Deferred payment arrangements, underestimating spending & a new head honcho

It’s been another busy week for the Informed Choice team, with Nick and Shelley giving a presentation about inheritance tax planning for a packed room at U3A in Camberley.

Martin attended the Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA) regional meeting in Guildford on Monday, prompting him to write this blog explaining deferred payment arrangements for people making the permanent move to a residential care home.

Do you know how much you spend each year? That was the question we asked at the start of this week, after new research found that people tend to underestimate their main household expenses by an average of £1,459 in the last year.

Equity release is fast becoming a more popular way for people to access some of the wealth tied up in their properties. It is of course not without its drawbacks. We examined the rising popularity of equity release following the publication of new figures by the Equity Release Council.

A new head honcho has been appointed at our regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). What will Andrew Bailey bring to the party and, most importantly, will he succeed in reducing the cost of financial services regulation?

In our latest podcast episode this week, Martin talks about what the name of your road means for house prices, some investment market predictions for 2016, and there’s a roundup of the latest personal finance news.