General election time often creates both excitement and nervousness and for much the same reason – the prospect of change. With the battle heating up, the economy in general and pension reforms in particular look like becoming key battlegrounds in the approach to May 7th. With that in mind, let's take a look at what the three main parties have indicated is in store in terms of retirement planning in general and pensions in particular. The Liberal Democrats At the moment, the Liberal Democrats' proposals are still in "pre-manifesto"-stage, i.e. they are still to be made final. Current indications are that they plan to adopt a tax-and-spending economic strategy. Hence pension savers can ex

In the final budget of the current parliament before all parties begin campaigning for the 2015 general election, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has announced a series of measures aimed at attracting public support. The government, who introduced widespread austerity measures in 2010, has announced a budget for ‘comeback Britain.’ However, as with all annual financial statements, there will be winners and losers. Here is our roundup guide to who stands to benefit the most from today’s announcements. The Winners Tax Payers One of the immediate beneficiaries of the Chancellor’s budget will be low income tax payers. The tax free allowance on income tax will increase from £10,6

As the end of the financial year approaches in April, If one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2015 was to improve your finances and ensure that you maximise your savings, the new tax year is an important time. New increased limits on tax exempt savings pots in the form of NISAs have come into effect and in the next month NISA providers will be offering the best deals in the hope they will get your business. Therefore, if you haven’t got an NISA already, now may be the time to open one, and if you have one already, it might be worth considering how it is performing and whether you can get a better deal? This is where Omni Fiancial Ltd can help. Start your new NISA If you open a new NISA now

As the end of the financial year approaches in April, taking stock of the performance of your savings is an essential task for anyone who wants to see their personal wealth grow effectively year on year. This blog is a useful guide to savers who invest in NISAs and want more for their money. Tax Efficient Savings The annual allowance that a saver can invest in an NISA without incurring tax on their nest egg in 2014-15 is £15,000 per year, and it can be divided between cash and stocks and shares, depending on your preferred method of investing. While most cash ISAs are free to open, a stocks and shares ISA will normally incur a service fee. It is also important to remember that high value st

The private pensions market has undergone a period of rapid and intensive change in the past year. In the next two years state pensions will also be transformed and inevitably there will be those who benefit from the changes and those who don’t. This blog is written to give you the best chance of benefiting from the new pensions landscape; normally the savers who are informed, pro active, and realistic about their circumstances and entitlements retire wealthier. Annuities Last year the Chancellor of the Exchequer made annuities non compulsory on”defined contributions” pensions, meaning that when a saver wants to access their pension they can decide exactly how to spend it. This gives some th