The Blincoe Blog
Who Really Holds Your Investments? Understanding the 4 Layers of Protection When Investing Through an Adviser
When you invest through a financial adviser, there are several different parties involved in the management of your investments. Each plays a crucial and unique role. Many investors worry: "What happens to my money if one of these companies fails?" It's a valid concern, and one that UK financial regulations address through robust protection mechanisms.
10 Common Investment Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them): A Guide for Smarter Long-Term Investing
This is the second in a three-part series on common financial planning mistakes. In this installment, we cover ten common investing pitfalls—from chasing dividends to home bias and poor diversification. Small missteps can have big long-term impacts.
Top 10 Pension and Retirement Planning Mistakes — and How to Avoid Them
This is the first in a three-part series on common financial planning mistakes. In this installment, we look at retirement—an area where financial decisions are often shaped as much by emotion and uncertainty as by hard numbers.
Drawdown vs Annuity: Which is Better?
When it comes to drawing income from your pension, two core options dominate the landscape: flexi-access drawdown and annuity purchase. Each offers distinct benefits and trade-offs. Increasingly, the best solution lies not in choosing one over the other — but in combining both to create a plan that balances security, flexibility, and control.
Tax-Efficient Ways to Extract Profits from Your Company: Salary, Dividends, Pensions & More
What’s the most tax-efficient way to take money out of your company? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but this blog explores proven strategies to help you extract profits smartly and sustainably.
FIRE 2.0: How Financial Independence Can Help You Redesign Work — Not Just Retire
FIRE 2.0 is about financial independence that lets you work differently — with more purpose, flexibility, and balance. Discover how cashflow modelling can help you make the switch, without risking your future.
Inheritance Tax & Lifetime Gifting: How Taper Relief and Insurance Can Protect Your Estate
In this week's blog, we explore the mechanics of taper relief and how combining direct gifting with a short-term insurance policy can provide both tax efficiency and peace of mind.
How to Turn Pension Income into a Tax-Free Legacy with Life Insurance
One of the most effective estate planning strategies has been to leave your pension untouched for as long as possible. However, ‘the times, they are a-changin’, the government plans to bring pensions into the scope of IHT from April 2027.
What Recent Market Volatility in 2025 Teaches Us About Risk Tolerance
What a ride! After hitting all-time highs on 19th February, the market plunged nearly 19% in six weeks, only to recover swiftly not long afterwards. A bear market scare and a bull market bounce, all within a single quarter.
The New Pension Limits After the Lifetime Allowance: What You Need to Know
In April 2023, Jeremy Hunt announced that the Lifetime Allowance would be abolished. This represents a significant shift in the UK's pension landscape, particularly for individuals with substantial pension savings.
Are Venture Capital Trusts Worth It? Performance vs Tax Relief
We’ve previously explored the mechanics of VCT investing – the rules, the risks, and the generous tax perks, but we’re returning to the topic this week. The key question we ask is: Is VCT investing still worth considering?
Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage or Invest? Pros and Cons Explained
This is a question that comes up frequently: If you have some spare cash, should you use it to pay off your mortgage or invest it for future growth?
How to Use Bed & ISA and Bed & Pension Strategies to Maximise Tax Relief
The recent outbreak of trade tensions has sent global markets into a tailspin. Amidst this volatility lies opportunity, a new tax year offers fresh ISA and pension allowances—an ideal time to make strategic moves that enhance your tax efficiency.
How to Stay Calm (and Invested) When Markets Get Scary
Global financial markets have suffered a bruising few weeks. At the time of writing, the US benchmark S&P 500 index has fallen 8% year-to-date and stands 12% below its all-time high achieved just seven weeks ago(!!).
Nil-Rate Band Trusts Explained: Smart IHT Planning for Couples
Inheritance tax (IHT) continues to affect more families each year. IHT receipts rose by 7% last year and current forecasts suggest a further 5%+ increase this year. To make matters worse, major changes to pension legislation are looming.
Are Offshore Investment Bonds the Hidden Gem of Tax Planning?
These products were once overlooked – often dismissed as expensive and inflexible. But they’ve come a long way. Today, they offer a range of tax planning benefits and can sit neatly alongside pensions, ISAs and general investment accounts (GIAs) as part of a well-structured financial plan.
Why Annuities Are Making a Comeback—and How to Use Them in Retirement
According to a recent FT article, “annuity sales soared to their highest level in a decade in 2024, as high rates and economic uncertainty drove people towards the products and their guaranteed income streams”.
Why Market Volatility Is Back — and What Investors Should Do About It
It’s been a volatile few weeks on the stock market, driven by concerns over a potential trade war and signs of a slowdown in the US economy.
Why the First Years of Retirement Are the Riskiest (and How to Protect Yourself)
Sequence risk refers to the order in which investment returns occur. It is one of the most underappreciated risks and is particularly relevant for new retirees who have shifted from a saving / wealth creation phase to spending their investments.
Your 2025 Tax Year-End Checklist: Five Smart Moves Before April 5th
Investment gains have increased from 10% to 18% for basic-rate taxpayers and from 20% to 24% for higher-rate taxpayers. Now is the time to make the most of available allowances, reliefs, and exemptions.