?All my wealth is tied up in my property?



With recent consolidations in the re-mortgaging market, it has become more difficult for people to release capital from their property. However, with the right advice, this may not be the only option available for your situation. Often, an innovative plan that takes into account your individual circumstances, earnings and investments as well as taking advantage of all available tax savings would be the best way forward ? of course the best way to find out is with some professional impartial advice.

?How can I make the best out of my tax situation and pay the school fees??

The government is making it increasingly difficult to play the tax system, that said, there are still many perfectly legal ways to optimize your tax allowances ? naturally the HMRC doesn't openly publicize them, but they are there if you know where to look. Tax really deserves it's own dedicated focus when talking about school fees, as there are many legitimate ways to avoid giving the Chancellor more than his pound of flesh ? take professional advice on these options especially if your children have living grandparents.

?I've left it too late and now I need to find the school fees for next term?

Sometimes it's unavoidable, no matter how much we plan for the future, something can come along and scupper those plans! Don't panic, it's not too late ? what you need to do is to find an affordable way to ?borrow? the fees now to secure the place and set up a plan to pay for those fees over the course of the coming years ? there are many such plans available, here are just some

Mortgages

?My buy-to-let portfolio is not as profitable as it was?

Well, there are those who panic and then there are those who know how to make the best out of a difficult market. For the seasoned buy-to-let investor there are still many attractive packages available ? anyone with a trading history and reasonable credit can still find them. The experts are all predicting a return to normality in the prime mortgage market soon, it has to happen for the sake of the country's long term stability; so it may be best to sit tight and wait until the deals come back ? knowing when and with whom those deals pop up is where we can help you.

?Should I sell my buy-to-let flat before it's too late?

Too late for what? It depends on your view ? if you are in the property market to make a shrewd profit and have already achieved that, then the fact that the market has dropped a bit is an easier pill to swallow than if you have bought at the top of the market. Either way, the secret could be ? don't panic and follow the herd over the cliff ? there are ways that losses can be deferred and innovative tax allowances to be realized ? this is by no means an easy process and often, finding and paying for good advice will save you a lot more pain in the future. Some of the best mortgage deals are only available to agents whose fees are paid directly by the lender anyway, so it pays to have someone on your side

?All the best mortgage deals have disappeared?

It's true that the mortgage market has shrunk in terms of the number of products available, but that might mean that a Whole-of-Market mortgage advisor who a year ago might have had 70,000+ deals may now have ?only? 15,000 so there's still plenty of choice. Fast track and self-certified mortgages are becoming more difficult, as are ex-pat mortgages, however in reality all this means is that the tougher the market becomes, the better the advisor you will need and also, the harder a mortgage arrangement becomes, the harder the advisor will have to work to make the deal happen.

Pensions

?My pension company has sent me a letter advising of a short-fall in my pension?

Depending on your age and the amount of deficit, there are several options to consider. The government actively encourages you to put more into your pension with tax incentives and allowances to help you to bridge the gap. Recent press about care in old age is going to be interesting to watch ? many experts are predicting tax changes that will favour pension savers.

?I would like to retire early, how can I provide for that?

Many people think that the retirement age of 65 is set in stone, but it needn't be. Whether you chose to retire early with a guaranteed income, or if you are looking at retiring abroad, the main thing is to plan ahead. With the correct plan in place, retiring before your main pension matures may be possible.