Blackstone Partners

24/11/2025

📢 2025 Budget Briefing – What’s Changing and What It Means for You

🗓 Live Webinar: Wednesday 3rd December, 10am

There’s growing speculation around Wednesday’s Autumn Budget — with rumours of changes to pensions, Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax, and more.

If you’re wondering how it might affect your financial planning, you’re not alone.

Join us live next Wednesday as we break down the key announcements and explore what steps (if any) you might want to take.

Likely areas we'll be exploring:
✅ CGT
✅ IHT
✅ Pensions – tax-free cash, allowances, and planning opportunities

Whether you're already retired or planning ahead, this session is designed to help you stay informed and make confident decisions.

🎟 Register now 👉https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517631360565/WN_v3cyTxIDS_qQrDm0LoAe2w

🔒 Free to attend. Questions welcome.

11/07/2025

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁

It’s that time of year.

The office is a little emptier.
Team members are heading off on holidays, emails come back with out-of-office replies, and diaries suddenly have unexpected gaps.

It’s a nice breather. And it does something interesting.

When the usual noise fades, it gives you just enough space to start thinking about bigger questions.

Not,

“What are the implications for the new Inheritance Tax on pensions?”
or
“Have we used this year’s ISA allowance for clients?”

But more like,

“What would I actually do if I had more time… and less pressure?”
“What do I want my days to look like, long after these summer breaks are over?”
This is often what the summer slowdown quietly reveals.
Planning isn’t just about money.
It’s about building the kind of life where you have the freedom to decide what comes next — and the space to enjoy it.

So I’m curious:
If you had more time, more freedom, more headspace…
what would you actually want?

Feel free to drop it in the comments, or message me if it’s something you’re still figuring out.

04/07/2025

Peers bring a different kind of pressure
I’ve run many dozens of financial planning seminar, workshops and webinars over the years.

I’ve stood in front of rooms people of talking about retirement planning, tax wrappers, and estate planning strategies, and I relish it.

But last week, I had the privilege of being invited to speak twice at a global conference in Miami.

Thousands of financial planners from around the world.And it felt completely different.

The topics were ones I know well; how I’ve been using automation and AI in my own practice to streamline systems and improve our efficiency.

But last Monday, standing on that stage in front of 6,000 people, I realised something:
When I talk to clients, I’m the guide. I can predict the question, have the answers, pressure-tested the strategies and road-mapped the outcomes.

That’s my comfort zone.
But in front of peers, people who know this world inside out, I found myself wondering:
• Am I saying anything useful?
• Do they already know this?
• Why should they listen to me?

That quiet hum of doubt, classic imposter syndrome, no matter how well prepared I felt.

Because the truth is, growth often comes with discomfort.Even when you know your stuff.

And maybe that’s okay.

When you’re used to being the guide, it’s easy to forget what it feels like to be watched instead of followed.

But that’s often where the real growth happens, when you step out of confident mastery and into stretch.

It’s not comfortable.
But it’s often a sign you’re moving forward.

What are you doing this week that makes you uncomfortable?

01/07/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀

We’re in the middle of a stifling "heatwave".

I’m thinking of getting a portable air conditioning unit for the office — but by the time it arrives, we’ll probably be back to grey skies and light drizzle.

Funny thing is, we bought one for home a few years ago.
It’s only used a handful of times each year, sometimes it sits idle for two summers straight.
But when we do need it, it’s an absolute godsend.

It’s a reminder that we don’t plan for the average days.
We plan for the extremes.
For the moments that strain the system — heatwaves, cold snaps, sudden changes.

Financial planning is the same.
Most of the time, life ticks along in the comfortable middle.
But the value of a good plan shows up on the days you’d least like to be scrambling for answers.

Peace of mind often looks unnecessary… right up until the moment it’s not.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you really need a financial plan, just remember the air conditioner.

Used rarely, invaluable when it counts.

09/05/2025

According to this BBC article, Liam Payne died without a Will. That means the laws of intestacy will now decide who inherits (including, I assume, big legal fees).

It’s tragic, of course. But also really, really, baffling.

With his level of fame and earnings, you’d expect there to be a team of professionals ensuring the basics of financial planning were in place. Yet it seems to happens more often than you’d think. A couple of years ago I remember reading the same about Paul Cattermole from S-Club 7.

Now, we don’t tend to work with multi-millionaire pop stars (although if you’re reading this from a platinum recording studio, the door is open). But for anyone we do work with, ensuring up-to-date Wills and LPAs are in place is non-negotiable.

It’s not glamorous. It’s not complicated. It’s just essential.

And if your Will is still in that "must get round to it" pile somewhere between the old garden tools and last year's ISA statement, do yourself (and your loved ones) a favour and bump it to the top.

The late One Direction star's former partner Cheryl is named one of the administrators of his estate.

01/05/2025

𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗵, 𝗣𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵, 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵...𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿.
• Still calm.
• Still quiet.
• ... the perfect time to plan.

Every year, the same pattern unfolds:

The tax year ends on 5th April.

And most people start thinking about it… around the 20th of March the following year.

Often while muttering, “I thought we had more time.”

Before they realise, the ISA deadline is hours away; the pension contribution requires a spreadsheet last updated in 2019, and someone’s shouting upstairs for the login to their HMRC account.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄?
It’s 1st May.
Which means the window is wide open — and blissfully silent.

I tend to see two types of people:

1️⃣Those who act early — use allowances gradually, avoid the last-minute panic.

2️⃣And those who treat financial planning like Christmas shopping: a good idea to start in October, but somehow still crammed into the final week.

If the second one sounds familiar — no judgment. We’ve all been there.

But there’s a quiet power in moving early:

• Make your first ISA contribution now.
• Schedule your pension contributions (and give your money more time to grow)
• Review gifting and IHT allowances before December mysteriously appears again

This isn’t about perfection.
It’s about not needing to break into a sprint every March.

Because the best tax planning rarely happens in a panic.

It happens early in the year.

Quietly.

Before anyone else remembers it’s a thing.

17/04/2025

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝟵𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲.

Not forever. Just long enough to check that the work we’re doing is still taking us in the direction we said we wanted to go.

So last week, we took ourselves to the pub round the corner.

Same team. Better scenery. No fluorescent lighting — and much better coffee.

We reflected, re-set, and re-committed — not just to what we do, but why we’re doing it.

• What’s working?
• What needs rethinking?
• And what are the non-negotiables — the “rocks” we build the next 90 days around?

The immovable things that matter most, personally and professionally.

The ones that help us stay focused — especially when everything around us gets noisy or complicated (which, let’s be honest, it does).

It’s surprising how much clarity you can get from a change of scenery, a good sandwich, and a table with no Wi-Fi password.

If your year’s already picking up speed, here’s your reminder:

Pausing isn’t the 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚 of progress.
It’s 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩.

08/04/2025

A stark reminder of the important of putting in place Lasting Powers of Attorney.

Questions to ask yourself:
a. Is your sorted?
b. Are you happy that your choice of attorneys are still right?
c. Do your family know where it is?

A third of patients who are delayed getting out of hospital are stuck because of a legal complication.

17/10/2024

2024 Budget Briefing: Navigating Changes and Opportunities
After months of speculation, the wait is nearly over.

At the end of October Labour will unveil their first budget in 14 years.

On Friday 8th November we're hosting a virtual Budget Briefing to help you cut through the noise and understand what it means for your finances.

We will be running through the practical implications and how you can adjust your financial strategies to meet any new challenges or take advantage of opportunities.

Whether you’re relaxing on your sofa or working from the office, you can join us anywhere—no travel required. Just brew a cup of tea, log in, and get ready to learn how the budget could impact your financial plans for the future.

Don’t miss out! This is your chance to gain clear, actionable insights.

📅 Date: Friday, 8th November
🕒 Time: 10am
🔗 Sign up here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5517291998365/WN_QVHZjk2pRwqOrH5qZdS27g

Got questions? We’ll answer them live!

28/11/2023

Just cozied up for the evening with a little bit of "I'm a Celebrity" on the TV ! 📺🌴 While watching, I'm multitasking like a pro, finishing off writing Christmas cards for our wonderful clients, to add to the batch in the office ready to go!🎄💌

It's a special year because I'm celebrating milestones with so many! I've got a whopping 50+ cards lined up for clients who this year have been with me for 10, 15, and 20 years. 🎉 Each card is a small token of my immense gratitude for your trust and support over the years. 🤗

I'm reminded of all the incredible journeys we've shared and the milestones we've reached together.

Here's to many more years of success and partnership! 🥂