the AIC’s figures: only 26% of Scottish students expected to take out a student loan, compared with 55% across the entire UK.

A spokesperson for Debt Advisers Direct commented: “Debt is a big concern for many students. The introduction of top-up fees in recent years has added a significant amount to the debt many students will be expected to repay once they graduate.

“However, it’s very important that we distinguish between student debt in terms of an official student loan, issued by the Student Loans Company (SLC), and other forms of debt.

“Government student loans are designed to be paid back once the student graduates and is earning enough to meet the threshold – currently £15,000 a year – and only as a small percentage of earnings above this amount. In that respect, a student loan is not likely to cause significant financial hardship.

“However, students who have borrowed money in other ways could find themselves in more difficulty. Things like personal loans and credit cards, for example, usually require regular repayments and tend to carry higher interest rates. This is not ideal for students, who usually survive on a relatively low income.

“The risk is that the more debt students take on, the more likely they are to have trouble meeting their repayments. For that reason, we advise students to steer clear of taking on additional debt wherever possible.”

The Debt Advisers Direct spokesperson added that while most students experience financial difficulties at one stage or another, there are other things they can do to improve their situation.

“There is plenty of advice available, both online and from expert financial advisers, on ways for people to manage their finances well. For example, we have just released a guide on ways to cut back without compromising their social life – which is particularly relevant to students.

Via EPR Network
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