OUR SERVICES
Without blowing our own trumpets, people have been known to call us wealth management experts. We offer personalised, actionable financial advice - and clients tell us we're pretty good at it. But if you think they're wrong why not come in for a chat.
INVESTMENTS AND SAVINGS
You can accumulate wealth in many different ways. Legacies, gifts, the sale of a property, a business windfall, or indeed stoically saving some of your income in a structured and dedicated way over many years. Any, and all, of these offer avenues to grow your wealth.
But wherever your capital comes from, it is important to ensure that it is well looked after; that suitable funds are set aside for emergencies and short term needs, and that money intended for longer term goals is invested wisely and tax-efficiently in areas that provide realistic growth prospects. At Carey & Johnston we can advise and guide you through this process in a way that best suits your individual needs. You will benefit from our investment expertise and professionalism, which we have honed meticulously over many years as financial advisers, as well as our local availability and personalised approach.
We will be careful to place your capital in appropriate investments that dovetail with your needs, priorities, and experience. Any plan we develop for you will be influenced by certain key factors worked out with you. We will, for example, discuss what income you need to meet your monthly outgoings, and how much ready cash you need to keep available. Should you be comfortable investing some of your longer term funds, we will take into account your own experience and understanding of investments to date, and your feelings about them. We not only want to see your funds grow, we want to remove any stress at the same time. We will also be sure to use the most tax efficient solutions for your needs. We have experience in investing wholly or partly in ethical funds as well, should this appeal to you.
If you choose to develop a portfolio of investments, we can monitor their performance for you, and discuss this - along with any resulting suggested changes - with you at regular review meetings.
Please note that the value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than the amount invested. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate Taxation and Trust advice.
PROTECTION ADVICE
For many people, the most important aspect of their financial planning is to make sure that the people closest to them are financially secure should something go wrong.
Being unable to work because of sickness, being diagnosed with a serious illness or, worse still, the passing of a loved one can bring about long periods of worry, stress and pain, and - all too often - unwanted financial upheaval. Our role at Carey & Johnston is to ensure that you have spent some time considering these areas, and put in place plans to ensure that if the worst happens, concerns about money don't add to the situation.
We can talk you through Life Assurance, Critical Illness Protection, and Income Protection plans along with other types of protection-based products that we feel may suit your circumstances. Our goal is to provide you and your loved ones with valuable peace of mind by arranging an affordable protection solution that fits your needs.
Please note that protection policies have no cash value and do not pay out if you reach the end of the policy without making a valid claim.
RETIREMENT PLANNING
Whether you are employed or self-employed, thinking about how you will fund your retirement years shouldn't only be a part of your financial planning, but part of your plans in general. Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more apparent that the days of relying on the state pension, even for just the 'basics', are gone.
Accordingly, planning for retirement is a complex, but necessary, business and there are more and more options available - particularly since early 2015 when George Osborne 'opened the doors' on pension funds for people over 55. But this must be done carefully, since there will be tax implications depending on when and how you take your income, and - not surprisingly - if you spend it all now, there will be none left for your later years. Present bias strikes again.
Not only are there more options, but many commentators are of the view that tax relief on contributions to pensions may disappear, or at least become less generous, in the not too distant future.
Seeking genuine and unbiased advice is now of critical importance; this is the case whether you are in the building phase of your retirement funds, or at the stage of making use of those funds.
Should you wish to take your pension now, defer your income to a later date, or simply want to consider your pension options further, we at Carey & Johnston would be delighted to help. We can explain your options in simple and straightforward terms and guide you to the route that is best for you.
Please note that a pension is a long term investment; the fund value will fluctuate and could go down, which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available to you.
Pension income can also be affected by interest rates at the time you take your benefits. The tax implications of pension withdrawals will be based on your individual circumstances, tax legislation and regulation, which are subject to change in the future.
ESTATE PLANNING
You've worked hard, you've saved, you've planned, and you've paid your Health and Social Care Levy. Now you want to make sure that whatever is left after your Saga cruise and bingo nights can go straight to your family, friends, and good causes. Unfortunately, there are many bear traps lying in wait, but we can help guide you through.
Whether it's assigning beneficiaries on life and protection policies, advising on inheritance tax, or setting up trusts; we've experience in making sure the right assets get to the right people, at the right time. We can point you in the direction of will providers, discuss family investment companies, and ring fence funds for end of life and funeral costs.
Don't leave the last minute to the last minute, come in to see us today and start the conversation.
Also; remember, remember, the 5th of November - is the fifth day of free wills month.