31-July-2017 An innovative trial in North Wales has revealed a new weapon in fighting dementia, toddlers. Following a successful experiment in a North Wales day care centre, councils and retirement home owners in England and Wales are experimenting with sharing care for the very young and the very old. Amazing results Six pre-school children joined […]
Latest News
Government to Crackdown on Unfair Leasehold Charges
25-July-2017 Government plans to remove or decrease excessive ground rent will be outlined by the Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid, today. Under the Government’s proposals – which are subject to an eight week consultation period – developers would be banned from selling new-build houses on onerous leases. What is a leasehold property? Leaseholders own their homes […]
Inheritance Tax Collection Breaks Record
29-June-2017 Record-breaking receipts from Inheritance Tax (IHT) boost treasury coffers. HMRC collected £5.1bn from Inheritance Tax bills over the last 12 months, records show. This is the first time that inheritance tax bills have broken through the £5bn barrier within a single year. Why are Inheritance Tax bills rising? Once the reserve of the super-rich, […]
The Return of the Green Deal
20-June-2017 The Green Deal which was shelved in 2015 has now returned and homeowners will once again be able to finance energy efficient improvements with a fixed-term loan on attractive terms. The original Green Deal was launched by the Government in 2013 with loans available for home improvements that made properties more energy efficient. These […]
Blue Peter Presenter Dies
30-May-2017 The death of popular Blue Peter presenter, John Noakes, is a timely reminder of the devastating effect of dementia. Noakes was a stalwart of children’s television in the 70s and 80s. During his 12 years on Blue Peter, he climbed Nelson’s Column without a safety net and completed a record-breaking free-fall parachute jump. But […]
Stealth Tax for Death-in-Service Payments
26-May-2017 Some families struggling to cope with the death of a loved one will be hit by a 55% tax on death-in-service payments intended to help support the surviving partner. Many workplace pension schemes include a death-in-service clause which , if an employee dies, will allow the surviving partner to take a lump sum. This […]
Tory Care Plans Could Leave Councils Millions in Debt
24-May-2017 An expert on social care believes the Tories’ care proposals could leave Local Authorities millions in debt. Luke Clements, Professor of Law and Social Justice at Leeds University, believes that Councils will have to demand extra funding from the Treasury to cover the cost of allowing care fees to be deferred until death. Professor […]
Helping Your Child to Buy
7-April-2017 With climbing house prices and more stringent mortgage criteria, it’s no wonder that more children than ever before are having to rely on the bank of Mum and Dad – or the bank of Granddad and Grandma. According to the Social Mobility Commission, over 30% of first time buyers are dependent on gifts from […]
£50,000 for Daughter Who Was Cut Out of Mother’s Will
27-March-2017 Last week the Supreme Court ruled against a daughter who challenged her mother’s right to leave her entire estate to animal charities. The case concerned Heather Ilott who took action after her mother, who had died in 2004, left the majority of her £486,000 estate to three animal charities. The daughter had been estranged […]
Triple Death Taxes Hit the Grieving
22-March-2017 The death of a loved one can often lead to financial hardship for their partner and family, particularly if there are young children to support. It may therefore come as a surprise that the Government plans to introduce yet further measures that will hit those already struggling to cope with their loss. Widowed Parent’s […]
Financial Advisers Praying on Vulnerable People
9-March-2017 While those with dementia need financial support more than those without, there are no rules to prevent financial advisers from selling products to them. Advisers are entitled to contact those suffering from dementia or other conditions common in old age, advertise their products and sign up new clients, regardless of their mental health. Last […]
Hike in Probate Fees to Go Ahead
6-March-2017 The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that the fees charged for probate on some estates will increase by nearly £20,000. The Government recently concluded a consultation on the matter which saw less than 2% of respondents in favour of the increase. Just 13 of the 831 respondents to the consultation backed the proposals, and […]
Surge in Deals for First Time Buyers
3-March-2017 There are more first time buyer deals available today compared with five years ago according to business analytics service Moneyfacts – but getting on the housing ladder is still a challenge. First time buyers with a 5% deposit have some 276 deals across 53 different lenders to choose from which includes most of the […]
Tougher Penalties for Drivers Who Drive and Use a Mobile Phone
1-March-2017 New rules come into force today aimed at curbing the use of mobile phones while driving. Anyone caught tweeting, filming, or talking on a hand-held device while driving face six points on their licence and a £200 fine. Newly qualified drivers risk having their licence revoked if they accrue six points within two years […]
Buy-to-Let Landlords Find a Lending Loophole
27-February-2017 Buy-to-let landlords have found a way around strict new rules that restrict how much they can borrow – by taking a lengthier loan. The Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority set out the stricter lending rules in September of last year and these were implemented by lenders in January. Lenders now require that landlords […]
Magnetic Brain Training Can Slow Down Alzheimers
17-February-2017 A new type of therapy has been shown to be effective in treating Alzheimer’s for patients in the early or middle stages of the disease. The “NeuroAD” therapy, developed by Neuronix, involves ‘magnetic brain-training’ and is thought to help patients forge new pathways around the damaged areas in the brain. A series of studies […]
Help For Over-55s Who Want to Downsize
13-February-2017 The Government’s new white paper, ‘Fixing our broken housing market’, includes proposed initiatives to help the over-55s downsize from under-occupied family homes. It is hoped that by encouraging older people to move to a more suitable property, the initiatives could free up thousands of homes for younger generations. According to research, 3.4 million pensioners’ […]
Help to Buy Boom
6-February-2017 Thousands of would-be home owners are boosting their savings with the help to buy scheme. Despite the number of regular ISAs dropping, the Help to Buy ISA has proved a boon to first time buyers who are using it to get on the property ladder. When using the savings held within a Help to […]
New Threshold for Bank Protection
30-January-2017 The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) – the safety net for savers – has raised its compensation limit from £75,000 to £85,000 for individual accounts and £150,000 to £170,000 on joint accounts. The FSCS was set up under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and became active on 1 December 2001. It provides […]
Buy-to-Let Mortgage Deals End
18-January-2017 The number of buy-to-let mortgages on offer is falling as mortgage lenders react to new regulation and additional taxes on Private Landlords. The number of loans on offer has fallen from 1482 to 1408 in the past four weeks a drop which is unusual for the December period as this is usually a time […]
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