Introduction

It’s a parliamentary tradition that while making the Budget speech, the Chancellor may drink whatever he wishes. Previous Chancellors have opted for whisky (Kenneth Clarke), gin and tonic (Geoffrey Howe) and even sherry and beaten egg (William Ewart Gladstone). Reflecting more sombre and health conscious times, both Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown went for water and the current Chancellor, George Osborne has followed this dour, modern tradition. Read more …

The care cap first proposed during the coalition government is set to come into effect from April 2016. The idea behind the cap – set at £72,000 – is to limit the amount of fees you pay in your lifetime towards care after you turn 65. This in turn will give you greater freedom to plan for your future.

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As part of a regular feature in our monthly newsletters we will be taking a sneaky look into the lives of the people that make Brunel Capital Partners tick. This month, we get to know Sara…

1. What first attracted you to Brunel Capital Partners?

Peter Hill!

2. What is the most enjoyable part of your job?

Working with a lovely team of people

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With the midpoint of 2015 fast approaching, it’s time to take stock of your business successes during the past six months, as well as any areas where you perhaps haven’t made your mark as you had initially hoped. Looking to the future, here are three tips to help organise your business plans between now and the end of the year.
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Financial plans are necessarily complicated things. They need to take into account your goals and desires in the first instance, but then also factor in your attitude to risk and the individual events that you plan on happening throughout your life.

From there, things can get even more complicated. There’s your tax position to consider, investment suitability to analyse, pension contributions, ISAs, paying off your mortgage and other financial factors to bear in mind. There are frequent reviews of your situation to complete and, of course, the unexpected will always happen, so your plans could change at any moment. Read more …

There are now only weeks to go until the General Election, which – by common consent – will be the most closely fought and difficult to predict in a generation. Since only last week, a dozen opinion polls have been published and not one of them has made forecasting the likely outcome on May 7th any easier. Read more …

The market seems to be taking the continuing focus on how the country might be run after next month’s general election in relatively good heart. Perhaps the message is that it doesn’t really matter who lives in No 10 because the policies are bound to be pretty similar, given the constraints placed upon economic man- agement by the ongoing deficit problem. Not that the manifestos give any indication that the politicians are being realistic and not making promises to garner votes.

Market Comment 14th April 2015

As part of a regular feature in our monthly newsletters we will be taking a sneaky look into the lives of the people that make Brunel Capital Partners tick. This month, we get to know Lucie…

1. What first attracted you to Brunel Capital Partners?
The opportunity to work within a company that puts the needs of their clients at the forefront of their advice process.
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Budget Summary 2015: The Election Budget

Introduction and Political Background

As the Chancellor stood up to speak on Wednesday March 18th there were less than 50 days to go until the General Election on May 7th. The opinion polls – and the bookmakers – still had the Conservatives marginally ahead, with David Cameron expected to remain in 10 Downing Street after the Election. But no one expected the Conservative party to have a clear majority and, as many commentators remarked, the ‘campaign’ so far had done nothing to capture the public imagination. Read more …

1 – How long will my money have to last? We now tend to live longer. An average 65 year old in good health is expected to live for another 24 years and one in four people could now live to see their 95th birthday. Our retirement savings are going to have to last us for a long time – perhaps 30 years or more. Leaving them where they are for longer could make a big difference to our lifestyle in old age. Read more …