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Custodia Financial Services, Harrow Business Centre, 429-433 Pinner Road, London (2026)

14/10/2026

When was the last time you actually looked at what your investments are doing?

Not the headlines. Not the market news.

Your investments. Your money. Your returns.

Most people set up their investments and then do not look at them for years. That is not necessarily a bad thing. But a quick review once or twice a year can make a meaningful difference.

Here is a simple 15-minute review.

Step 1: Log in and check the current value. How does it compare to what you originally invested? Most platforms show you a simple gain or loss figure. This is not about panicking if it is down or celebrating if it is up. It is about knowing where you stand.

Step 2: Check the charges. What are you paying in platform fees and fund fees? A difference of 0.5% a year might not sound like much, but on a £200,000 portfolio over 20 years, it is the difference of tens of thousands of pounds. If your charges seem high, it is worth comparing alternatives.

Step 3: Check your asset allocation. This means how your money is split between shares, bonds, property, and cash. Over time, your allocation drifts as different assets grow at different rates. If you started with 80% shares and 20% bonds, a strong stock market might mean you are now 90/10. That changes your risk profile. Rebalancing once a year brings it back to your intended split.

Step 4: Check it still matches your goals. If you are five years closer to retirement than when you set it up, your investment approach may need to change. More cautious as you get closer. More growth-focused if you have decades ahead.

That is it. Four checks. Fifteen minutes.

You do not need to make dramatic changes. You just need to stay aware of what you own, what it costs, and whether it still fits.

P.S. If someone you know has not looked at their investments in years, tag them. Fifteen minutes could make a real difference.

13/10/2026

"I will invest when the market drops."

This is something I hear constantly.

And it almost never works.

The logic sounds reasonable. Wait for prices to fall, buy low, and benefit from the recovery.

But in practice, the people who wait for the dip are the same people who are too nervous to buy when the dip arrives. When the market falls, the news is full of reasons why it will fall further.

And while they wait, the market moves on without them.

Here is what the research consistently shows.

A study by Schroders found that missing just the 30 best days in the UK stock market over a 30-year period would have turned £1,000 into less than £500. Staying invested for the entire period would have turned it into over £8,000.

The best days tend to happen right after the worst days. If you are out of the market when the worst days happen, you are almost certainly out when the best days happen too.

Time in the market beats timing the market. Not sometimes. Almost always.

Here is what actually works.

Invest regularly. The same amount, every month. This is called pound cost averaging. When prices are high, your money buys fewer units. When prices are low, it buys more. Over time, you smooth out the volatility and remove the emotion from the decision.

You do not need to be clever about it. You just need to be consistent.

Set up a monthly direct debit into your ISA or pension. Choose your investment. Then leave it alone.

The best time to start investing was ten years ago. The second best time is today.

P.S. We all know someone who keeps saying "I will invest when the market drops." Share this with them.

12/10/2026

You have been meaning to start investing for years.

But the money stays in the savings account because you are not sure where to begin.

Here is a simple framework to get started.

First, a caveat. This is not investment advice. This is a framework for thinking about whether investing might be right for you, and how to begin.

Cash savings are not wrong. You need cash. It is your safety net, your short-term fund, your emergency reserve.

But money you do not need for five years or more is likely to lose purchasing power sitting in a savings account. Inflation quietly erodes it.

Here is how to think about it.

Step 1: Work out how much cash you actually need. A general rule of thumb is three to six months of essential expenses held in easy-access savings. This is your emergency fund. It is not for investing. It stays in cash.

Step 2: Identify money you will not need for at least five years. This could be surplus savings, a bonus you do not need to spend, or money you have been building up with no clear purpose. The five-year horizon matters because investing is volatile in the short term but has historically rewarded patience over longer periods.

Step 3: Choose a tax-efficient home for it. An ISA is usually the first stop. You can invest up to £20,000 a year in a Stocks and Shares ISA, and any growth or income is completely tax-free. If you already have a Cash ISA, you can transfer it into a Stocks and Shares ISA without losing the tax benefit.

Step 4: Choose an investment. If you are starting out, a global index fund is a simple, low-cost option that gives you broad exposure to companies around the world. You do not need to pick individual shares. You do not need to time the market. You just need to start.

Platforms like Vanguard, AJ Bell, and Hargreaves Lansdown all offer Stocks and Shares ISAs with access to index funds. Charges vary, so compare before you commit.

The hardest part is not the investing. It is making the decision to begin.

P.S. Know someone who has been meaning to start investing but keeps putting it off? Send them this.

09/10/2026

Estate planning is not just for the wealthy.

It is for anyone who has built something they want to pass on.

Here are three mistakes that regularly cost families thousands of pounds and months of stress.

1. Not writing life insurance in trust

If your life insurance pays out when you die, the payout is added to your estate for inheritance tax purposes. On a £500k policy, that could mean an additional £200k in IHT. Writing the policy in trust means the payout goes directly to your beneficiaries, outside your estate, and is not subject to IHT. Most insurers will provide trust forms for free. It takes ten minutes to set up and it can save your family a substantial amount.

2. Relying on "we have been together for years" instead of a will

Unmarried partners have no automatic inheritance rights in the UK. It does not matter if you have been together for twenty years. Without a will, your estate passes according to intestacy rules, which typically means children, parents, or siblings. Not your partner. If you are in an unmarried relationship with shared assets, a will is not optional. It is essential.

3. Leaving pension nominations out of date

Most pensions allow you to nominate who receives the death benefits. But many people set this up when they first joined the scheme and never updated it. If your circumstances have changed, your nominations may not reflect your wishes. An ex-partner could still be listed. A new child might not be included. Log in to each pension and check your nomination. Update it if needed. It takes five minutes and it ensures your pension benefits go where you intend.

None of these require expensive legal work. They require attention.

The cost of not doing them is borne by the people you leave behind.

P.S. If this might help someone you know get their affairs in order, feel free to share it.

08/10/2026

Inheritance tax is charged at 40% on everything above £325k when you die.

If you own a home, have pensions, and have savings, you may be closer to that threshold than you think.

IHT is often called a tax on the wealthy. But with property values where they are today, more and more professionals are caught by it.

Here is a simple way to estimate your exposure.

1: Add up everything you own. Your home. Savings. Investments. Pensions (some fall outside your estate, but not all). Life insurance payouts not written in trust. Business assets. Personal belongings of value.

2: Subtract any debts. Mortgage, loans, credit cards.

What is left is your estate value.

3: Compare it to the nil-rate band. The standard nil-rate band is £325k per person. If you leave your home to direct descendants, you may also get the residence nil-rate band. That adds another £175k. For a married couple or civil partners, these can be combined. That gives a potential total of £1m before IHT applies.

If your estate is above those thresholds, everything above is taxed at 40%.

Here is a quick example. A single person owns a home worth £500k. They have £100k in savings and £50k in investments. Their estate is £650k. The nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band total £500k if leaving to children. The taxable amount is £150k. The IHT bill would be £60k.

There are ways to reduce this. Gifting during your lifetime. Writing life insurance into trust. Using pension death benefits wisely. Making charitable bequests.

But the first step is always the same. Know the size of your estate. Know whether IHT is likely to apply.

Spend ten minutes adding up the numbers. What you find might start a conversation you have been putting off.

P.S. Most people do not think about inheritance tax until it is too late to plan. Share this with someone who should.

07/10/2026

If you died tomorrow, do you know exactly who gets what?

Not what you assume would happen.

What would actually happen, legally.

Most people assume their partner inherits everything. But that is not always the case.

If you are married or in a civil partnership, your spouse has strong legal protections. But the rules around intestacy can still produce surprises. Intestacy means dying without a will. The results can be unexpected, especially if you have children.

If you are unmarried, your partner has no automatic right to inherit anything. It does not matter how long you have been together. It does not matter if you have children together.

This is one of the biggest gaps I see in estate planning for architects. Especially those in their 40s and 50s who have built up wealth but never wrote a will. Or wrote one years ago and never updated it.

Here is what to check.

1: Do you have a will? If not, that is the priority. A solicitor can draft one for a few hundred pounds. It is one of the most important documents you will ever sign.

2: If you do have a will, when was it last updated? Life changes. Relationships change. Children arrive. Property is bought. If your will does not reflect your current life, it may not reflect your wishes.

3: Have you set up a Lasting Power of Attorney? An LPA lets someone you trust make decisions for you if you lose the capacity to make them yourself. There are two types. One for financial decisions. One for health and welfare. Both matter. You can set them up at https://zurl.co/w1SCD.

These are not tasks for later. They are tasks for now.

The cost of getting this wrong is not measured in money. It is measured in the stress you leave behind for the people you care about most.

P.S. If this is a prompt someone you know needs, feel free to share it.

06/10/2026

When people think about financial protection, they think about life insurance.

But statistically, you are far more likely to be unable to work due to illness or injury than to die during your working years.

Which means income protection is usually the bigger priority.

Life insurance pays out when you die. It is important if you have dependants or a mortgage.

But income protection pays out when you are alive and unable to earn. That is the scenario most people have not planned for.

Imagine being off work for twelve months. A back injury. A cancer diagnosis. A mental health condition. Your mortgage still needs paying. Your family still needs feeding. Your bills do not pause because your income has.

Income protection replaces a portion of your income. Usually around 50% to 70%. It pays out until you return to work or until retirement age.

Here is what makes it relevant for architects.

If you are a salaried architect, your employer's sick pay will likely run out within six months. Some firms offer less. After that, you are on your own.

If you run your own practice, there may be no sick pay at all. If you stop working, the income stops straight away.

Critical illness cover is different. It pays a one-off lump sum for specific conditions. Income protection is broader. It covers almost any condition that stops you from doing your job.

Here is how to think about it.

If you could not work for a year, what would happen? Would you spend savings? Sell assets? Rely on a partner's income in a way that would cause strain? If so, income protection is worth looking at.

You can get quotes online from comparison sites. Look for "own occupation" cover. That means the policy pays out if you cannot do your specific job. Not just any job.

It is not glamorous. But it is one of the most important financial decisions you can make.

P.S. If you know someone self-employed or running a practice with no cover, pass this along.

05/10/2026

If you were unable to work for 6 months, would your family be okay financially?

Most architects I ask this question pause for a long time before answering.

That pause is the problem.

Protection planning is the area of finance that most people avoid. Not because it is complicated, but because it means thinking about things you would rather not think about.

But ignoring it does not make the risk go away. It just means the risk is unmanaged.

Here is how to check where you stand. It takes about twenty minutes.

1: Work out your monthly essential costs. Mortgage or rent, household bills, food, insurance, school fees, anything that cannot be cut if income stops. Write down the total.

2: Check how long your income would continue if you could not work. If you are employed, check your contract. Many employers offer some form of sick pay, but it often drops to statutory levels after a few months. Statutory Sick Pay is currently £116.75 per week. If you are self-employed or a practice owner with no sick pay policy, the answer may be zero.

3: Check what cover you have. Do you have income protection insurance? Life insurance? Critical illness cover? If so, check the amounts and terms. If you have cover through your employer, check whether it follows you if you leave. Employer-provided cover often ends when the job ends.

Now compare your essential costs to the cover you have.

If there is a gap, you know how big it is. You can then decide whether you want to close it.

If there is no gap, you have just confirmed that your family is protected. That is worth knowing.

The architects who are most exposed are typically self-employed or practice owners with no employer benefits and no personal cover in place. If that describes you, this exercise is especially important.

P.S. This is the kind of thing nobody does until someone prompts them. Be that person for someone you care about.

02/10/2026

Your accountant looks at this year's tax bill.

Your financial planner looks at the next thirty years.

If they never talk to each other, you are the one who falls through the gap.

I see this often with architects who own practices.

The accountant suggests a salary and dividend mix. It makes sense for this year's tax bill.

But it does not factor in pension room. Or mortgage costs. Or long-term planning.

The financial planner suggests a pension payment. But without the full company picture, the size and timing might be off.

Both are giving good advice. But in isolation.

The person who loses out is you.

Here is what works well.

When both are connected, the tax plan and financial plan work together. The pension payment is sized to save the most tax. The salary protects your NI record without hitting the 60% trap. The dividends fit your personal tax year.

Every choice is joined up.

They do not need to be best friends. They just need one call a year about your full picture.

If they have never spoken, that is worth changing. One call between them can save you more than you would expect.

And if you do not have one or the other, that gap is costing you.

P.S. If this sounds like someone you know, feel free to share it.

01/10/2026

£400k sitting in the company account.
Built up over years of good work.
No idea how to get it out without giving 40% of it to HMRC.

This is more common than you would think.

Architects who build successful practices often end up with large cash reserves inside the company.

The profits build up over years. But nobody sits down and maps out a plan to get the money out.

Taking it out as salary or dividends triggers a big tax bill.

It just sits there. Earning almost nothing. While the owner worries about it.

Here is what we looked at together.

1st we reviewed his pension position. He had unused Annual Allowance from the previous three years. That meant his company could make a large employer pension contribution. The contribution counted as a business expense. It saved Corporation Tax. And he paid no Income Tax or National Insurance on it.

2nd we looked at how he paid himself. He had been taking a large salary out of habit, not out of strategy. We restructured the split between salary, dividends, and pension contributions. His overall tax bill dropped significantly.

3rd we considered timing. Rather than taking everything out in one year, we spread the withdrawals across several tax years. That way, each year's allowances were used fully.

The result was not a magic trick. It was a plan.

A plan that used the allowances available to everyone. In the right order. At the right time.

If you are a practice owner with retained profits and no clear strategy, the first step is simple. Ask your accountant what your effective tax rate would be on the next £50k you take out. If the answer surprises you, it is worth a broader conversation.
P.S. Know a practice owner sitting on retained profits with no clear plan? This might help.

Custodia Financial Services

14/10/2026

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