Figures recently released by HMRC have revealed a sharp rise in voluntary National Insurance Contributions (NICs) over the past couple of years as people seek to top up their State Pension record.

Chance to boost your pension

In 2018/19, the total value of voluntary ‘Class 3’ NICs amounted to £119.3m; in comparison, the figure was £12.8m in 2016/17 – a nine-fold increase

The New Year period is a common time for people to take stock of their finances and make resolutions designed to boost their financial wellbeing. And a new study has found the likelihood of success in this area is heavily linked to receiving professional advice and the establishment of clear financial objectives.

Advice is key to success

The recently released research*

A team of young players from a local academy run by Ken Richardson have gone on to enter the Lancaster & Morecambe Men's Table Tennis Championship League, including son of one of our Financial Planners, David Edwards.

Under the captaincy of John Allen, they have played under the name Ken’s Crowd as an acknowledgement of where they started out and where they gained the

The turn of the New Year will have no doubt brought about an abundance of resolutions but we all know that sticking to them is the hardest part. If improving your financial fitness is one of yours for 2020, we have 5 resolutions that you can follow below:-

1. Calculate your personal net worth

This isn’t as difficult as it may sound. Firstly, you need to make a record of

The next instalment of our 'A Day in the Life of' series sees Roger Jackson walk us through a typical day as FMB's Director of Financial Planning...

"I arrive at the office just after 9am after dropping my children at school and nursery. I’ve already checked and cleared my emails first thing from home, so I’m able to get straight into the day ahead.

As the Director of

The next instalment of our 'A Day in the Life of' series sees Rebecca Wilson walk us through a typical day as FMB's Marketing Co-ordinator...

"After dropping my son at nursery, I make my way to the office. First things first, I make myself a coffee (a morning essential!) and head to my desk to start working my way through emails and flag any that require attention. I have

A new publication by Aegon dropped into my inbox this week. It's designed to encourage consumers to take financial advice. With access to so much information on-line you might wonder how there is still a market for face to face advice, but as the sign in some GP practices points out; "Don't confuse your Google search with my medical degree!", the same applies.

The booklet

What better way to get to know your colleagues than a 24 mile walk? We asked Charlie to tell us about her experience of the Ullswater Way Challenge last weekend.

"I've barely been at FMB a few weeks, but I had the opportunity to join in with some of the team for their attempt at the Ullswater Way Challenge. It seemed a great opportunity to get to know the team better