Blog | Posts by Clive Barwell

If you are a member of a Defined Contribution pension, particularly an Autoenrolment pension, you’re probably invested in the wrong Fund!

A pension wins over buy-to-let because it is hassle-free and tax-efficient.

Unlike investing money for yourself, where caveat emptor – “let the buyer beware” – applies, investing as a Trustee is governed by a whole series of rules and regulations, which you ignore at your peril.

To pick a route through the minefield of retirement annuities is extremely complex, so professional advice is a must.

Your inclination is just to leave the money on deposit because investing is too risky. Risk means different things to different people and, if you’ve never invested before, the prospect looks scary.

The 2014 Budget proposed some major changes to the way in which people can access their pension savings, but what does that mean for you?

An investment – lump sum or regular savings – into an offshore bond written under a Discretionary Trust could be a particularly attractive way of pre-funding these costs.

This “Statement of Investment Principles” outlines the eight key aspects of how I seek to invest and manage client’s money. These principles shape the advice I provide to meet long-term investment goals.

An Individual Savings Account (ISA) is a “wrapper” for cash and/or investments which confers some valuable tax benefits to UK resident savers and investors.

Paying for Care and Means-Testing: A Case Study In other articles, I have examined the rules and regulations surrounding means-testing and the legitimate steps an individual can take to protect some of their assets. Now, in this section, I’ll examine the options available when someone is entering care as a self-funder and is faced with […]

Whilst Granny’s home doesn’t have to be sold during her lifetime, it may well still need to be sold after her death to repay the debt.

For example, if one Spouse is in care and the other is living at home, but then the one living at home dies, all the couple’s wealth will be in the hands of the patient and available to pay for their care. How can this be avoided?

Whilst Enid’s overriding concern is to maintain her own financial independence, come what may, she continues to be concerned about the impact Inheritance Tax (IHT) will have on her two sons when they eventually inherit.

Only the minority will live in care long enough to reach the cap.

If someone permanently enters residential care, owning their own home and they are subject to means-testing, their home is disregarded for the first 12-weeks. What “disregard” means in this context is quite literal – for the purposes of means-testing the home does not exist for those first 12-weeks. All other qualifying assets will be taken into account, but not your home.

Understandably, families who are watching their inheritance disappear whilst an elderly relative is paying for care home fees are keen to put the burden on the NHS. How?

You may consider that Granny can no longer safely live in her own home and that she needs to go into a Care Home, but if the Local Authority doesn’t share that view, there will be no contribution to costs, regardless of whether Granny would qualify on financial grounds alone.

There are more myths about Deliberate Deprivation and Care Fees Planning than any other. I often hear mention of various “rules” relating to time-scales since action was taken, but the reality is there are none.

Understandably, families who are watching their inheritance disappear whilst an elderly relative is paying for care home fees are keen to put the burden on the NHS and reclaim care home fees wherever possible.

Clive discusses the pros and cons of the Equity Release schemes available, including:

• Lifetime Mortgage
• Drawdown Plans
• Enhanced Plans
• Protected Plans
• Home Reversion