9-November-2016 An increasing number of lenders and insurers are using online activity, including social media posts and profiles, to help them make judgements about the credit-worthiness of their customers. According to privacy campaigners and credit reference agencies, lenders use algorithms and detailed models to categorise their customers into ‘types’. Fintech Company ‘Big Data Scoring’ helps […]

27-October-2016 A & E units are being swamped by the elderly who are ill due to lack of care, according to a report by the Care Quality Commission. The Report, ‘State of Care’, has found that the combination of the growing ageing population, people with more long-term conditions and a difficult economic climate has meant […]

25-October-2016 A shocking report published by Age UK – ‘Behind the headlines: ‘Stuck in the middle – self funders in care homes’ – has revealed that those paying for their own residential care are subsidising other residents funded by the Local Authority – by at least £200 a week. This ‘stealth tax’ adds up to […]

16-October-2016 Complaints about funding under a little-known NHS scheme called Continuing Healthcare (CHC) have almost doubled over the last five years, according to figures obtained by the Sunday Times from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. The figures show that families are facing an increasingly complex and drawn out battle to secure care fees funding […]

5-October-2016 The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has announced new lending rules that are to be applied to Buy to Let landlords. The Authority is the arm of the Bank that regulates banks and the financial sector. The rules come after a review of the buy-to-let market in 2015/2016. The intention behind the rules is to […]

4-October-2016 A 90 year old woman with dementia has received a cheque for £94,000 to cover the cost of her care after her son fought a two year battle with the NHS. Vicki Keiller lives in a care home near Cambridge. Her son Don, who is 60, has been battling with the NHS for the […]

23-September-2016 Probate fraudsters have been cold calling people to tell them they are due an inheritance from a long lost relative’s estate – then charging thousands in fees and inflated expenses. The rogue companies are cashing in on the popularity of the BBC One TV show ‘Heir Hunters’ which follows genuine probate researchers in tracking […]

7-September-2016 What lies ahead Low mortgage interest rates and a raft of Government schemes have made getting a foot on the housing ladder easier for first time buyers in recent times. However, since Britain voted to leave the EU in June’s referendum, there are signs that the tide could be turning. Fewer deals available The […]

5-September-2016 The growth in popularity of index trackers became more evident last week with the announcement from wealth manager Hargreaves Lansdown that some would be included in its Wealth 150+ list. The Wealth 150+ list contains the top funds that Hargreaves believes offer the best combination of first class performance and low management charges. Historically […]

1-September-2016 A new promising treatment for Alzheimer’s has been shown to combat changes in the brain that are caused by the disease. Scientists have called the treatment a breakthrough that is the best news in dementia research for a quarter of a century. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia in Britain with […]

22-August-2016 The average cost of living in a care home has increased by 5.6 percent over the past year, to £30,926 – more than double a pensioner’s typical income. The 5.6 rise represents an increase of £1,536 on the previous year. Pensioners’ average income of £14,456 increased by 1.1 percent or £156 for the same […]

18-August-2016 A report by Lloyds Bank has revealed that the number of homeowners moving house in the first half of 2016 reached a level that was last seen in 2008. The report, which drew on the Group’s own data together with data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the Bank of England and the Office […]

17-August-2016 Inheritance tax is payable at 40% on estates worth £325,000 or more – but the family of one of Britain’s wealthiest landowners won’t be paying this charge following his death last Tuesday. The Duke of Westminster collapsed while walking on his Lancashire estate and was flown to hospital where he died, aged 64. He […]

11-August-2016 A report by Zoopla – the property website – found that sellers in the north of England -including Merseyside- were forced to cut the asking-price of their property following the UK’s decision to leave the EU. However, managing partner of a conveyancing solicitors in Southport, Stephen Breen said: “We had fewer instructions in the […]

1-August-2016 Author: Carol Bragg In 2014 millions of people across the globe asked friends and family to pour buckets of iced water over their heads. The reason; to raise money for research into Motor Neurone Disease. The ice bucket challenge went viral and became one of the most successful charity campaigns in history. The craze […]

1-August-2016 Brexit brought sweeping changes to the cabinet including a new chancellor. But will a change in personnel herald any changes to inheritance tax? Former chancellor, George Osborne, kept the inheritance tax threshold at £325,000 – the tax-free amount on a person’s estate before you pay 40% – for the whole of his six year […]

27-July-2016 A new gene test which analyses whether a person is likely to have Alzheimer’s Disease could be made available to people who develop mild memory problems in middle age. By detecting the disease early on doctors would be able to give the patient brain exercises, and drugs should they become available, to slow the […]

26-July-2016 A Cambridgeshire family has successfully changed the inheritance rules of their family trust which conveyed a life interest in their property to future generations. The property Trumpington Hall which is set on a 3,200 acre estate in Cambridgeshire, has been in the Pemberton family for the past 300 years. Under the terms of the […]

Record-breaking receipts from Inheritance Tax (IHT) boost treasury coffers. HMRC collected £5.1bn from Inheritance Tax bills over the last 12 months, records show. This is the first time that inheritance tax bills have broken through the £5bn barrier within a single year. Why are Inheritance Tax bills rising? Once the reserve of the super-rich, Inheritance […]