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Atticus Financial Planning Ltd

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Atticus Financial Planning Ltd

We believe in the importance of money, not as an end in itself, but as a facilitator of dreams. We c Tax planning is not regulated by the FCA.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Investments can go up as well as down, you may not get back the amount you originally invested. Atticus Financial Planning Ltd is an appointed representative of 2plan wealth management Ltd. It is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and is entered on the Financial Services Register (www.fca.org.u

k) under reference 943598. Registered Office: 5 Doe Mews, Medstead, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 5TG. Registered in England & Wales: 12825620.

17/09/2022

With the cost of care costs spiralling, managing money effectively for attorneys has become a nightmare. Attorneys are worried that a failure to invest at least some of the funds available will result in them running out of money to fund the donor’s care costs. However, the risk of potentially losing money by investing in asset backed investments is equally daunting. Some even question their authority to do so.

I feel genuine sympathy for their plight. A vast number of attorneys are simply the concerned offspring, with no professional investment or legal background, looking to manage their parent’s assets in a way that will protect their mum or dad’s financial future. For many of them, the high care costs mean that they are watching the funds available become more and more depleted on a monthly basis.

Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet in this situation. There are no cash deposits offering fantastically high rates of return with minimal levels of investment risk. The greatest security for many may come from purchasing an immediate needs annuity, but the prospect of paying a considerable sum for an income that may only last a matter of months, is an unpalatable option.

This is a very complex area, and it is crucial for any attorney thinking about investing a donor’s money, to take financial advice.

In this article, I have looked at case law to try and determine the circumstances in which it is suitable for the attorney to invest the donor’s money. Furthermore, I have highlighted some principles and considerations that may help attorneys to decide whether they should be looking to invest to maximise the donor’s returns.

Click on the picture below to read further.

A brief guide to principles and considerations that can help attorneys to decide when and how to invest a donor's funds.

12/09/2022

The demise of the final salary pension for the majority of people in the private sector, and the large drive to auto-enrol employees into employment related money purchase pensions, has resulted in a spike in the average value being built up by individuals in their pension pots. For some, the value of their pension built up over a lifetime, may now rival the value of their house.

With so much value held in pension pots, many more people are now asking what happens to their pension when they die.

I have therefore written an article which first looks at the changes which have occurred in the pension landscape with regards to retirement options and the treatment of pensions upon death, before looking at how the state pension, final salary pensions and money purchase pensions are each treated upon death under the relatively new pension freedoms.

Click on the picture below if you would like to read further.

A guide to what happens to state pensions, final salary pensions and money purchase pension pots when you die.

02/09/2022

I am frequently asked by clients what the best way is to save for private school fees. This is a complex area, due to the generally limited time to build up funds before the savings will need to be drawn down upon, as well as the relatively high level of fee inflation. There is also a lot of confusion about the current level of private school fees.

In this article, I have therefore taken the time to review the current levels of school fees and the way they are paid. I will then look at the types of investments that should be used, as well as the most tax efficient investment wrappers to use. Lastly, I will also look at the options available to grandparents to help their family fund private school fees for the children.

If you would like to read the article, please click on the picture below.

A guide to how and where to invest in order to tax efficiently build a fund that can be used to pay your children's private school fees.

27/08/2022

The importance of pensions as a tax efficient vehicle for funding retirement cannot be understated. However, more and more people are being caught by provisions brought in by the government that limit the amount individuals can save into their pensions each year.

In the past, this may have been dismissed as a problem for the wealthy, that does not affect the average person in the street.
While this may have been the case when these restrictions were first brought in, recent changes mean that even people on modest incomes can end up triggering an annual allowance charge. More and more often I am approached by clients of all income levels who have inadvertently created a tax liability by exceeding their adjusted annual allowance. Furthermore, in many cases they cannot rely on the scheme to pay the liability, meaning that they may need to find the means to pay the charge elsewhere.

In this article I have briefly looked at the annual allowance and how it works. I have also covered the main restrictions and their implications, before moving on to look at whether it is worth continuing to fund a pension, despite triggering the annual allowance charge.

If you would like to read further, please click on the picture below.

A guide to the annual allowance, MPAA and high earners taper and whether it may be worthwhile to trigger an annual allowance tax charge.

15/08/2022

Many small business owners sink blood, sweat and tears into their business. All their dreams and future goals for themselves and their loved ones are often inextricably linked to the success of their business venture. Often, they are the main bread-winner, with their partner staying home and looking after the family. When they succeed, it is the culmination of years of effort and stress, but the rewards are so sweet.

However, what happens if the unforeseen happens? What happens to your family and all the resources and effort that have been sunk into the business if the adventurous business owner dies? Do all their dreams and ambitions for their loved ones die with them?

In this article, I will discuss how to protect against such an event, using your business to provide the protection your family needs. Furthermore, I will show how this can be in a manner that can be far more cost effective and tax efficient than if you were to pay for the life insurance yourself.

If you would like to read further, please click on the picture below.

This article explains how your company can use a Relevant Life policy to tax efficiently provide your life cover

28/02/2022

As we find ourselves going through a period of global economic and political uncertainty, it is quite reasonable to ask whether you should be selling your investments and moving into cash, or whether it is best to remain invested.

In order to address this question, I have put together the article below. It will look at historical data in order to explain and justify the importance of remaining invested over the long term, despite the apparently dire economic circumstances.

If you would like to read the article, please click on the picture below.

I hope you find this article useful, but if you have any questions you would like to discuss, then please don't hesitate to give Atticus Financial Planning a call.

An explanation of the importance of remaining invested during market turbulence and not trying to time the markets

25/01/2022

As we head towards the end of tax year, my clients have started asking me that age old question: Should I fund my pension or ISA? Which is best?

In the article below, I will attempt to address this question, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each.

As always, the answer to this question can be quite nuanced and will often depend on where you are in your financial lifecycle and what you are trying to achieve. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call at Atticus Financial Planning. We are always happy to help.

If you would like to read the full article, please click on the picture below.

Analysis of pensions versus ISAs looking at tax efficiency, accessibility, contributions, IHT and investment options

19/01/2022

The end of tax year is always a mad rush to try and utilise all our personal tax allowances and reliefs in order to ensure that our investment returns and income are generated as tax efficiently as possible. After all, the government makes a limited number of tax incentives and reliefs available to us and it makes sense to utilise them as much as possible.

To help simplify your planning, I have put together a guide that aims to highlight some of the mainstream tax planning opportunities that are available and how to use them.

Click on the banner below to read the guide.

If you would like to discuss how you can make the most of these end of tax year planning opportunities, then please don't hesitate to give us a call.

This article aims to highlight some of the mainstream tax planning opportunities that are available and how to use them

03/09/2021

One of the most complex areas of investing is investment asset allocation and diversification. So many questions arise around why we do it and how to do it properly. There is a plethora of information on the internet and YouTube to the extent that Ray Dalio, the famous hedge fund manager, goes so far as to recommend an "all weather" asset allocation for the DIY investor.

In part one of our basic guide to investing we looked at what is meant by assets and asset classes. In part 2, we will look to further reduce some of the mystery around investing and portfolio construction by looking at how we utilise different asset classes to build an investment portfolio which is aligned to your own personality, attitude to risk, and what you are trying to achieve through investing.

If you would like to read the article, please click on picture below. Please feel free to post any comments or thoughts you may have on the subject in the comments section. I am always interested to hear other views on these topics.

At the end of this article, if you still have any questions or would like some advice on building a portfolio that meets your specific needs, then please don't hesitate to give us a call.

In part 2 we will look at what is meant by attitude to investment risk and asset allocation, and how to choose a suitable asset allocation

24/08/2021

"What is an investment asset class?"

This is one of the many questions I get asked by friends and prospective clients around the basic fundamentals of investing.
Many people are keen to invest, but often find themselves adrift in a flood of jargon and concepts that seem to make absolutely no sense. I have therefore put together a two part series of articles that look to explain some of the basic concepts that are crucial to understand, before taking the leap into actually investing your money.

In the first part we will look at the building blocks that make up an investment portfolio: the asset classes. We will look at each asset class and discuss what it is and how it works. We will look at the advantages and disadvantages of each and how they can be used to build a well diversified portfolio.

In part 2, I will look at asset allocation and diversification and how to build a portfolio that is suitable for you and what you are looking to achieve.

I really believe that if more people understood these concepts, there would be far more individuals reaping the potentially life changing benefits of a well structured investment portfolio. More importantly, there would be far fewer new investors being taken in by the dishonest snake-oil salesmen who peddle investment scams around the world.

Click on the picture below to read the article. Please feel free to add any comments or questions below.

If you are interested in investing, but would still like some help putting together a well balanced portfolio, then please don't hesitate to give us a call.

A guide to the 7 most important investment asset classes, what they are, and how they work as the building blocks of a diverse portfolio

06/08/2021

What do you need to consider when selling your business?

I am frequently asked this question by clients who have been incredibly successful in building their business, but have given little thought to how they will eventually exit the business or what a successful exit will even look like. The reality is that selling a business can be as fraught with pitfalls as the actual process of starting the business up and making it profitable.

I have therefore put together this guide which takes an in-depth look at:
• When you should start planning your business exit
• Your objectives when selling your business
• Your options when selling your business
• How to make your business more attractive to buyers
• How to value your business
• Which advisers you should talk to and how they can help
• How a financial adviser can help with your exit planning

I hope you find this guide useful, but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. We are always happy to help and have a broad range of contacts with other experienced professionals, who can make a huge difference to the eventual outcome of your business sale.

Click on the picture below to read the article. As always, please feel free to leave any thoughts in the comments section below.

A guide to many of the most important considerations when looking to sell your business in order to ensure the best outcomes

03/08/2021

I was recently confronted with this question by one of my clients, who explained that in my articles I frequently assume a level of knowledge amongst my readers that simply isn’t there.

I was shocked to hear this and quite frustrated with myself. Here I am, happily making articles and videos about the more complex areas of pensions, investments and Inheritance Tax planning, when it had never occurred to me to put together an article explaining the basics of what pensions actually are, what they do and the options they offer. We do have a free pension guide available under the resources section of our website, but this is largely a users guide to defined contribution pensions, with little focus on the other pension options available, like the State Pension and Defined Benefit Pensions.

In order to address this oversight, I have put together this article where I will look at the most commonly asked questions I come across relating to pensions.

In the article I will look at the following areas:
• What is a pension?
• The State Pension
• Defined Benefit (Final Salary) Pensions
• Defined Contribution (Money Purchase) Pensions

When looking at the different pension options, I will consider:
• What they are
• Eligibility
• How they work
• Your retirement options
• What happens to the pension when you die?

If you would like to read the article, please click on the picture below. As always, please comment and let us know if you have any views on the article. If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to give us a call.

This guide will provide details of the UK State Pension, Defined Benefit Pensions & Defined Contribution Pensions & the options they offer

Address

5 Doe Mews
Medstead
GU345TG

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 6:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 6:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 6:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 6:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 6:30pm

Website

https://www.atticusfinancialplanning.co.uk/

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