ESG investing provides an opportunity for your investments to reflect your values across three broad areas – environment, social, and governance. Negative screening, where you avoid investing in companies that engage in certain sectors, is one approach to ESG investing, but it could present some challenges. Read on to find…
Increasingly, UK savers are losing track of their pensions. In October 2024, research by Pensions UK found that the total value of lost pension pots had risen by 60% since 2018. Losing track of your pensions can be costly. Across the 3.3 million pension pots considered lost,…
Taking control of your finances can be frightful. Complex rules that are easy to overlook could mean you fall for a “trick” when making financial decisions this Halloween, but a tailored financial plan could help you avoid falling for them. Here are five financial “tricks” that you might overlook when…
Retiring should be a milestone you look forward to. It’s a chance to spend your time how you want and do the things you’ve been putting off because work has been in the way. Yet, sadly, research shows UK adults associate spending their retirement savings with negative words, and it…
When markets experience volatility, even the most level-headed investor can let their emotions or other influences affect their decisions. Read on to find out why volatility can trigger financial biases and how these might affect you. For the average investor, it’s important to take a long-term approach. While returns cannot…
Traditionally, you’d go from full-time employment to retirement on a set date. Now, more workers are embracing retirement flexibility and choosing to phase gradually into the next stage of their lives. Indeed, a survey published in September 2024 by WTW found that 49% of UK workers aged…
Your midlife can be an exciting time; you may have ticked off some goals or bucket list items and are looking forward to what the future holds. Yet, it might also present some new challenges. Arranging a financial midlife MOT could help you overcome obstacles and feel confident as you…
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing some difficult decisions ahead of the Autumn Budget, and one option that’s reportedly under consideration is the introduction of a wealth tax. In August 2025, the BBC reported that the Labour government must increase taxes if it is to plug a £41.2…
From April 2027, pensions are expected to fall within your estate and could be liable for Inheritance Tax (IHT). That date might seem far away, but the policy change has the potential to significantly affect your estate plan, so thinking about it now could be useful. While the policy change…
Almost half of Brits doubt the State Pension will exist by the time they retire, according to a PensionsAge report published in July 2025. While scrapping the State Pension may not be on the cards yet, there are suggestions that significant changes, which may affect your retirement,…
Financial biases are often linked to investing. However, subconscious tendencies can affect many aspects of your finances, including your estate plan. An estate plan sets out how your assets will be managed during your lifetime and distributed after your death. It might include writing a will or creating a trust…
In recent years, sustainability as a concept has taken root. Now, most organisations have strict policies in terms of the environmental impact of their supply chain, introducing more eco-friendly packaging, and setting goals for reducing carbon emissions and other negative impacts on the planet. Companies have also seen tighter restrictions…
The autumn budget and what could it mean for you? Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may be subject to future change. The new Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has set the date for her first budget, Wednesday 30th October 2024. Ahead of this, she has warned of some “incredibly…
How does the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protect your savings, your mortgage, investments and insurance…? The FSCS protects customers from losing some or all of their cash if authorised financial services firms go bust. It protects up to £85,000 of savings per individual, per financial institution (which might encompass…
The chancellor didn’t mention the humble Individual Savings Account (ISA) in his long Autumn Budget speech on 22nd November 2023, but there have been some important tweaks to ISAs that are worth noting, all designed to aid long-term, tax efficient saving. The biggest change, and one that was well trailed…
Any profit you make from selling an asset could be subject to capital gains tax (CGT). This could be as much as 28%, so it’s important you are aware of how CGT could affect you and factor it into your calculations when making investment decisions. When is capital gains tax…
Welcome to 2024 from the team at Blackadders Wealth Management… Whether it’s the upsurge in armed conflict in the Middle East, the redrawing of the global energy-resources map or rapid progress in artificial intelligence, the world is changing! From the situation in the Middle East to the adoption of electric…
