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Professional financial planning is the process which aims to help you realise your ambitions - whatever they may be. We can help you make informed decisions about your financial future, in the short, medium and long term.
You will almost certainly have goals of one kind or another - buying a home, starting a family, living abroad, exiting a business or perhaps retiring, but these have financial implications and leaving it to chance isn't an option. Careful planning helps to turn your goals into reality and the sooner you start your financial planning the greater your chance of realising them.
Let us help with some of the building blocks:
- Wills and LPOAs
Ensuring you have an up-to-date will is safest way to ensure your estate goes to who you want it to. There is no guarantee of this if you die without a will that reflects your wishes. Ensuring you have the relevant powers of attorneys in place will ensure your loved ones or carers can act on your behalf on all thing’s health and financial matters, should this become necessary.
Capel Alley cannot help with these directly, however, can introduce you to our trusted partners who can.
- Getting your pensions in order
Pensions can be intimidating at first look; however, they need not be. They are an excellent way to build a pot that can be used to provide an income in retirement. Due to their tax efficiency, professional advisers would normally look to maximise pensions first, before looking at alternative options.
If you’re holding multiple work-based or personal pensions, our financial adviser could help you with consolidating them into one easier-to-manage pension. Would formally review all your existing plans to ensure they are fit for purpose and suitable for achieving your retirement planning goals. Maximising your annual pension funding can help in two ways: one, you will be building a tax-efficient means of providing an income in retirement, and two: you will be growing a savings vehicle that is currently exempt from being liable to inheritance tax on death (potentially avoiding 40% estate tax).
- Protecting you and your assets
Often, our clients’ most valuable asset is themselves. Like all other important assets, having adequate protection in place could ensure your income continues should the unexpected happen. Capel Alley can help you to understand what your protection needs are, and how you should prioritise them. From income protection to life assurance and critical protection, our financial adviser can advise on the most suitable policy to ensure you are adequately protected – removing worry and pressure at a potentially challenging time.
- Investing
You may have savings that you would like to grow or provide you with an income. Holdings these savings on ‘cash’ (normally in a Bank) will likely see your purchasing power eroded over time, especially true if they are not growing above the rate of inflation. Investing in a well-diversified portfolio, managed by professionals will give your savings a good chance of achieving real long-term success. Like most things in life, investing is not ‘risk-free’. However, understanding risk and how much you are prepared to take and more importantly, have the capacity to take on, is something that can be established. The bedrock of a well-managed portfolio is diversification – this is how risk is managed and controlled, you can find out a little more on this by looking at how one manages risk through diversification.
- Tax-free growth and income (ISAs)
ISAs are highly beneficial in growing your money to provide tax-free growth and/or tax-free income. There is a limit to how much can be invested each year: currently £20,000 per individual, per tax year (£9,000 for Junior ISAs). All funds built up in ISAs are free from UK tax on interest, dividends, and capital gains. Your investment fund may start outside of an ISA, however each year, we can help you sweep up to £20,000 into an ISA, to achieve tax efficiency (a term known as 'Bed & ISA').
- Inheritance
Sadly, when it comes to inheritance, the UK tax man receives more than he really needs to. This area of planning is often ‘under-planned’. You will no doubt want to leave as much of your hard-earned wealth to your family. There are various ways to help reduce your estate's inheritance tax liability when you die. Please see our ‘Our Top Tips for Reducing Inheritance Tax’.
Will writing and powers of attorney are not part of the Quilter Financial Planning offering and is offered in our own right. Quilter Financial Planning accept no responsibility for this aspect of our business.
For ISA Investors do not pay any personal tax on income or gains, but ISAs may pay unrecoverable tax on income from stocks and shares received by the ISA managers.
Tax treatment varies according to individual circumstances and is subject to change.
Stocks and Shares ISAs invest in Corporate bonds; stocks and shares and other assets that fluctuate in value.
Inheritance Tax/Estate Planning is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
