Abacus Associates - Anna Martin

05/06/2024

29/05/2024

Are you unprepared for retirement and relying on state benefits alone? Or do you not know or understand the pension arrangements you have in place or how much they will provide you? The state pension age is rising and I believe im not alone saying it’s not just me that doesn’t fancy working until age 67 😱 contact me for a no obligation pension review 📞

19/05/2024

I am also a medics money approved adviser 🥳

17/05/2024

Did you know that statutory sick pay is only £116 per week - less than £500 in an average month? 😨 SSP will be paid for a maximum of 28 weeks, following this you will be reliant on either depleting your own hard earned savings or state benefits if eligible.

Do you have a good understanding of what sick pay your employer offers, if anything?

It can be a struggle to support your basic standard of living or support your families on statutory sick pay or state benefits alone.

Income protection while you are actively earning is important to ensure you continue to receive a more comfortable level of income (usually 65% of earnings) should you be unable to work.

Income protection can be taken out on a basis that will continue to pay for as long as all the way to retirement should you remain incapacitated long term.

Whether this is something you do not have in place currently or you are unsure if your existing policy still meets your needs feel free to contact me for a no obligation chat or review 📞🙏

16/05/2024

🔍 Is it time for a midlife MOT?

We’re not talking about your physical health here (that’s the doctor’s remit). We're talking about a check-up to assess your financial wellbeing. 📊

Nearly 1 in 6 individuals aged 45-54 are making significant financial sacrifices to ensure their pension pots are up to scratch for retirement.

At the same time, they are still juggling a multitude of other financial responsibilities, including childcare and mortgages, at a time when cost of living pressures persist. 🏠

Just like you’d go to the doctor for a check-up if you were feeling a bit run down, a financial MOT could be just what you need at this crucial time in your life to ensure your finances are working for you. 💡

Here are some key aspects to think about:
📝 Retirement planning
🤝 Protection review
🏦 Debt management
📈 Investment assessment
🏡 Estate planning

Here to help: If a midlife financial MOT sounds like it might benefit you, get in touch – we’re on hand to help you review each aspect of your finances and develop a comprehensive financial plan.

04/04/2024

Help to support and grow my page, click these three dots and invite your friends list - much appreciated! 🎉

04/04/2024

Later life planning 👨🏼‍🦳👵🏼- consider the implication of potential care costs and inheritance tax planning if applicable. Consider setting aside savings and investments for children and grandchildren if the capital is available.

In summary, across your lifetime there are often a lot of areas and opportunities available that a financial planner can be of assistance with to ensure effective planning for the future, establish any shortfalls and make sure important areas of planning aren’t missed 🏆✔️

28/03/2024

Why might I need financial planning 💭

At retirement 🥳 - Whenever this may be depends on the individual and you may have a desired retirement age you have worked towards or had in mind. This is where the majority seek advice as they now need to know what they have and if and when they can retire. It’s always ideally beneficial to look at this in the prior stages to ensure you are on track. Retirement advice is important at this stage due to the availability of drawdown flexibility, to ensure you make use of available tax allowances and to ensure the income you wish to draw from your pension is ultimately sustainable. Also drawdown isn’t for everyone - secure and risk free income may be more suitable for you and you may be eligible for enhanced annuity rates based on your health!

25/03/2024

Why might I need financial planning ? 💭

Age 40-67👩🏻‍⚕️👨🏽‍🔧- Likely you will be at the height of career and earnings by this stage and will be thinking more seriously about retirement. Tax planning may become a priority to you and best making use of your allowances. It can become a concern as to what you are going to have in retirement at this stage and you may have a number of workplace pensions which have been accumulated over the years which can be easy to loose track of.

Appropriate planning at this time can be essential to make sure you are on track for your retirement - aiming to meet the goal of when you actually want to retire and how much you may need to do so. Whether this is achievable or further savings need to be made.

23/03/2024

Why might I need financial planning ? 💭

Age 20-40 👨🏼‍🍼🤱🏼- in this stage of life your biggest asset is your income. Protecting this is important and often overlooked. How you would meet your expenses if yourself or your partner was unable to work due to medium or long term illness for instance. Critical illness and life insurance are important to cover any liabilities or mortgage you may have as well as additional to go towards supporting your family - this is the cover we hope we never need but can be invaluable in the event it may be required

Over this time if surplus is available it’s important to start to look at making regular savings and investments to your retirement - especially if you are self employed and do not have a workplace pension in place. This can also provide valuable tax planning opportunities.

Absolutely consider creating a Will and lasting power of attorney.

21/03/2024

It’s almost the end of the tax year! Did you know making a pension contribution can reduce your overall tax rate and even restore your entitlement to child benefit payments. For business owners employer contributions can allow you to draw funds from your business tax efficiently for your retirement👌✔️

The graph below illustrates the impact of tax advantages on a contribution of £1,000 into a pension. Witness how potential tax relief increases, allowing you to keep more of your hard-earned money.

Understanding the dynamics is key:

Investing not only has the potential to grow your wealth but can also provide tax advantages. Watch as the lines on the graph vary, demonstrating the impact across different rates of tax.

Ready to put your money to work? Contact your adviser today:

21/03/2024

A Lifetime ISA has two uses – you can save for a first home or an income boost in retirement. What separates it from a standard ISA is the government's 25% bonus added to your monthly savings.