NorthStar Blog
Welcome to the NorthStar Blog. The place for the latest news, information and opinion from the NorthStar team helping you stay on top of what's going on in the world of financeTo stay up-to-date with the latest news and views from the NorthStar team, why not subscribe to NorthStar Insights, our free email newsletter or check out our social media sites.
The 10 Golden Rules to Recession Proof Your Investment Portfolio
When the economy shows signs of slowing down, it is inevitable that share prices will take a hit. A recession is never good news, but there should be no need for investors to panic. Instead, it offers an opportunity to review your portfolio and ensur…
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How Much Do I Need to Save to Retire at 55?
There’s no longer such a thing as ‘retirement age’ – you’re simply free to access most pensions from the age of 55. But what if you actually did want to retire at 55? We take a look at what you’d need to make that dream a reality. There’s an old joke…
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10 Key Takeaways from the Budget 2018
Yesterday saw the Chancellor, Philip Hammond deliver the Budget for 2018. This was the first time since 1962 that the Budget had taken place on a Monday and also the last before we expect to leave the EU in March next year. In this article, we cut th…
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Beware the ‘Vampire Economy’ and Other Financial Frights
Did you know we’re spending more money than ever in the dead of night, boosting what’s been dubbed the ‘vampire economy’? One in three Brits in a survey by Barclaycard reckoned they spend more money shopping online at night than they did five years a…
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We’re Offering Free ‘Talk Money’ Sessions as Part of Talk Money Week 2018
NorthStar Wealth Management is proud to announce their involvement in this year’s Talk Money Week. Launching on Monday 12 November, ‘Talk Money Week’ is the annual celebration of the work thousands of organisations are doing to improve money manageme…
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Why Advice Is Always Time Well Spent
If time were a currency, it would fluctuate more than the pound after the Brexit vote. Getting the most value from your time is all down to how you spend it – and invest it. If you’re curious as to why people seek professional advice, then you need to u…
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Buy-to-Let Tax 2018 – 3 Ways to Cope with Losing Tax Relief
The game has changed for many buy-to-let landlords. From April 2017 the change to buy-to-let tax relief has been phasing in, which could translate into a big loss of profits for many with rental properties. What can you do about it? It used to seem a…
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Ready to Give Yourself a Financial Workout?
September is the new January, with people flocking back to the gym, hoping to get back in shape after overindulging on their holidays. But while the gym bunnies fight over the fitness machines, why not put your finances through their paces from the…
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We’re Offering Free Personal Financial Planning Sessions as Part of Financial Planning Week 2018
We’re delighted to be among a select group of companies taking part in Financial Planning Week 2018. Running from 3rd to 10th October, the annual Financial Planning Week is a national campaign to help engage people with their money and raise awarenes…
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KnowlEDGE Digital Magazine – Autumn 2018
We’ve just published our exclusive quarterly digital magazine for Autumn 2018. You can read and download your copy for free. In this issue our cover story is about building a ‘team’ of financial products that will help you achieve your financial goal…
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Check out the Latest NorthStar Investment Results
One of the key services we provide our clients is investment management. As well as helping our clients protect the wealth they have already accumulated, it’s also crucial to help them grow their wealth over time. We have developed a unique investmen…
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Who Gets More Pocket Money – Girls or Boys?
For the first time in a decade, girls are now getting more pocket money than boys. According to the Halifax Pocket Money report, girls average £7.09 per week whilst boys get 18p less at £6.91. The overall amount that kids are now getting has also dro…
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Pensions: Are You on Shaky Ground?
Pensions have always been complicated, but these days there is much more information to get your head around. Because of the radical changes in 2015, much of what you have previously assumed may turn out not to be true after all. How many of these pe…
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Beyond Uni: A Saver’s Guide
You’ll learn much more at university than your chosen subject – it’s also the place where many of us learn to be financially independent. From cashback to mystery shopping, here are our favourite tips from the university of life…University is a valua…
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You and Your Partner’s Life Changing Money Secrets
You might think you know all about your partner – what their favourite food is, who their friends are, what social media accounts they can’t tear themselves away from…but do you know who their bank is, or who their pension is with? More than one in f…
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Would You Survive If You Lost Your Income?
It is a sad fact that while most of us are quite happy to insure our car, our house, our travel arrangements – even our mobile phones – to their full value, few of us take quite as much care over our own health and that of our loved ones. According t…
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The Dangers of Pension Release
More than £17 billion has been withdrawn legitimately from pensions in the form of cash lump-sums and annuities since the new freedoms were introduced in 2015. But the new freedoms have brought new dangers. Some companies are now specifically targeti…
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6 Amazing Money-Spinners That Worked
(…and one that didn’t). If you ever come across a get-rich-quick scheme, be very suspicious – but once in a blue moon, someone comes up with a cunning plan that really does pay off. Here we salute those brave, ingenious and sometimes just lucky jackp…
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How to Handle an Inheritance
If you’ve been named as a beneficiary in a will, you’ll have plenty to look forward to – and lots to think about. When will you inherit? How much will it be? Will there be any tax to pay? And how can you make best use of your inheritance. Both your s…
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The Top 10 Reasons to Use a Financial Planner
Many people think that financial advice is required only by the very rich. However, everyone can benefit from it. Not only can it help you protect and build your assets, it can also assist you in making the most of your investments and securing the l…
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The Perils of a Pension Spending Spree
Research for Channel 4’s Dispatches suggests that the government has seriously underestimated how people will use their new pension freedoms. Big dangers face an ageing population that may have lots of ready cash, but less awareness of where to find…
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Could You Live Without Cash?
With the news this week that debit card payments have overtaken cash use for the first time and one in three Brits thinking we’ll be a cashless society in 20 years, we look at the alternatives available now if you want to dump the coins and notes in …
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KnowlEDGE Digital Magazine – Summer 2018
We’ve just published our exclusive quarterly digital magazine for Summer 2018. You can read and download your copy for free. Summer is here. The sun is shining and things are really hotting up so it’s a very warm welcome to this issue of KnowlEDGE Ma…
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Stop Leaving Shoes on the Stairs! (Plan Your Pension)
We can spoil our retirement years by the slip-ups we make today. These pension planning errors prove that forgetfulness is a young person’s problem, too. We know about the really huge pension mistakes: not starting one, or starting one too late. Thes…
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Don’t Risk Your Financial Future by Keeping Quiet
What is your least favourite thing to discuss with your partner? Money is probably high up there, but you could be risking your financial future and plans for a comfortable retirement if you don’t talk to your partner about your finances. One in five…
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The Quick Later-Life Checklist
What’s better than growing old gracefully? Staying comfortable and solvent as you do so. There’s an art to getting the later years spot-on, but with our quick list of things to remember you’ll have time to draw breath while you’re drawing your pensio…
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Do You Know the Most Common Ways You Waste Money?
No matter how savvy you think you are, there’s a good chance you waste little sums of money here and there – and they could be adding up to £360 a year. We’ve some simple rules to help you claw some of that money back. A new survey suggests one in f…
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One Moment to Change Your Finances
One little decision can transform your life forever, whether it’s choosing to start a family, or buying an annuity to give you an income in retirement. Here at NorthStar we think a lot about the ‘advice moments’ – the times when people are most likel…
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8 Questions About Workplace Pensions Answered
Millions of employees have started enjoying the benefits of workplace pensions since automatic enrolment was introduced six years ago in 2012. These findings from The Pensions Regulator come as thousands of smaller employers are finalising the enrolm…
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Revealed – The Cost of Being Loyal
We all know that you can save money by switching your services, but even so many prefer to stick with their existing company. Yet new research has found the cost of staying loyal to be almost £1,000 a year. That’s a huge amount of cash which most of…
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