The Blincoe Blog
We write in plain English - no jargon, no waffle - just useful ideas to help you take control of your money, plan ahead, and make smarter decisions.
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“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”
- Benjamin Franklin
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
A Smarter Retirement Strategy: How Risk-Based Guardrails Maximise Flexibility
A more flexible approach to retirement spending, one that takes into account investment performance and adjusts spending threshold accordingly.
Retirement Spending: How to Balance Fear of Running Out with Fear of Missing Out
Retirement Spending: Balancing the Fear of Running Out with the Fear of Missing Out
Public Sector Pensions Explained: How to Maximise Your NHS or Civil Service Retirement
Exploring the benefits of Public Sector Pensions, and scope to increase entitlement through Additional Pension purchase.
Why New Pension Rules in 2027 Feel Like a Lifetime Allowance All Over Again
The new pension rules, to be introduced from April 2027, resemble a lifetime allowance in disguise.
Annuity vs Drawdown: Making the Right Retirement Income Choice
Annuities are back on the retirement menu
How Cashflow Modelling Helps You Answer: When Can I Afford to Retire?
The power of cashflow modelling in retirement planning
Planning the Third Act: How to Build a Retirement You’ll Enjoy
Moving from a period of saving to spending can be emotionally challenging, but herein lies the true value of financial planning
Why Estates Over £2m May Face a 60% Inheritance Tax Hit—And How to Avoid It
Certain estates are subject to a marginal 60% inheritance tax once their value exceeds £2m
"...and how to achieve an immediate 20% tax saving”
How Much Do You Need to Retire Comfortably? A Guide to Retirement Spending and Cashflow Planning
When planning for retirement, the key question is 'how much do you plan to spend in retirement'? But this can be hard to answer.
What Is FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and How Can You Achieve It?
Using cashflow modelling to determine the point of financial independence
"Financial independence may be closer than you think”
Buying commercial property via your pension
Small business owners can turbocharge their pension savings by buying their own business premises via a personal pension.
UK ‘Pot for Life’ Pension Reform: What It Means and the Pros and Cons You Should Know
Looking at the pros and cons of the Chancellor's plans for a single 'pension pot for life'
"One pot to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them”
How to Claim Unused Pension Tax Relief: A Guide for Higher and Additional Rate Taxpayers
Every year, higher and additional rate taxpayers leave millions of pounds of pension tax relief unclaimed. According to recent research, this could be worth as much as £1.3bn over a 5-year period.
