Dowes Wealth

23/10/2026

https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/wear-it-pink/

Wear it Pink 2026 falls on Friday 23 October 2026. Discover the history, meaning, and ways to celebrate. Full guide.

21/10/2026

What is an ISA?

An ISA, (Individual Savings Account) is one of the most popular and tax-efficient ways for UK residents to invest and save for the future.

Investments in an ISA are free of income tax and capital gains tax for the duration of the investment.

Dowes Wealth is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James's Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority).



SJP Approved: 16/7/2026



St. James's Place

19/10/2026

Shielding protection cover from inflation

The longer a policy is in place, the greater the risk inflation will erode the real value of a fixed benefit.

Index linking (linking the policy value to inflation) can help the payouts keep pace with rising costs.

Financial advice can ensure you take out the right protection cover for you and your family.

Most of us understand that inflation pushes up the cost of everyday essentials, from food shopping to energy bills. But fewer people realise it can also reduce the future value of their protection cover.

If you have life insurance or critical illness cover, the amount paid out might stay the same while the cost of living continues to rise. Over time, that could mean the policy provides less financial support than you originally intended. That’s why it’s worth considering ways to help your protection cover keep pace with inflation, so it continues to provide a valuable safety net for you and your loved ones.

How inflation erodes your spending power
It can be helpful to keep tabs on your everyday costs and outgoings – the mortgage, energy bills, petrol, and food shopping. It supports your household budgeting and helps you feel in control. It can also help you understand how much protection, such as life insurance, critical illness, and income protection cover, you may need.

Many people will have felt the effects of rising costs in recent years as prices have increased. This is inflation reducing the purchasing power of your money. It means the same amount of money today may buy less in the future.

Niki Patel, tax and trust specialist at St. James's Place, says: “The higher inflationary environment of the last few years is a reminder that the spending power of money changes over time. This is an important factor to consider when taking out or reviewing a long-term insurance policy.

“The benefit or payout from a critical illness, income protection or life assurance policy could have much less spending power in a decade or longer if it doesn’t increase over time.”

To read more click on the link below:

Most of us understand that inflation pushes up the cost of everyday essentials, from food shopping to energy bills. But fewer people realise it can also reduce the future value of their protection cover.

16/10/2026

https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/adventure-day/

Adventure Day 2026 falls on Saturday 17 October 2026. Discover the history, meaning, and ways to celebrate. Full guide.

14/10/2026

Pensions and IHT: the 'double tax' trap

From April 2027, most unused pensions and death benefits will fall into estates for IHT purposes. In some cases, inherited pensions may be subject to both inheritance tax (IHT) and income tax.

If you pass your estate to a spouse or civil partner, it’s IHT free.

There are financial planning opportunities such as gifting, annuities and insurance cover which can help lower the tax burden for your beneficiaries.

For years, pensions have offered a valuable tax advantage alongside retirement income, enabling people to pass on wealth to the next generation. But from April 2027, changes to inheritance tax rules could mean some families face a significantly larger tax bill than they expected.

In some cases, beneficiaries may face both inheritance tax and income tax on inherited pensions – this is known as the ‘double tax trap.’

Who will this impact?
Inheritance tax is charged on estates worth more than £325,000 (the nil band rate). For homeowners, the threshold can rise to £500,000 through the availability of the residence nil-rate band – an extra £175,000 IHT free allowance available when a person’s direct descendants inherit your home.

If your estate (which is likely to include your unused pension from April 2027) exceeds this threshold, your unused pensions may face the 'double tax' trap.

However, if your pension is passed to your spouse, no IHT needs to be paid on the unused funds.

How does the 'double tax' work?
Currently inherited pensions may be subject to income tax in certain situations. For example, if you die aged 75 or over, a large lump sum payment is made. The move to bring them into estates for inheritance purposes from April of next year effectively adds a second layer of tax – IHT.

Let’s look at an example where you die aged 75 or over:

An unused pension of £100,000 (that has pushed the estate above the IHT allowance) would initially face IHT of 40% - £40,000. The remaining £60,000 may then be subject to income tax when the beneficiary withdraws it. The tax rate levied will depend on the income tax band in which the beneficiary’s income currently falls.

As the example demonstrates, beneficiaries can be left with significantly less than the original pension value once both taxes have been applied.

For years, pensions have offered a valuable tax advantage alongside retirement income, enabling people to pass on wealth to the next generation. But from April 2027, changes to inheritance tax rules could mean some families face a significantly larger tax bill than they expected.

12/10/2026

The missing years: caring, career pauses and long-term planning

Women are more likely than men to take a career break (56% vs 38%), but it can come at a financial cost.2

Career breaks can affect earnings, pension savings and long-term financial security, while also making the return to work more challenging.

Understanding the potential impact and planning ahead can help women make informed and confident decisions about their financial future.

Figures show women are substantially more likely than men to take a career break during their working life.1 Whether it’s maternity leave, caring for young children, or looking after elderly family members, the responsibilities that lead to time out of paid work are more likely to impact women.

But while career breaks are often a positive experience, they can have long-reaching effects, both financially and on women’s confidence about returning to work.

This is where having a financial plan can help. Instead of treating career breaks as interruptions or gaps with damaging financial impacts, they need to be recognised as a normal part of women’s financial journeys.

Sensible long-term planning can help women more confidently navigate these changes in their working life.

The realities of career breaks
For many women a career break is a positive choice. It may involve new caring responsibilities, such as having children, for example. For others, a career break may be a time to step back and recharge. It might offer the space to consider and plan a different career path.

One in five (21%) women say their career break allowed them to reset and 14% said it gave them peace of mind.3

But not all career breaks feel positive or energising. Redundancy or illness can also give rise to an enforced career gap that wasn’t expected.

Regardless of the reasons, career breaks can bring disruption to long-term finances. In some cases, this can be severe. Our research found a fifth (19%) of women felt less financially secure as a result of a career break.

Multiple and longer breaks as well as early retirement (a route sometimes taken by women to care for elderly family members) tend to have a particularly significant impact on pension savings. Depending on the circumstances, lost pension contributions, including employer contributions, can mean a shortfall in pension
saving adding up to tens of thousands of pounds, compared to the pension pot of women who didn’t take a career break.

Loss of confidence
In addition to the financial issues, career breaks can also erode confidence for some women.

After time away, some women may feel less confident about applying for more senior roles or taking on additional responsibility. But this could mean forfeiting the chance to grow in their career. Many women may lose out on earning potential in the years after a career break, as well as missing the chance to
contribute more into a pension.

Our research found that among those returning to paid work after a career break, one in five women (21%) returned part-time as opposed to full-time. This compares to 9% of men who returned part-time after a career break, while 93% returned full-time.4

To read more click on the link below:

Figures show women are substantially more likely than men to take a career break during their working life.1 Whether it’s maternity leave, caring for young children, or looking after elderly family members, the responsibilities that lead to time out of paid work are more likely to impact women.

09/10/2026

https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/world-egg-day/

World Egg Day 2026 falls on Friday 9 October 2026. Discover the history, meaning, and ways to celebrate. Full guide.

07/10/2026

Is your business cybersafe?

More than 600,000 businesses have experienced a cyber security breach in the past year, according to the government’s latest figures.1

Small-to-medium businesses are particularly vulnerable as they are less likely to have sophisticated internal IT experts to monitor and deal with cyber risks on an ongoing basis.

As cyber security awareness month kicks off, we asked the St. James's Place’s (SJP) cyber security team for their top tips on how to keep your business cybersafe.

Protect your emails...
Your email accounts will likely hold valuable information about your business and potentially your customers. Fraudsters who can hack your IT system could gain the opportunity to exploit sensitive information they find. For example, they could access financial data, gain access to other applications or pose as you – or your employees – to scam others.

Using a passkey such as fingerprint or face ID instead of a traditional password is an effective way to secure your email accounts. Even better, consider using two-factor verification which requires a one-time passcode every time you log in.

…and your devices
Keep the devices you use for business activity secure to keep bad actors out of your files. Passkeys can be effective, for example. If your computer only allows for traditional password login, make sure you choose a strong one, and change it regularly.

The National Cyber Security Centre recommends combining three random words to make a password. You should also use different passwords for different devices and be diligent when using them, especially if working in public spaces.

To read more click on the link below:

More than 600,000 businesses have experienced a cyber security breach in the past year, according to the government’s latest figures.1

05/10/2026

Financial bubbles - great stories but bad investments

Financial markets have a habit of repeating themselves. Every so often, investors become excited about a new technology or industry sector. In response, prices will often rise rapidly, drawing in more buyers and pushing asset prices higher.

These price increases may sometimes be justified. Yet, there will be occasions when there is a dislocation between prices and reasonable fundamental expectations. When this occurs, it can mean that a financial bubble has formed.

Financial bubbles have been present in financial markets for hundreds of years. The growth of railways during the Victorian era, the dot.com sector at the turn of this century, residential property in China’s main cities and cryptocurrencies all exhibited bubble-like behaviour.

The dot.com era is one of the clearest examples of what can happen. Investors rushed into technology stocks. This drove the Nasdaq index up more than sixfold before it suffered a dramatic collapse in March 2000. It took the index another 15 years to recover to its historic peak.

If bubbles follow a familiar pattern, why do they keep happening and why are so many investors caught up in them?

Rinse, repeat
US economist Hyman Minsky identified five stages in a financial bubble.

1. Displacement
The new, new thing. This occurs when investors identify a new and exciting catalyst. This could be a technology, product or theme. Something such as very low interest rates could drive this stage.

2. Boom
Momentum builds. High returns for those who invested early. Outperformance encourages new investors, while media coverage and anecdotal stories of high returns fuel more interest. Retail investors aren’t the only ones drawn in. Many professional investors such as pension funds and asset managers ride a rally because the fear of missing out (FOMO) will often be greater than the risks of a correction.

3. Euphoria
This time it’s different. Asset values continue to rise, supported by new valuation indicators showing that prices are justified. New investors continue to be drawn in. Perhaps this time, it really will be different?

4. Profit taking
The smart money heads for the exit, if it hasn’t already. Prices and share trading volumes may remain extended. Daily price moves may become more volatile. This stage is easier to identify with hindsight.

5. Panic
Prices fall, often precipitously. Regulators will often tighten the rules, hoping this will minimise the chances of a repeat bubble and crash. Critics point out that this addresses issues associated with the bubble just popped…it won’t prevent future bubbles.

To read more click on the link below:

https://www.doweswealth.co.uk/article/detail/sjpp/financial-bubbles-great-stories-but-bad-investments

Financial markets have a habit of repeating themselves. Every so often, investors become excited about a new technology or industry sector. In response, prices will often rise rapidly, drawing in more buyers and pushing asset prices higher.

02/10/2026

https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/world-smile-day/

World Smile Day 2026 falls on Friday 2 October 2026. Discover the history, meaning, and ways to celebrate. Full guide.