Why it’s important to set yourself goals towards retirement

Why it’s important to set yourself goals towards retirement

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I’m a big believer in setting yourself measurable targets and goals throughout life in order to motivate and monitor progress. It’s one of the main reasons why I started this blog and continue to invest the time each month to calculate and list every expense and income category. Even as a child I would monitor my savings and set a specific target to reach. Money wasnt just disappearing into a dark hole to be saved for a ‘rainy day’, it…

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An alternative to Pension Wise

An alternative to Pension Wise

Below is a post I was asked to host as part of a campaign to encourage people approaching retirement to seek independant financial advice. While I havn’t used the service myself, I do strongly recommend everyone seeks professional advice if you are at all unsure about what to do with your pension investments. An alternative to Pension Wise – My Retirement Options launch retirement planner offering independent financial advice With the introduction of the new pension freedoms – offering retirees…

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When is the best time to start saving for retirement?

When is the best time to start saving for retirement?

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One of the most common questions I see asked online through out many financial based forums is at what age and how much someone should start saving for their retirement. Typically such threads will attract a wide range of responses which go from the prudent “half your age as a percentage” rule right up to the inevitable “don’t bother because the government will steal it all away” type responses. Although I especially enjoy reading many of the conspiracy theories around…

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March 2015 Income/Expenses

March 2015 Income/Expenses

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It’s payday tomorrow which means time for this month’s Income/Expenses! March seemed to fly by for me. I was working hard on a big project at work whilst also trying to keep an eye on lowering that grocery bill. No major one-off expenses this month and only a couple of meals out with friends. The homebrew was finished and despite being a bit flat.. was very tasty with some lemonade added in. The great result from this is absolutely 0…

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What is the biggest threat to your wealth? You!

What is the biggest threat to your wealth? You!

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I work in IT, and anyone who has worked in IT or a similar field will tell you that if you ever want something to be done reliably, predictively and repeatedly.. you write a script to automate the action. Computers are fantastic devices; You program in what you want it to do and it (more or less) does as it’s told. A computer never gets bored, won’t be distracted and most importantly; won’t give in to irrational self entitlement. Humans however are not machines. And its…

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Cutting down expenses in March

Cutting down expenses in March

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I can’t believe we’re almost 2 weeks into March already, these past couple of weeks have flown by and I apologise for not keeping you more up to date with what’s been going on to try and lower some of the expenses in our lives. Many commenters over the past few months have (correctly) identified that some of our expenses seem overly high for just 2 people and so I’ve been making a big push these past few weeks to…

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February 2015 Income/Expenses

February 2015 Income/Expenses

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It’s month end today which means time for this month’s Income/Expenses! February is the month where all our big annual expenses come in as its the anniversary of us purchasing the house. I also registered my motorbike in February so annual expenses relating to that come in this month too. Fortunately the bike passed it’s first MOT, the mechanic commented on how high the mile counter was for such a small/cheap bike.. he couldn’t quite believe I’d used a £700…

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I just saved over £500 with a single phone call

I just saved over £500 with a single phone call

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What would you do if someone came knocking on your door demanding over £500? Would you invite them in for a friendly discussion to sit down and work out the calculations used to reach this figure.. or would you tell them to shove it and crawl back under the rock they came from? Having recently watched a TV series (on catchup, no tv licence required) which followed a team of court bailiffs; I’ve seen plenty of such reactions and they’re…

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Family finances and property

Family finances and property

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Apologies for the delay between posts, I got hit by a cold and have been pretty groggy for the past week. Last weekend I received a call from my younger sister, She’s a couple of years younger than me and in almost the exact same position of life as I was at her age.. Living in rented accommodation with her partner and desperately trying to save a house deposit whilst seeing the money disappear in rent. She was calling to…

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Why do personally tailored annuity rates matter?

Why do personally tailored annuity rates matter?

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Despite their bad press recently, annuities still remain the firm favourite for a majority of new retirees.. and with good reason. They offer the security of a fixed income for life and with the ability to match inflation and/or offer spouse support. However many people are simply purchasing an annuity from their pension provider without comparing the market to find the best rate, potentially losing them tens of thousands of pounds. I’ve asked Ryan from Compare Annuity to give us…

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