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Archive for March, 2015

The Department of Work and Pensions has today issued guidance on how benefits will be considered in respect of people using their pension. This paper means that the Government’s rhetoric about pensions freedom has taken a big hit today. The ‘Deprivation of Capital’ rule now being applied to pensions means that if you use pension “freedom” and simply spend your retirement fund, give it away or lose…


We’re living in interesting times.  As someone who, as a teenager in the seventies, witnessed ever-spiralling rates of inflation and interest rates to match, today’s news that inflation is zero is quite a milestone. Barring a sizeable shock, the writing is on the wall that the economy will be in deflation within a couple of months. If this is the case, the Bank of England…


Now the dust has somewhat settled on Wednesday’s Chancellor’s Budget statement, it’s clear it was rather a damp squib.   With only a few weeks to the General Election, it was perhaps going to be nothing else than a political budget. After the 2014 Budget which witnessed Mr Osborne pulling quite a few rabbits from his top hat, this Budget was perhaps more one of shooting…


The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is heading to primary schools in Fife and Clackmannanshire this March with the brilliant illustrator and “world’s greatest dinosaur drawer” Korky Paul. Competition Time! Not lucky enough to be a pupil at one of our Fife and Clackmannanshire schools? Enter our competition to win a signed and dedicated copy of Winnie’s Big Bad Robot! Which hapless witch does Korky…


As most people will have seen from press, TV and radio reports, from April 6, savers over the age of 55 with pensions will be given more control over how they choose to manage and spend their retirement pots. Key changes include removing the requirement to buy an annuity – an income for life.   It means people draw money out as and when they wish…


Spend beyond your means at Christmas? You’re not alone. A lot of people find things tough, financially, when the festivities are over and the dust has settled. And when it comes to present buying, relying on a mixture of credit card purchases, plundering well intentioned savings accounts, borrowing from relatives and whatever other funds can be mustered is not an uncommon position for many people…


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