Blog

The effect of the pandemic on children is immeasurable, the regular routine of school life, hobbies and celebrations evaporated overnight. One survey asked children what made them feel stressed during lockdown and discovered money worries featured high up the list,...

The Green Homes Grant, which allows homeowners in England to claim vouchers of up to £5,000 to pay for energy-saving home improvements, has been extended. Homeowners will now have until 31 March 2022 to complete energy efficient upgrades to their home, rather than the...

With UK shoppers expected to have spent an average of £346 on Christmas gifts over the festive period, now’s the time to check whether your home insurance still adequately protects you. Expensive presents for the kids, electronic items and high cost jewellery, for...

The traditional life stages, such as owning a home and having a family, are now being reached much later than previous generations. With property prices high, student loans and an uncertain job market, the younger generation often find themselves postponing big...

Although there is no maximum age for applying for a mortgage, each lender will have their own limits such as a maximum age at which you can take out a mortgage and a maximum age for when the mortgage term ends. If you are about to retire or have retired, your lender...

The pandemic has clearly highlighted the impact that unexpected events can have on our lives. Not just through loss of life but impacting people’s incomes. Although you might have sufficient funds for the short term, longer-term, you could struggle to meet household...

Last year, during the initial height of the pandemic, insurers received 7,000 life insurance claims and paid out £90m to support families of those who had sadly lost their lives to the virus, representing total claims of £980,000 settled every day. Data from the...

Critical illness cover pays out a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a condition or illness listed on the policy. Policies typically cover between 10 and 100 different conditions or illnesses, with the average policy covering around 40. Conditions can include kidney...

Reported data from the latest MBT Affordability Index has revealed that the ‘affordability gap’ – the difference between the loan amount requested and the loan offered – dropped to a record low of 15% in November last year. This gap, where no lender is able to meet...

Life insurance may not be a topic many of us want to think about, but it offers valuable financial support to your family or other dependants should you no longer be around to provide for them. The pandemic has shown, no one knows what’s around the corner and having...

Income protection provides a financial safety net in the event you are unable to work due to an accident or illness. Yet it has been reported that over half of people do not think income protection is important and a further 12% don’t understand its value. This is...

Navigating your way through the mortgage maze is not easy. That’s why we’re here to help you. We understand which deals you are most likely to be accepted for and can help you to find the right mortgage for your circumstances.  How much equity do you have? If you’re a...

The start of a new year provides the perfect opportunity to assess whether you have the right level of financial protection in place to cover you in the event of a crisis.  Regularly reviewing the amount of protection you have is particularly important if anything has...

Homebuyers breathed a sigh of relief in January as the property market remained open during lockdown, with hundreds of thousands of transactions rushing to complete by 31 March. On this day, the Stamp Duty tax break, which cuts Stamp Duty to 0% on properties under...

On 31 December, the UK formally severed its ties with the EU and a new era for the country dawned. But what effect will Brexit have on the property market – and your mortgage? In November 2018, Bank of England (BoE)’s November Financial Stability Report predicted, in...

After a significant fall in activity during the first lockdown last spring, more positive news came later in 2020 for the equity release market. According to data from the Equity Release Council (ERC), in Q3, £963m was released by new and returning customers. Although...

Coronavirus restrictions are once again tightening the nation’s purse strings, with job losses and reduced income continuing to impact millions. According to Premium Credit’s latest Insurance Index, nearly one in five (19%) UK consumers have either cancelled or cut...

In December, the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) released a guide for insurers on closing the ‘protection expectation gap’ – the gap between what an insurance policy covers, and what consumers expect. The guide urges insurers to ensure customers know exactly what...

The Bank of Mum and Dad (BoMaD) continues to lend a hand, forking out an average of £19,000 to help first-time buyers (aged under 35) onto the property ladder. BoMaD continues to occupy a major role in the property market, with 56% of buyers under the age of 35...

First-time buyers have had a rough deal during the pandemic – first as mortgage deals for buyers with smaller deposits all but disappeared from the market, and later as surging buyer demand pushed up property prices. Now, however, first-time buyers can see the first...

After mortgages for first-time buyers all but disappeared during the early months of the pandemic last year, 90% loan to value (LTV) mortgages are making a comeback. There are reported to be over 190 products currently available. The Pros This means that the market...

Thousands of aspiring homebuyers flooded the property market when it reopened last May, as pent-up demand, combined with new enquiries from buyers reassessing their property needs during Lockdown 1.0, created a surge in demand. This was further intensified by the...

Despite a gloomy start to the year, there is cause to believe the situation will improve as we progress through 2021. With the vaccine rollout across the UK now fully underway, the hope is that those in the most vulnerable groups expect to be vaccinated by...

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted just how financially vulnerable many of us are, as well as how important it is to have the right financial protection in place in the event of a crisis. If this year has taught us anything, it’s that the unexpected can happen...

Whether you’re looking to take your first step onto the property ladder, or you need to remortgage, it’s important to ensure your finances are in good shape ahead of making your application.  Before deciding whether to offer you a mortgage and at what rate of...

In the decade from 2008 to 2018, the number of cohabiting couples in Great Britain increased by 25.8%. Meanwhile, marriage rates for opposite-sex couples hit a record low in 2017, according to ONS data.  More people are deciding to live together and often have...

According to recent data, the average UK household spends more on the nation’s favourite beverages than they would to protect their family if they bought a life insurance policy.  The ONS Family Spending survey 2018-19 shows that households spend an average of £6.50 a...