Ed Janes - Quilter Financial Advisers

Ed Janes - Quilter Financial Advisers I am a Financial Planner at Quilter Financial Advisers providing services in Pensions, Inheritance Tax and retirement planning, Investments, and Protection.

Do you know what your number is that will enable you to retire? To be at the point that everyone wants to be. To have enough money to live the life you want for the rest of your life, without the fear of running out of money. Well…. I can tell you. You can refer to me as a “lifestyle” financial planner. I help you achieve your long-term financial goals by taking the time to understand how things a

re for you now and listen to what you would like life to be like for you and your family in the future. I use cutting-edge software to create a well-balanced financial plan as well as advise you how to invest wisely, effectively and as tax-efficiently as possible. I also help people with intergenerational wealth, so your hard work can help the people you want, for generations. I often think about the saying “You don’t know what you don’t know” as it prompts the question; Can you be certain that you’re making informed decisions about you and your family’s future if you’re not taking advice? Approver Quilter Financial Services Limited & Quilter Mortgage Planning Limited. 29/10/2024

Marcus is 61. His accountant says he’s worth £4.5m. £4m of that is a company he hasn’t sold yet.On paper, Marcus has had...
08/06/2026

Marcus is 61. His accountant says he’s worth £4.5m. £4m of that is a company he hasn’t sold yet.

On paper, Marcus has had a brilliant career. Three decades building a business from nothing into something genuinely valuable. The plan, as he describes it, is simple: sell in a few years, and the proceeds become his retirement.

The trouble is that almost everything he owns depends on a single event that hasn’t happened yet, at a price nobody can guarantee, to a buyer who doesn’t exist yet.

If the sale takes longer than hoped, his retirement waits with it. If his sector cools, or higher borrowing costs make buyers more cautious and push valuations down, or the offer simply comes in lower than expected, his entire plan moves. A sale price 15% below expectation isn’t an abstract figure to Marcus. It’s roughly £600,000 off the rest of his life, with nothing else to absorb it.

This isn’t an argument against his business. The business is what created the wealth in the first place. The risk is letting it become the whole strategy rather than the source of it.

The owners who retire well tend to do something quietly sensible in the years before they sell. They build wealth outside the company as they go. Pensions, ISAs, investments that have nothing to do with the firm. Not in a panic the year before exit, but steadily, over time, and through far more efficient routes than a last minute dividend grab.

Because the sale itself is taxed too. A large disposal in one year brings a capital gains tax bill that takes a real slice of the proceeds. Reliefs such as Business Asset Disposal Relief may reduce the rate on a portion of the gain, but the lifetime limit means most of a sale this size is taxed at the standard rate. One asset, taxed on the way out, with the timing of the whole thing outside your control.

The founders who retire comfortably are rarely the ones who bet everything on the exit. They’re the ones who spent years building something the sale never had to rescue.

This is a fictional example provided solely for illustrative purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances vary and are subject to change.

£2,880 a year. One newborn grandchild. £1,000,000 by the time they retire.Here’s one of the most powerful things a grand...
04/06/2026

£2,880 a year. One newborn grandchild. £1,000,000 by the time they retire.

Here’s one of the most powerful things a grandparent can do, and most people have never heard of it.

You can pay into a pension for a grandchild from the day they’re born. The limit is £2,880 a year. But because of tax relief, the government tops that up to £3,600 going into the pension. Free money added to every contribution, even though the child has never earned a penny.

Now look at what time does with it.

If you contribute £2,880 a year (£3,600 after tax relief) for the first 18 years of a grandchild’s life, and then never add another penny, that pot could grow to around £100,000 by their 18th birthday, assuming 5% annual growth.

Left completely untouched, that £100,000 keeps growing. By the time the grandchild reaches 65, it could be worth £1,000,000. You stopped contributing at 18. Compounding did the rest.

But there’s a second benefit most people miss. That £2,880 a year sits neatly within the £3,000 annual gift exemption for inheritance tax. For many people, that means each year’s gift leaves their estate immediately, helping reduce a future IHT bill at the same time as building the grandchild’s future. One gift, working in two directions, and no 7 year clock applies.

For grandparents making contributions from surplus income as part of a regular pattern, the normal expenditure out of income exemption may apply instead, with no monetary limit and without touching the £3,000 allowance. Either route can work depending on circumstances. Ensure that clear evidence of income and expenditure is kept so that executors can evidence the exemption later.

The principle is simple and genuinely remarkable. A modest sum, given enough time, becomes life changing. The greatest gift isn’t always the one they can open. Sometimes it’s the one they can’t touch for decades.

This is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances vary and are subject to change. Real returns will vary. The value can go down as well as up.

You got a £10,000 pay rise. £6,000 of it went to HMRC.There’s a tax rate in the UK that doesn’t appear on any official d...
29/05/2026

You got a £10,000 pay rise. £6,000 of it went to HMRC.

There’s a tax rate in the UK that doesn’t appear on any official document. It’s not 20%, 40%, or 45%. It’s 60%. And it catches people earning between £100,000 and £125,140.

Here’s how it works.

Once your income passes £100,000, you start losing your personal allowance, the £12,570 you can normally earn tax free. For every £2 you earn over £100,000, you lose £1 of that allowance.

So when you get a £10,000 pay rise that takes you from £100,000 to £110,000, you pay 40% tax on the £10,000, which is £4,000. But you also lose £5,000 of your personal allowance, and that £5,000 is now taxed at 40% too, adding another £2,000.

You’ve paid £6,000 in tax on a £10,000 pay rise. An effective rate of 60%. Add National Insurance and it’s closer to 62%.

The £100,000 threshold hasn’t moved since 2010. Frozen thresholds and rising salaries mean over two million people are expected to be earning six figures in the 2026/27 tax year, more than ever before.

The good news? This trap is entirely avoidable with planning. A pension contribution that brings your income back below £100,000 can restore your personal allowance and effectively give you 60% tax relief on that contribution.

Most people in this band have no idea it’s happening. The ones who plan around it keep significantly more of what they earn.

This is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances vary.

Savings vs Stocks&Shares ISAIn five years, the gap between them could be £54,000.John and Ben have been friends for year...
18/05/2026

Savings vs Stocks&Shares ISA
In five years, the gap between them could be £54,000.

John and Ben have been friends for years. Same age. Similar income. Both have £100,000.

Ben’s is sitting in a current account earning no interest. In five years, his balance will still say £100,000. But after inflation at 3%, what that money can actually buy will have dropped by nearly £14,000. His £100,000 will have the purchasing power of roughly £86,000.

John’s £100,000 is in a stocks and shares ISA, growing at 7% per year compounded.

After year one: £107,000
After year two: £114,490
After year three: £122,504
After year four: £131,080
After year five: £140,255

John’s money could grow by over £40,000. Tax free. No income tax on the growth. No capital gains tax when he takes it out.

Ben never used his ISA allowance. Not because he couldn’t. He just never got round to it.

The gap between two friends who started in exactly the same place could be over £54,000. Not because one earned more. Not because one inherited more. One simply put his money to work. The other didn’t.

Investments carry risk. The value can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you invest. A stocks and shares ISA isn’t right for everyone, and the right approach depends on your circumstances and how long you can leave the money invested.

This is a fictional example provided solely for illustrative purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances vary. The value of investments can go down as well as up. The current contribution allowance per tax year for a stocks and shares ISA is £20,000. This example assumes this has been utilised for multiple years to begin the scenario with £100,000.

Your company is worth £2m. Your pension is worth £200,000. Something doesn’t add up.You’ve spent 20 years building a bus...
15/05/2026

Your company is worth £2m. Your pension is worth £200,000. Something doesn’t add up.

You’ve spent 20 years building a business worth £2,000,000. You’ve paid yourself a modest salary. Reinvested the profits. Grown the value.
But your pension? £200,000. Maybe less.

It’s one of the most common patterns with business owners. All the wealth is locked inside the company, and the personal financial planning has been left behind.

The business is your retirement plan. Sell it when you’re ready, live off the proceeds. That’s the theory.

But what if you can’t sell it for what it’s worth? What if the buyer wants to pay in instalments over five years? What if the market isn’t right? What if your health changes and you need to step back before you’re ready?

A business is not a pension. It’s illiquid, unpredictable, and entirely dependent on finding a buyer at the right price at the right time.

The most successful business owners are unlikely to rely on one exit strategy. They’ll build personal wealth alongside the business. Pensions, ISAs, investments outside the company. So that when the time comes, selling the business is a choice, not a necessity.

If your business is worth ten times your pension, it might be time to rebalance.

This is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances vary.

You retired at 60. You could live to 95. That’s 35 years of income you need to plan for….Retirement used to mean a decad...
13/05/2026

You retired at 60. You could live to 95. That’s 35 years of income you need to plan for….

Retirement used to mean a decade, maybe two. A gold watch, a state pension, and enough savings to see you through.

Now it could mean 35 years. Possibly longer.
If you retire at 60 on £40,000 a year, and inflation averages 3%, by the time you’re 80 you’ll need £72,000 a year just to maintain the same lifestyle. By 90, over £96,000.

That’s not lifestyle creep. That’s the same cup of coffee, the same heating usage, the same weekly shop. Just more expensive.

Most people plan for retirement income. Far fewer plan for retirement income that lasts 35 years and keeps pace with inflation.

Drawing too much too early and you risk running out. Drawing too little and you spend decades denying yourself the lifestyle you worked for. Getting the balance right requires more than a pension statement and a rough idea of your spending.

It requires a plan that accounts for inflation, investment returns, tax, state pension timing, and what happens if one partner needs care. A plan that gets reviewed and adjusted as life changes.
Retirement is the longest financial commitment most people will ever make. It deserves more than guesswork.

This is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances vary.

Your pension is growing. So is the tax bill your family doesn’t know about….Most people check their pension value once a...
11/05/2026

Your pension is growing. So is the tax bill your family doesn’t know about….

Most people check their pension value once a year, maybe twice. They see the number going up and feel good about it. That’s the point, right?
But from April 2027, every pound of growth in your pension is also growth in your family’s potential tax bill.

Think about it this way. You’re 55. Your pension is worth £400,000. You don’t plan to touch it until 67. At 5% annual growth, it could be worth around £720,000 by the time you retire.

That’s possibly an extra £320,000 that now sits inside your estate for inheritance tax purposes. At 40%, that’s up to £128,000 in additional IHT. On top of the income tax your beneficiaries will pay when they withdraw it.

The pension is still a brilliant tool for retirement income. Tax relief on the way in, tax efficient growth, flexible access from 55. None of that has changed.

What has changed is what happens to whatever is left when you die. And for anyone whose estate is already close to the IHT threshold, the pension growth that feels like good news could be quietly making things worse for the people you’re trying to protect.

Growth is good. But growth without a plan is just a bigger tax bill.

This is a fictional example provided solely for illustrative purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances vary and are subject to change.

Age 58. Pension untouched. Should you start?You’ve been saving into your pension for thirty years. You’re 58. You’re sti...
08/05/2026

Age 58. Pension untouched. Should you start?

You’ve been saving into your pension for thirty years. You’re 58. You’re still working. You don’t need the money yet.

So why would you consider accessing it now?
Because from April 2027, every pound sitting in your pension will count towards your estate for inheritance tax.

If your estate is already close to the threshold, or above it, your untouched pension could be adding tens of thousands of pounds to your family’s IHT bill.

Drawing pension income now, even modest amounts, and using it to fund gifts or even move wealth into a different structure could reduce that exposure over time.

It’s not about emptying the pension. It’s about being strategic with how and when you draw from it.

There are trade-offs. Drawing pension income creates an income tax liability now. It needs to be balanced against the potential IHT saving later and it depends entirely on your own circumstances, your health, your income needs, the size of your estate, and your plans for retirement.

But for some families, doing nothing with the pension is no longer the tax-efficient option it once was.

*This is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances vary and are subject to change.*

£280,000….That is how much extra inheritance tax one family could face because of a single rule change taking effect in ...
07/05/2026

£280,000….That is how much extra inheritance tax one family could face because of a single rule change taking effect in April 2027.

Unused pensions are being brought into the inheritance tax net. Most people know that much.

What they don’t realise is the triple hit it creates.
Picture this: A family home worth £1,200,000. Savings and investments of £400,000. Pensions of £600,000.

Before April 2027, pensions sit outside the estate. The estate for IHT purposes is £1,600,000. That’s below the £2,000,000 taper threshold, so the full residence nil-rate band is available. Combined allowances of £1,000,000. IHT bill: £240,000.
From April 2027, pensions are included. The estate becomes £2,200,000.

Hit one: the pension is now taxed as part of the estate at 40%.

Hit two: when the beneficiaries withdraw the pension funds, income tax applies on top, potentially at 40% again.

Hit three, and this is the one most people miss. The estate has now crossed the £2,000,000 threshold. That triggers the taper that removes the residence nil-rate band. £100,000 of home allowances disappear, adding £40,000 in extra IHT that has nothing to do with the pension itself.
New IHT bill: £520,000. That’s £280,000 more than before. And this happens before the income tax your beneficiaries will pay when they access the pension.

Same family. Same home. Same savings. Same pension. £280,000 more in tax.

*This is a fictional example provided solely for illustrative purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances vary and are subject to change.*

One of the hardest parts of financial planning isn't the tax or the paperwork. It's the conversation.Many parents don't ...
18/03/2026

One of the hardest parts of financial planning isn't the tax or the paperwork. It's the conversation.

Many parents don't want to burden their children. Many children don't want to seem like they're asking about money. So nobody says anything — and when the time comes, families are left navigating complex decisions in the worst possible circumstances.

Where is the Will? Who is the solicitor? What policies are in place? Are the pensions nominated to the right people? Is anything held in trust?

These aren't complicated questions. But if no one knows the answers, the simplest administration becomes overwhelming — at a time when your family is already dealing with grief.

Having an open conversation doesn't have to be formal. A cup of tea and an honest chat about where everything is can save your family a great deal of stress and confusion.

The greatest gift you can give your family isn't just a plan. It's making sure they know about it.

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