Fox Lifestyle Financial Planning

28/10/2026

Budget done. Stephen listened to it on the Tolkien Trail which is a better place to hear it than most.

From what he's gathered, these are the bits that will matter for your money.

𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝘀. Yesterday Stephen said the allowance was dropping to £12,000 from April. That’s been scrapped now so the full £20,000 stays. Good news, and a reminder that nothing is final until it’s final.

𝗣𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Despite the rumours, nothing changed on tax-free cash or tax relief. The state pension goes up 3.9% to £250.70 a week from April, and from April 2027 the government says anyone whose only income is the state pension won’t pay income tax. One thing that didn’t move - unused pension pots still count towards inheritance tax from April 2027. If that affects you, we’ve probably talked about it already. If we haven’t, we should.

𝗧𝗮𝘅 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲. This is the one to watch. From April 2027, tax on savings interest and property income goes up again, to 24%, 44% and 49% depending on your band. That’s on top of the 2p rise announced last year. Tax on wages hasn’t changed, but if you hold a lot in cash outside an ISA, or you’re a landlord, this matters for you. Thresholds stay frozen too, so more people drift into higher bands every year without a real pay rise.

𝗗𝗮𝘆-𝘁𝗼-𝗱𝗮𝘆. £100 energy payment this winter for homes in council tax bands A to D. Fuel duty cut kept until July 2027. Lifetime ISA withdrawal penalty cut from 25% to 20% from today.

What didn’t happen:
- No change to income tax on wages, National Insurance or VAT
- No raid on pension tax relief
- No cut to tax-free cash

What to do now? For most people, nothing in a hurry. The detail comes out in the days after the speech, not during it, and we’ll go through it properly and get in touch where something affects your plan.

If you’re not a client and you’re wondering what any of this means for you, call us on 01772 956 043.

27/10/2026

Stephen has been at Lancashire Renewables today working on their plans for 2027.

With the Budget tomorrow, he’s shared a few words on the rumours that always do the rounds beforehand.

In a nutshell, wait and see what’s actually announced before you do anything.

Two things are already confirmed for April 2027:
Unused pension pots will count towards inheritance tax
The cash ISA allowance drops to £12,000 if you’re under 65.

We’ll post a summary once we've read through the detail. Any questions in the meantime, the office number is 01772 956 043.

23/10/2026

We've been working on a few changes behind the scenes at Fox Lifestyle recently. One of them being a website refresh.

Have a nosey at foxlifefp.com and let us know what you think 🦊

23/10/2026

28/09/2026

Good advice doesn’t need big words.

It needs honesty, clarity, and someone who will actually listen.

If you need straight-talking guidance to help you move forward with confidence, that’s what we do every day.

Book a no-obligation call with one of Preston's most trusted financial advisers.

📞 01772 956 043
🦊 www.foxlifefp.com/contact/

20/09/2026

Staying up to date with investments, taxes, and financial planning takes time, expertise, and resources.

That’s why many people outsource to professionals - just like they would for legal or medical advice.

A qualified financial adviser can help you:

- Make informed, objective decisions about your money
- Avoid costly mistakes during market fluctuations
- Free up time to focus on what matters most to you

Book a no-obligation call with our team for honest, staight-talking advice you can rely on.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Google Reviews
📞 01772 956 043
🦊 www.foxlifefp.com

15/09/2026

It is Pension Awareness Week, so here is your nudge.

Set aside an hour this week and find out what you will actually have to live on when you stop working.

You have three jobs:

1. Get your State Pension forecast from GOV.UK. It's free and takes five minutes.
2. Write down every pension you have ever paid into. Six jobs often means six pensions, and most people forget at least one.
3. Work out what a year of your life costs.

We have written a guide and built a free spreadsheet to make it easier. See the link below.

If what you find raises something you cannot answer, give us a call.

https://foxlifefp.com/blog/retirement-planning-spreadsheet/

14/09/2026

The Fox Lifestyle team were in London last week for Verve's Transformation conference.

It was an early train and a long day, but worth every bit of it. Our highlights were:

• FCA updates first thing (questionable highlight but we'll leave it in)

• Seb Lewis from Vanguard on the data behind long term investing, which said what it always says. Time in the market, not timing the market (ie. boring still works)

• Dr Eliza Filby on how wealth, work and life are changing. Brilliant session.

• Then Spencer Matthews, which we weren't expecting. He was very open about his own turnaround in front of a room full of financial planners. Fair play to him.

• Colleen and Alfie attended the sound session. Headphones on, guided meditation, then up on their feet using movement to shift the energy in the room.

All in all a fantastic event, and great to get out of the office for the day with the team.

Thanks to Cathi Harrison and the Verve team for putting it on!

27/08/2026

One of the biggest mistakes people make with investing is comparing their portfolio to someone else’s.

What feels like a sensible level of investment risk to one person might feel completely uncomfortable to another.

Your financial plan should reflect:
• Your goals
• Your timeframes
• Your income and lifestyle
• How comfortable you are with market ups and downs

There’s no such thing as a perfect investment strategy for everyone.

The right plan is the one that helps you stay on track without panicking every time the market moves.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘱, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵.

27/07/2026

Almost two decades of helping people plan their financial future, and the best part hasn't changed.

People walk through our door worried. Sometimes they feel like they're in a real pickle.

But within 20 or 30 minutes, something shifts. They start to relax. They start to see a path forward.

That's what good financial planning looks like.

Not jargon. Not complicated products. Just a clear conversation that turns uncertainty into confidence.