Financial Planning is about you and your money.

Think of a financial planner like a personal trainer – helping you get financially fit.

Working with a financial planner can help you make the most of your money, ensuring you are in the best financial shape possible, so that you can strive to achieve your most cherished life goals.

What is financial planning?

What is a financial plan and what does it look like?

A financial plan should be a dynamic document designed to cover all aspects of your financial life.

A comprehensive financial plan should include:

For more details on the financial planning services I offer and the charges that are applicable, please see Invest With Amyr and contact me to arrange a no-obligation initial chat about your situation.

What is actually covered in a financial plan?

Every financial plan is unique and should be created around your needs. Typically, it should focus on your most pressing and important needs first. In terms of the scope of what is covered, a typical financial planning process covers the following key areas:

Goal Planning
Financial Forecasting
Financial Organisation & Budgeting
Emergency Fund
Debt Management
Financial Protection & Disaster Planning
Tax Planning
Saving & Investment Planning
Property Planning
Retirement Planning & Income Withdrawal Strategies
Later Life & Estate Planning

Why do I need a financial plan?

People with a financial plan are much more likely to achieve their objectives. This is because it helps you focus on the tasks required to achieve your goals and it helps you identify the obstacles that may need to be overcome.

Your finances determine a lot of your choices in life, so achieving your financial goals is clearly very important.

I'm not sure what I want to achieve in life - can you help me clarify this?

Yes. A lot of my clients initially find it difficult to articulate what they want to achieve. I can help you think about and verbalise exactly what your goals are.

How will you help me achieve my life goals?

As we get to know each other, I will help you identify your life goals by asking you a series of questions. The purpose of these questions is to figure out what matters most to you in life.

Inevitably, your goals will have a financial aspect to them. I will then put in place a detailed financial plan to show how these goals could be achieved.

Can you review my existing pensions?

Yes, absolutely. I conduct many pension reviews for our clients and often find people are invested in over-charging, poorly performing pension plans.

I can help you get more from your pensions by conducting a thorough review to detail exactly what you have, what you are being charged, what sort of returns you have been getting and what level of risk you are taking.

In many cases, I can recommend a much better pension in which to invest. As a reminder, I work completely independently and will always recommend the best course of action for you.

Can I consolidate my pensions to one single provider?

Yes. One of the things I consider when reviewing pensions is the benefit of consolidation. Bringing all your pensions under one roof can make administration simpler and mean you have less paperwork to contend with.

I always conduct a very detailed analysis of your pensions and will only recommend you consolidate them where this is clearly in your best interest.

Other than a pension, what else could I use to provide for my retirement?

Pensions are often a great way to save for retirement because of the tax benefits they provide, but there are other ways.

This may be by using ISAs or other forms of investment or by using a property investment such as a buy-to-let.

You may be expecting an inheritance or maybe you will continue doing some work in your later years. Increasingly I find many people using a combination of ways to provide themselves with an income in retirement.

This is why effective retirement planning is so important to get right to ensure you can live the lifestyle you want in retirement.

I'm about to retire. Can you help me get the best income?

Yes I can. There are now more choices than ever when you want to take an income from your pensions.

This is great news but makes it more important than ever to have a proper income withdrawal strategy in place, ensuring you receive the highest level of income in the most tax efficient manner.

Can I pay lower charges on my pension?

A lot of people are paying higher charges than necessary on their pensions.

The first step is understanding exactly what charges you are paying. This can be a challenge in itself, with many pension companies having confusing and complex charging structures. I can help you understand what charges you are paying and whether or not you require the features you are paying for.

With this understanding, I can then recommend a more appropriate, lower cost solution to you.

How can I use the money in my pension?

When you come to draw your pension, you will usually be entitled to take a quarter of it tax-free, whether as a lump sum or as part of each income withdrawal.

You may purchase an annuity to provide a regular income for life with the remainder of your pension.

Alternatively, you are free to draw any amount at any time from your pension as long as you pay the required income tax. I can help you put the best income withdrawal strategy in place to ensure you get the income you need and the certainty you will depend on.

I’m worried there will be a big Inheritance Tax bill when I die. Is there anything I can do now to plan for this?

Yes there are lots of things you can do. Some of these are very straightforward but can save a lot of Inheritance Tax.

I can tailor a strategy to your specific objectives. Feel free to contact me for a no obligation conversation about your situation.

Do I need a will?

For most people, writing a will is extremely important. If you die without making a will, you cannot control who will inherit your assets.

Should you die ‘intestate’ (in other words, without writing a will), your property will be distributed according to intestacy law and this may be inconsistent with your personal wishes.

By making a will you can determine precisely who inherits your assets.

In addition, by writing a will you can determine who will administer your estate and who you would like to act as guardian for any minor children you have, if they are left without a surviving parent.

What is a Lasting Power of Attorney and do I need one?

A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you (the ‘donor’) appoint one or more people (known as ‘attorneys’) to help you make decisions or make decisions on your behalf.

This gives you more control over what happens to you if, for example, you have an accident or an illness and can’t make decisions at the time they need to be made (you ‘lack mental capacity’). Most people should have an LPA.

I’m worried about the cost of long-term care should I need this. Can you help me plan for this?

Yes I can. Planning for long-term care provides you with the financial security you need to establish whether you could afford to pay for care assistance for yourself or a family member.

There are different types of planning strategies to cater for long-term care and each must be considered carefully to ensure it fits with your specific needs.

Can you answer another question that isn't listed here?

Yes indeed. Please feel free to contact me to book a no-obligation call for us to further discuss your queries.

I’d love to answer any questions you have about how I can help you achieve your financial goals.

”Amyr has been excellent in cutting through all the noise and simplifying our decision making for our future retirement plans."

Alexander Butt
(Head of Risk Management, Heathrow Airport)

*****

”Amyr has been a huge help to my wife and I in providing much needed reassurance in relation to our financial planning. For honest, high integrity financial advice, I strongly recommend him.”

William Baker
(Merit Researcher, Royal Botanic Gardens)

*****

”I found the whole financial planning process an informative, enlightening and pleasant experience, and I would like to thank Amyr for his efforts”

Martin Bulmer
(Professor of Sociology, University of Surrey)

*****

Here's what clients say

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