Please find below a link to a recent article in the Daily Mail newspaper.

It makes interesting reading and is another great example of why the £ billion + financial market is absolutely crying out for a new and better approach. The vast majority of people will totally empathise with this article and therefore it highlights the incredible opportunity you have to quite literally corner the market in the coming years with the Life UK Free Membership!

The opportunity is now and it is completely up to you how big your share will be…a few Free Members or ten’s of thousands!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1254737/Online-car-insurance-It-drove-round-bend.html

The Child Trust Fund (CTF) is one way to help you save for your children’s, or grandchildren’s future. We have listed below a summary of CTF’s work. For more information contact Life UK Financial who will put you in touch with a specialist Independent Financial Adviser.

So in brief:

• The CTF is a long term savings & investment account where the child (& no one else) can withdraw the money when they are 18
• There is no income tax on any gains or interest made in the account
• Free £250 voucher to start each child’s account
• A maximum of £1200 each year can be saved into the account
• Money cannot be withdrawn once it has been put it – until the child is 18
• The child can start to make decisions about how the money is managed when they are 16
• The government will make a further contribution when the child is 7
• You choose the type of CTF account you want for your child/children
• It will not affect any benefits or tax credits you currently receive

So, what could your child/children use the money for?

Well, what about it being used towards a deposit for a house purchase? Due to the economic crisis most lenders have tightened their criteria. The proportion of new mortgage deals requiring at least a 25% deposit has now risen to approximately 60%, while 25% of deals now require a 40% deposit.
There are only 20 or so mortgage deals available with a deposit of 5% or less, compared with more than 1,200 in the early part of 2008.

We don’t know what the economic climate will be like when your children are ready to make their first step on the housing ladder, but it’s likely that securing a competitive mortgage will require a deposit and in all honestly this will probably have to be a sizable one.

Recent research carried out by the Children’s Mutual showed that 29% of parents currently state that they are saving their Child Benefit. Using the Child Benefit (or a proportion of it) to add to your CTF is a good example of saving ‘little & often’ & this can give some real benefits for a child over a long term.

Interested? Get in touch with Life UK Financial.

Last week the Daily Mail ran an article on a report from Aviva (Norwich Union), which some of you may have seen. We thought that it would be worthwhile giving a little more detailed information on this:

FOR TODAY’S OVER 55’S

40% of 55 – 64 year olds are saving nothing per month
20% of 55 – 64 year olds still owe more than £75,000 on their mortgage

There is a growing disparity between the haves & have nots.
The report reveals that while many over 55’s have significant financial concerns, those approaching retirement have finances in worse shape than those age 65+.

Pre-retirees (55-64) have the lowest savings (£8,593), lowest incidences of home ownership (76%) and the largest average mortgages (£16,694)

THE HAVES & HAVE NOTS

The report shows a wide divergence between the richest & poorest in all age groups, but the gap is largest in the 55-64 range. While the average amount of savings for this group is slightly more than £57,000, the median which represents a more typical saver is only £8,593.
This is because a small number of wealthy people are disguising the relative poverty of a large minority.

RETIREMENT CONCERNS

The biggest worry for the over 55’s is the rising cost of living (74%) followed by unexpected expenses (45%) and the falling return on savings (38%). I think that this focus on increasing costs, falling income and unexpected bills highlights the precarious state of many people’s finances.

Those coming up to retirement are concerned about retirement (19%) and redundancy (12%) which would seem to highlight the fact that to many of us retirement is not the “golden age” it once was but more like a worrying time of financial and social change.

By 2011 there will be almost 18 million people in the UK who are over 55 – it is important that we recognise this and start to do something about it as soon as possible.

Why not start today by giving Life UK Financial a call and requesting assistance from one of our key partner advisers?

This blog was submitted by My IFA Limited

“The flexible & tax efficient way to invest”

An Individual Savings Account (ISA) can be one of the best places to invest because the benefits are currently free of income and capital gains tax.

“What if I am unsure about the risks associated with investing in stocks & shares & what if I want to change the way my money is invested in the future?”

With Life UK Financial & our Key Partner Advisers you can feel confident that you are making the right decisions. The Key Partner Advisers that work with us will help you to decide on the ideal way for you to invest your money.

“Different people want different things from their investment though.”

It is important for you to work with your financial adviser to establish what you want to achieve from your ISA and how you feel about taking risks with your money. Once these foundations are in place your adviser can help you find the right mix of investments for your circumstances. If you are attracted by the potential returns of stocks and shares but worried about losing money if markets fall there are protected profits funds which could be of interest to you. The way this type of fund is managed aims to restrict potential loss and reduce the impact of sudden stock market movements.
Change is part of our lives so you’ll probably be pleased to know that with the correct advice you aren’t making a once & for all decision about your investment. It is possible for you to change the way your money is invested if you decide you need a different mix of investment funds. It is also possible for you to top up your ISA or take money out – it is usually possible to do so – although there are some limits which your financial adviser can tell you about.

“Would I benefit from combining my ISA?”

If you have existing ISAs with one or more providers, bringing them together under one roof could help you to refresh any investments that are no longer meeting your needs & reduce the amount of paperwork you receive. Transferring your benefits between ISA managers doesn’t affect your annual ISA allowance either.
If you are over 50 the amount you can invest in a stocks & shares ISA increased from £7,200 to £10,200 on 6th October 2009. This is excellent news if you haven’t used your full allowance for the 2009/10 tax year. You have until 5th April 2010 to take advantage to invest – the sooner you invest the sooner you’ll be giving your money the opportunity to grow.

Contact us now to speak to one of our Key Partner Advisers and start those savings earning you even more money.

When is it the right time to do a Will?

Did you know that up to 60% of people never get around to making a Will?

And that without a Will you cannot be certain that your property or money will go to the people who matter most to you?

For the majority of people this is something which is thought of too late, they forget to do it, it’s not a necessity “I’m only young”, are just a very small handful of comments which we at Black & White Wills hear frequently. Every adult over the age of 18 should make a valid will. Many people have the notion that their estate will pass on to their surviving spouse or next of kin but this is not the case!

Fact: Most people only do a Will after a particular event occurs – an illness, accident or death of a family member or friend.

Fact: The estate of anyone who dies without a valid Will, the State effectively writes the Will for them.

So what are the main benefits of ensuring you have a valid written Will?

1. It ensures that your money and property goes to the people you actually want to receive it.

2. It avoids leaving your family with uncertainty, unnecessary expense and long legal delays.

3. If you have a child/ children under 18 years old you can choose who you would like to look after them. If you do not make a
Will this will be decided by the State. One of the major advantages of making a Will is that you can choose your child’s/children’s legal guardians. Would you not like to know that in the event of your death your child/children are being taken care of by people who will love & nurture them?

4. You can choose your executors - the people who will administer your estate when you have gone. If you fail to do this the executors for your estate will be appointed by the State.

5. You can make your own arrangements for your funeral; this can include both personal and financial aspects.

So is there any time to be wasted?

Give LifeUK Financial Services a call to make your appointment to speak to one of our Will Writers.

Remember “There’s no time like the present!”

As with everything else in life, organisation makes for a less stressed existence; and when it comes to general insurance, keeping all your policies in one place has many advantages. One call to your friendly brokers Bluefin means that any problems can be sorted out without delay because we have all the details at our collective finger tips.

This offers you real peace-of-mind – just contact us on our freephone number if you need help and you can be sure that someone will be able to advise you.

Some policies available from Bluefin offer discounts for insuring more than one product, so you could save money on your premiums as well. We will contact you in good time to remind you when your policies need renewing, and we will alert you to any good offers that might benefit you and your family.

Remember that Bluefin is one of the country’s biggest independent brokers and that we always offer you very competitive quotes, because we are able to negotiate such good rates with insurers. We can insure your home and contents, your valuables, your car, your pets, your holidays and your central heating. We can also offer you great value extra schemes to cover your domestic utilities, to protect you against expensive legal fees, and for emergency assistance if you break down on a journey.

BlueFin Group Life UK Financial KPA’s

Happy New Year from all at My IFA!

Well what a start to 2010! Bad weather, snow, heavy frost to name but a few all we can say is ‘Roll on spring time’ & the warmer weather!

As it’s a time for taking down the decorations & generally having a tidy up (getting the house back to some semblance of order after the Christmas & New Year festivities!) we would like to remind you that there is no time like the present to review those financial affairs you put off doing before Christmas. Remember if you would like a Free Financial Review then contact our Call Centre to arrange an appointment, our Customer Support Assistants are waiting to take your call.

Going forward as well as our usual range of services we are going to be focusing on specialist and specific products over the coming months and this month it is Tax Investigation Insurance. Now don’t panic it’s not as bad as it sounds, with the advent of HMRC being very proactive in looking at Tax Returns with a view to finding additional Tax to collect, this is proving to be one of the fastest growing insurance products! You & possibly all of your Clients that pay tax are at the mercy of HMRC of further enquiry or investigation into yours & their tax affairs; it is because of this concern that people all over the UK are taking out an insurance policy to protect against this.

The policy provides representation costs by registered accounting practices on the clients behalf, for up to £75,000 in any one claim, arising from:

• Income Tax Self Assessment full enquiries*
• Income Tax Self Assessment aspect enquiries
• Corporation Tax Self Assessment full enquiries
• Corporation Tax Self Assessment aspect enquiries
• HM Revenue & Customs VAT disputes
• Employer compliance disputes PAYE/P11D/NIC
• IR35 disputes
• Now covers businesses with an annual turnover of up to £10 million
• Fees incurred by your accountant attending meetings with HMRC or responding to correspondence from HMRC when you are subject to an HMRC check, enquiry, visit, meeting or dispute.
• Includes professional fees incurred in respect of local review of the enquiry and preparation and representation at an appeal to a First-tier Tribunal or Upper Tribunal.

*Cover is included for directors/partners personal returns and also applies if you have a private self assessment return.

The policy premium is payable annually, in full in advance / at commencement of scheme, premiums are inclusive of 5% IPT and there is a NIL excess on all policies.

• Individual Self Assessment – Taxwise Plus £92.35 p/a
• Sole Trader – Taxwise Plus (up to £10m t/o) (Not VAT Reg.) £162.35 p/a
• Sole Trader Cover – Taxwise Plus (up to £10m t/o) £235.46 p/a
• LTD Company / Partner Cover – Taxwise Plus (up to £10m t/o) £177.45 p/a
• LTD Company / Partner Cover – Taxwise Plus (up to £10m t/o) £265.65 p/a

This is Professional cover against the Threat of Costly TAX & VAT Investigations can you really afford not to take this policy out?

** As with all policies there are some exclusions**

Please find below a link to a great article in the BBC Business News. This article details in numerous instances the failings of the Price Comparison sites and also the size of the market…

Firstly the failings…

1. Many of the comparison sites have commercial arrangements with the companies they feature. This means the customer is not getting impartial advice!

2. The companies featured on the sites confuse customers by offering the cheapest prices but stripping out the protection to do so…"You can very quickly click through to that and not realise, and take out a policy. Then an incident occurs where you have to claim against the policy, and you find you've got very limited cover or you've perhaps got to pay the first £1,000 of the claim." The danger with price comparison sites is that you will get a great up front price but end up with a worthless product or service!

3. By using price comparison sites can dramatically increase the number of unwanted sales calls. "You enter the comparison site, and within a few minutes your phone is ringing and somebody is trying to flog you something you don't want - and that's not acceptable" Lord Lipsey.

The Size of the market…

1. 6 million people log on every month! 2. The comparison industry is worth £1 billion per year!

The comparison market is simply massive and remember…not only are we targeting this market, but we are also targeting the vast number of people that do not have the time or the inclination to spend hours on line researching the market. We effectively target everybody over the age of 18!!!

The Life UK Difference…

1. A completely free membership that does not cost the member a penny more to get the advice from our key partner advisers than it does doing all research themselves. 2. Completely independent whole market advice by specialists in the requested market. Ensuring the member buys the right product or service at the right price every time. 3. Most of the time, paperwork and hassle of researching the market and managing their finances is removed. 4. The member does not have to remember when their policies come up for renewal…it is all done for them.

Summary…

The financial market is vast and Life UK are offering a vastly superior service to that market. Life UK Financial will arguably become the preferred alternative for many UK households.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/ business/7766798.stm

In the current climate it always feels good to save money, however large or small, we all like a bargain. So with that in mind here are some offers you may be interested in.

Alliance & Leicester are offering a 2 year tracker mortgage which offers up to 75% Loan to Value with an interest rate of 2.69% above base rate (3.19% Variable) and all customers receive a refund of the valuation upon completion! This offer is available to Homebuyers and Remortgage customers.

On top of this great offer Abbey is offering a 3 year tracker mortgage with an interest rate of 3.09% Variable which offers up to 75% Loan to Value. They are also offering a FREE valuation & £250 Cashback!

Looking for a remortgage? Abbey is offering a 3 year tracker for purely this purpose with an interest rate of 2.59% above base rate which then reverts to 4.24%. Prospective clients get a FREE valuation and their Standard Legal fees paid.

If any of the above spark any interest in you & yours then give us a call on 0845 680 9746 where one of our customer service assistants would be more than happy to pass your details onto one of Life UK's Key Partner Advisers.

All loans are subject to status. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

My IFA adviser

Virtually all of us will need advice during the course of a year in one or more of the 5 main areas of financial Planning. Whether it is buying an insurance policy, remortgaging our house or starting and running a pension it is vital that we get the very best advice possible.

However, the problem for most people is knowing where to go to get unbiased independent professional advice you can trust in each of these areas without taking up a huge amount of time and expense.

LIFE UK's free membership is effectively revolutionising the way people can seek the very best advice available today on all things financial. We have brought together the best expert advisers and firms throughout the UK, so historically the preserve of only a lucky few, Life UK has now made this advice completely accessible to everyone.

We have combined this with first class customer service, complete transparency and no jargon. As a Life UK member you can access specialist advisers for any financial requirement plus all other related sectors such as tax planning, conveyancing, accounting and much more.

Not only is it all in one place but it's so simple. Just click the button on your FREE member website and wait for a specialist key partner advisor to contact you. You'll be able to talk things over with real people offering real and completely impartial advice, helping you plan effectively and making sure that you get the right product or service at the right price.

The key features of Life UK Membership are as follows…

· Life UK Membership is completely FREE

· Membership gives a complete and sophisticated online financial solution that dramatically reduces all the hassle, time and paperwork normally associated with making financial decisions and purchases, whilst at the same time saving the member money

· Instead of the member spending hours doing the research themselves, a Life UK Financial specialist Key Partner Adviser will research the market on their behalf, making sure that they buy the right product or service at the right price

· Members are able to easily keep on top of their finances by being able to talk to real people offering the very best expert impartial advice - all under one roof

· Life UK Free membership will reduce the number of annoying sales calls normally received as the members' information is never shared with third parties. The member will only be contacted by the relevant Independent Specialist Adviser only when required ie at the members' request or when a policy comes up for renewal. In addition to this, the Specialist Adviser has a remit to only give the best Independent Advice possible, ensuring the member makes the right decision every time. So if the Adviser has researched the market and finds that the current policy is still the best choice for the member, then this is the advice that will be given

· Members have unlimited access to online financial seminars. Held by experts in their particular field, these seminars present invaluable information which could help Members save money and plan for the future. During the seminars Members can ask questions and receive expert advice relating to their own specific financial interests

· Members will receive a cash reward for referring other free members

In today's busy world no one enjoys spending hours and hours going through different financial products and services and all the complicated paperwork that goes with it. With your Life UK membership all this is greatly reduced. You can relax and know that you will be getting absolutely the right product or service at the right price every single time! We think that you will agree, the Life UK Financial free membership offers a significantly better solution to either doing nothing or trying to do it all yourself.

Finally, as a Life UK member you will have the opportunity to refer other people to enjoy the unique and significant benefits of Life UK free membership. Simply recommend Life UK to your friends and family, and for every new member you refer who subsequently buys a product or service through Life UK, you will receive £5!

How many £5's would you like to receive every month? Well that's completely up to you but it can really add up!

Ultimately, we want to make sure that as a LIFE UK free member, you have access to the very best guidance, information and education available today to ensure that you make the very best of that most prized commodity€¦your hard earned money.

Get your free membership TODAY. Click on the 'JOIN NOW' button on the top of this page to start saving and enjoying all the other benefits and convenience of membership.

Coming soon…

One of the key tools for LIFE UK members will be the Digital Filing Cabinet. More than anything else, this will help you to stay in control and dramatically reduce the amount of time and expense it currently takes for you to organise your finances.

With this ingenious Life UK system, all your products, details, plans and objectives are entered in your secure and completely confidential Digital Filing Cabinet. By allowing the Life UK advisers access to your Digital Filing Cabinet whenever you need their help, the system saves you hours of time filling in forms. Each time you add or remove a product, your adviser can update your Digital Filing Cabinet making sure you are always on top of your finances.

Your Digital Filing Cabinet will also incorporate a special function we call Financial Auto pilot. Once your renewal and review dates for insurance policies, mortgages and other date driven products are entered, you can just forget about them knowing that your Digital Filing Cabinet will automatically alert the LIFE UK team ahead of time so that we can put you in touch with the relevant adviser. You will never again miss an opportunity to save money on financial products!

Life UK Financial Making Money. Simple.