Recent data* on flexible payments from pensions shows that in Q1 2020, almost £2.5bn was withdrawn from pensions – a 19% increase on Q1 2019 withdrawals, and the highest recorded Q1 of any year since pensions freedoms began. Although the average amount withdrawn per person was £7,100 (down 3% from Q1 2019 £7,300), the total value of flexible withdrawals from pensions since

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...

UK fraud prevention groups are warning individuals to be extra vigilant following a huge increase in the number of scams seeking to exploit the pandemic; as these scams increase in sophistication, we are all vulnerable.

Your best tactic is to equip yourself to stay ScamSmart; you can do this through checking the FCA

In the spring, a surge was reported in the number of people enquiring about and opening savings accounts, as they sought to secure the best rates, before interest rate cuts fed through to savings rates and to benefit from a secure home for their money.

For UK savers, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) can provide a safeguard adding a valuable level of

• Values based investing is our preferred term for what some might call “ethical”, “sustainable” or “socially responsible” investing.

• Vales are personal, so fund managers may differ in opinion as to what constitutes “ethical”

• You can apply negative criteria to help choose which funds might match your values e.g. a fund that does NOT invest in tobacco manufacture and

I’m no psychologist, but part of my job when Marketing FMB is to think about what messages will hit home when talking to clients and potential new clients. I’ve just been listening to a webinar by Dr Thomas Mather from the Behavioural Insights Team at Aegon Cofunds to learn more about how people make decisions about their finances.

95% of our decision making comes from

All companies have a budget for marketing and FMB is no different. We took a view some years ago, not to use it to pay for listings on external websites. We do have a free listing on Unbiased, the portal for consumers. This is a website to find a financial adviser which is often pointed out by journalists at the end of a feature about personal finance, for example in the

The government has announced that it is going to lower the Premium Bond rate from 1.4% to 1.3% from May.

For many years it was a given that it was worth having some investment in National Savings. The tax treatment was favourable and they were a safe haven for your money. The return of 1.4% seemed fairly comparable to many deposits.

Several things have changed:-

1. They

...and why its provision should be considered in your Business Plan

"Establishing a new company can be a very exciting time for you, your family and your employees but undoubtedly it can also be a stressful experience. In and amongst the plethora of protection policies that you will need to implement, from income to liability protection, you can easily overlook your key