September saw further drama for UK politics with Boris Johnson’s five-week suspension of Parliament deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court. Judges unanimously upheld an earlier decision by Scotland’s highest civil court. This means Parliament will be meeting during the Conservative Party conference, following another lost vote for a temporary suspension.

In terms of global stock markets, the FTSE 100 bounced back from a tough August, closing September at 7,408.21, which was 2.8% higher than the August closing level.

In the US, the Dow Jones ...

In a dramatic move, Britain's new Prime Minister Boris Johnson set in motion the suspension of the UK Parliament - which means MPs have much less time to debate Brexit, the process of the UK leaving the European Union. Parliament is to be suspended for five weeks ahead of 31 October, the day the UK is due to leave the EU.

Boris Johnson wants to start a new parliamentary session, with a fresh programme, from 14 October. Instead of a normal three-week autumn recess, parliament will now wrap up some time around 10 September.

With so little ti...

In July, Boris Johnson became the leader of the Conservative party and moved into “No. 10” as our latest Prime Minister. His priority being for the UK to leave the European Union on 31 October 2019, with a “no deal” exit firmly back on the table.

This caused the pound to fall to a 2-year low against the US dollar. While this is bad news for those of us enjoying an overseas summer break, it was positive for the FTSE 100, which closed July at 7,586.78, which was 2.2% higher than the June closing level.

In the US, the Dow Jones 30 enjoyed a s...

As we start the second half of the year, the Conservative Party are close to choosing their new leader (and likely to be Prime Minister) from the final two candidates - Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson. Boris Johnson appears to be the favourite and he is committed to leaving the European Union on 31 October 2019, with or without a deal.

While this news dominates local headlines, the on-going trade war rhetoric between the United States and China has been more significant for global stock markets. The more positive noises leading up to the G20 ...

So May saw the end of May… following the European elections, Theresa May resigned as Prime Minister and over the next few weeks, the Conservative party will be choosing their new leader and Prime Minister. With the Brexit deadline moved to the end of October, this will be the main priority for the new leader.

Despite this, global stock markets were mainly impacted this month by the on-going trade war rhetoric between the United States and China.

The FTSE 100 Index closed May at 7,161.71, which was 3.5% lower than the April closing level.

Do you aspire to own a new-build home? Are you looking to move home, but lack sufficient funds to afford the repayments on a low-deposit mortgage? You may find it easier to join, or move up the property ladder, thanks to the government-backed Help to Buy scheme.

There are several schemes currently:

Shared Ownership

This is available to first time buyers unable to afford the full 100% mortgage on a home. It works by allowing them to buy a share of the home (between 25% and 75%), and then pay rent on the remaining share. An option ...

As most parts of the UK enjoyed glorious weather for the long Easter weekend, the European Union leaders granted the UK a six-month extension to Brexit. The new deadline is 31 October although Theresa May, who wanted a shorter delay, said the UK would still aim to leave the EU as soon as possible. The UK must now hold European elections in May, or leave on 1 June without a deal.

The FTSE 100 Index closed April at 7,418.22, which was 1.9% higher than the March closing level.

Similarly, in the US, the Dow Jones 30 enjoyed growth of 2.6%, end...

Do you want to provide valuable life cover and financial security for your employees and your family in a tax efficient manner? A Relevant Life Plan could be the answer.

What is a Relevant Life Plan?

A Relevant Life Plan is an individual ‘death in service’ life policy that is affected by an employer on the life of an employee and is funded by the employer. It is a term assurance plan designed to pay a lump sum benefit if the employee covered dies or is diagnosed with a terminal illness during their employment, within the term of the pla...

Despite being granted a short delay before we leave the European Union, Theresa May lost the third meaningful vote on her Withdrawal Agreement in the House of Commons resulting in continued uncertainty around our exit. We are now due to leave on 12 April which was chosen as this is the legal deadline for the UK to decide whether to hold European Parliament elections.

This uncertainty has not really impacted the FTSE 100, which closed March at 7,279.19, 2.9% higher than the February closing level.

In the US, the Dow Jones 30 was more or les...