Many of you know me for arranging mortgages, this was my prime business before the recession, however I am qualified in many other areas and the recession proved that taking all those exams ‘for fun’ was well worthwhile!

Here is what I can do for you:

Remember – I am independent of any provider, I work for you.

Mortgages – anything mortgage related – Buy to Let, Holiday Cottages, normal house purchases and remortgages, capital raising, offset mortgages and anything else you can think of.  The recession has caused many people to experience credit difficulties and mortgages are becoming more available to those in this situation.

Life Insurance -  pays out a lump sum if you die. This could be to repay a mortgage or provide a lump sum for your family. Many people don’t know this can also be arranged to pay an income if you die – this is cheaper than lump sum cover and is especially handy for those with divorce/maintenance commitments.

Critical Illness Cover – This pays out like life cover, except you don’t have to die, just come reasonably close – these will be a list of illnesses mentioned in the policy and if you suffer one of them the policy pays out. Like life cover, this can be arranged on a lump sum or an income basis. Each company has a different list of illnesses. There are 27 ‘core’ illnesses that everyone covers and then there are some extras that take most policies into the 30 – 40 illness range.

Serious Illness Cover – like critical illness and often costs a similar premium, in which case I prefer this style of cover – this has a longer list of illnesses, up to 153 and has proportional payouts (blindness is an example – for critical illness you need to be 100% blind to claim, but serious illness cover will pay out ‘proportionally – so a half payout on just one eye being blind for instance)

Children’s Critical or Serious Illness cover – this is almost a taboo subject, but usually the above two policies will include children’s cover for free, or as a paid for ‘extra’ – on the list of claims, children’s cover is the 5th most frequently claimed ‘illness’ and so it’s important to keep this in mind if you have children. It’s not a case of making money from your child’s illness, but you may want to take time off work or hire in nursing or an au pair.

Income Protection – if you are employed, your employer probably pays you if you are off sick – usually, for larger companies, this is 3 months full pay, 3 months half pay, local government pays 6 months full pay, 6 months half. For smaller companies and the self employed there may be so sick pay. After your sick pay ended you rely on the state, who, if you qualify, will pay around £75 per week.  Income Protection will pay out an income – usually set up to be roughly the same as you are used to earning and the income continues until age 65 or maybe age 70. This insurance has no ‘list of illnesses’ like the two policies above, it pays out if you can’t do your job. Stress isn’t a critical illness, but it can stop you working. This policy would pay out.

Redundancy Insurance – this has been popular recently, but there is a huge discrepancy between the best and worts plans – both in terms of monthly cost and the final benefits. Independent advise is important in this area.

Health insurance. This gets you into a private hospital if you are ill. The most basic plans can cost around £15 – £20 and cover you for just heart attacks and cancer, a reasonably comprehensive policy will cost more – I’m 42 and mine costs £55pm which is less than you’d expect (or less than I expected I should say). With these policies each company offers a different policy, it’s hard to compare – some companies only pay out for 12 months per illness, I prefer those without this clause – cancer, for instance, can require treatment for much longer.

Inheritance Tax Provision – some people think it’s important that they pass on their wealth to their children and don’t wish to lose a chunk to the tax man – there are ways to mitigate this liability, depending on your circumstances and it’s not always costly or inconvenient.

Wills – I don’t arrange wills, but I know someone good who operates in the Hampshire area. They are important. Also, these days it’s often worth setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney – they don’t come into force until necessary, but setting one up now can avoid the serious headaches of needing one, but not having one!

ISA‘s – Stocks and Shares ISA’s – I think every bank and investment house offers a stocks and shares ISA, but as an IFA, I have wider access, and no, they aren’t all the same. If you are saving £100pm + the options are awesome.

Pensions – from start to finish – if you want to start paying into a pension, or have historical personal pensions that need looking at, or you have a current pension contract that is an ‘old’ contract I can help. At the other end, as you approach retirement, you will be considering your options for taking pension income and this area is worth seeking advice on – choosing your annuity is like your last ever pay negotiation and looking at every avenue is worthwhile.

Company pensions – are the work of specialists, it’s a complicated area and best left to Financial Advisers who dedicate their working like to this one field. Consequently, if you have a company pension that needs looking at, I will be happy to recommend the person who helped me with mine.

Long Term Care – some people end up going into Long Term Care and paying for this can be expensive. There are options for how to pay for this that can protect your estate to pass down the generations.

Equity release. Equity Release used to have a poor reputation, but most providers have cut out the poor small print that caused so many headaches and these days it can be considered during financial planning. Having said that, it is still an emotive route to raising cash and is treated with caution.