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Financial new year’s resolutions for 2024
Posted on: 18th Dec 2023 by: CamOuse Financial Management Limited
The beginning of a new year is always a good time to take stock and think about what you want to get out of life.
With that in mind, it’s a perfect opportunity to look again at your financial goals, and get into good habits that help you work towards these outcomes.
So what realistic steps can you take to maximise your financial wellbeing and make sure you’re on course to achieve your long-term objectives?
Commit to regular financial check-ups
Your financial situation and wider circumstances will evolve over time, so make sure you assess your net worth, cash flow and overall financial stability every few months.
A professional, regulated financial adviser will be well-placed to help you review your financial health, and can help you revise your financial strategy in a way that aligns with your current situation, priorities and ambitions.
Refine your investment portfolio
Take a fresh look at your existing holdings and consider whether they align with your current goals and risk tolerance.
It may be that now is a good time to look at new opportunities or diversify into different asset classes, sectors and markets.
Assess your retirement plans
You want to do more in retirement than simply make ends meet, so assess your retirement plans to make sure you’re on course to live the kind of lifestyle you want in the future.
For example, could you afford to pay a bit more into your pension scheme? Are you taking full advantage of the tax benefits that come with pension saving?
Taking the right steps to maximise your pension saving now could pay off handsomely in later life, as you’ll benefit from greater compound growth.
Again, a financial planner will be able to help you and suggest strategies that could set you up for a happy, fulfilling and financially secure retirement.
Review outstanding debts
Take a look at any existing debts so you can manage them in the most efficient way possible. For instance, you could prioritise paying down high-interest debts, so you ultimately end up paying less in the long run.
At the same time, you could try to prevent getting into unnecessary debt where possible, perhaps by committing to using your credit card more responsibly.
Review and update your estate plan
As your financial situation and overall circumstances change over time, it’s important to update your estate plan accordingly, so it reflects your current situation, assets and wishes for the future.
Don’t overlook your mental health
Money is one of the biggest causes of stress and anxiety, so getting on top of your finances is one of the best ways to protect your mental health.
If you know that your financial strategy accurately reflects your current circumstances and that you’re on course to achieve your financial goals, you’ll be better able to focus on what makes you happy and enjoy your life.
Our financial planners are here to help you get into good habits and advise you on how you can maximise your wealth in 2024.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team of specialists and we’ll be happy to speak with you.
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I thought CamOuse were very helpful and dealt with my enquiries promptly.
D Mowatt
Clive Nickalls
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I have been a client of CamOuse's for many years. My advisors have provided assistance with mortgages, financial planning, investments and most importantly my future. The team remain passionate and professional and I would recommend CamOuse without question.
L Isbell
Trevor Honey & Clive Nickalls
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The staff are always happy to help.
J Pearce
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Lee has always given me excellent advice when choosing a new mortgage. I would highly recommend him.
R O'Dell
Lee Pooley
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Everyone is very friendly, approchable, helpful and professional.
G Parr
Trevor Honey
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I would like to thank Lee for all his help, he was amazing!
Silk & Schwarz
Lee Pooley
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Lee was recommended to us by 2 of his existing clients, colleagues and friends of ours and I'm glad they did so! He made the whole process much simpler then we were expecting.
Burgess & Bedford
Lee Pooley
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Lee has helped us on several occassions and we always appreciate and value his time and efforts.
I & A Murphy
Lee Pooley
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I really appreciate the prompt, friendly, efficient service.
V Hardy
Clive Nickalls
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Very pleased with the service provided and happy to recommend to my customers and friends and family.
M Chadburn
Clive Nickalls
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I would like to express my thanks for the excellent service I have received and a special thank you to Hannah for keeping me updated and dealing with my queries in a very efficient and professional manner.
T Long
Matthew Theobald
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Thank you (and Eve) so much for all your help and support towards our remortgage. We really appreciated your expertise.
Cant & Robbins
Lee Pooley
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I would just like to thank you all on behalf of myself and Jordan. You, Eve and Max have been faultless and we couldn’t be more appreciative for all your help!
C Baldwin
Lee Pooley
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Lee has provided me with mortgages and appropriate insurance for both my home and lease properties. He is professional and works to get policies in place in an extremely quick time frame. I would certainly recommend Lee and CamOuse to anyone and I personally will continue to use their service.
G Habbin
Lee Pooley
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I have been a client of CamOuse Financial Management Ltd for many years and have always found their services to be of the highest quality.
N Parker
Jo Kurz
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Amazing company, very friendly, professional, and always on hand to give sound advice. My family has been utilising their expertise for many years and have never been let down.
S Bradley
Jo Kurz
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Sound financial advice and planning. Responsive and friendly service.
B O'Connor
Jo Kurz
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The whole team at CamOuse are friendly, professional and always look after your best interests. Thanks for your help!
G Hall
Lee Pooley
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We've only been with CamOuse just over a year but would highly recommend them. We deal with Matthew who is an excellent adviser, always very responsive to questions and goes the extra mile to help.
P Carter
Matthew Theobald
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I was so pleased and relieved to find this company. Particularly pleasing is their communication - it's jargon-free, concise and clear. We've been very happy with advice given thus far, and also their responsiveness whenever we've had any queries.
A Cant
Jo Kurz
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We used Lee at Camouse to arrange our mortgage and can highly recommend him to provide an honest and professional service in this area. We will certainly return to Lee for remortgage advice in the future.
A Attewell
Lee Pooley
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Would like to extend our thanks to you and your team for a fantastic customer service as always.
E & R Mendoza
Lee Pooley
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We paid a small fee to Camouse for whole of market mortgage broker services. As first time buyers, Lee and Eve were able to guide us through the process, find us a deal and sort out the applications in a really helpful friendly and efficient way. We were very satisfied and would recommend CamOuse to others for this service.
L Humphrey
Lee Pooley
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I was extremely pleased with the quality of the service I received when arranging a mortgage as part of a house sale and purchase through CamOuse. Lee and Eve were very easy to contact and always quick to respond. I would definitely recommend their mortgage arrangement services.
G Dewdney
Lee Pooley
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Jo has been extremely helpful and very patient and I will be recommending her highly to other family and friends of mine. I do sincerely appreciate the way Jo handled my issues and also the excellent and very professional way she conducted business. She is an absolute asset to CamOuse.
C Tate
Jo Kurz
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CamOuse have been our go-to financial advisers since 2008 and have assisted with numerous mortgages, remortgages, insurances, and general financial advice. Lee Pooley and Eve Nowakowska have been invaluable during this time. We've built up an excellent relationship with both and trust them completely to do what's in our best interests. Both are an absolute pleasure to work with and I cannot recommend them, and by extension CamOuse, enough!
I Murphy
Lee Pooley
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We used the services of CamOuse to help in buying our first home and setting up our mortgage and we were extremely happy with all the advice and help we got. We spoke to Lee mostly, who was really great! Very insightful, very friendly and helpful, very patient and all-round great service. Would happily seek their help again. Many thanks Lee!
C Bolas
Lee Pooley
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We have been taking mortgage advice from CamOuse for over 20 years and are always impressed by their friendliness and professionalism.
N Amery
Lee Pooley
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Thank you to Matthew and Julie for making a huge difference in my life when I thought I was so stuck and felt there was never going to be a way to move forward.
L Smith
Matthew Theobald
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Understanding the true cost to your business
Pension arrangements must be available for all employees. There are three categories of employee:
Eligible
Aged between 22 and State Pension Age (SPA) with qualifying earnings over the Auto Enrolment earnings trigger
Non-eligible
Entitled
Important Notes
- Eligible jobholders must be auto-enrolled
- Non-eligible jobholders are allowed to be auto-enrolled if they want to
- Entitled workers are entitled to join a pension scheme, but the employer doesn't have to contribute
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Qualifying Earnings lower threshold |
£5,772 |
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Qualifying Earnings upper threshold |
£41,865 |
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Automatic Enrolment earnings trigger |
£10,000 |
Minimum contribution level options:
|
8% of Qualifying Earnings of which |
3% is employer's (starting at 1%) |
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9% of Basic Salary of which |
4% is employer's (starting at 2%) |
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8% of Basic Salary of which |
3% is employer's (starting at 1%) |
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(Where basic salary is at least 85% of total earnings) |
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7% of gross earnings of which |
3% is employer's (starting at 1%) |
Pay reference period
Essentially the frequency that the jobholder is paid e.g. monthly, weekly etc. but with reference to the tax month, week etc. therefore it may not be the same as the payroll period.
Deduction and payment of contributions
It is the employer who is responsible to calculate, deduct and pay all contributions to the AE scheme. NOTE – the first and last contributions are likely to be for less than a full pay reference period and should be adjusted accordingly.
Payroll services
It can be seen that it is very important that the payroll system synchronises with the AE scheme otherwise the employer will not be carrying out all requirements and then penalties will be incurred.
Staging date
Based on the employer’s payroll size as at 1 April 2012 and can be found at www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/employers using your PAYE reference. The Qualifying Workplace Pension Scheme must be registered with The Pensions Regulator within 4 months of the staging date.
Compliance and communication
Postponement
Auto-Enrolment can be postponed for up to 3 months:
- For current eligible employees
- For workers that meet the criteria in the future for the first time e.g. avoid joining temporary or lower paid workers
Opt-Outs
All eligible employees must be auto-enrolled, but can, with the correct notification, opt-out within one month of joining the scheme and be treated as never having joined. They can opt back in and will automatically be auto-enrolled every 3 years in any case!
Communication
There is a wide range of information that must be provided to all employees at certain times, such as:
- The date auto-enrolment took place for eligible jobholders
- That non-eligible jobholders have the statutory right to opt in
- Entitled workers have the right to request the employer to enrol them into a pension scheme
Salary sacrifice
Contributions can be paid by effectively reducing salary, which saves on NI contributions, but employee must choose to do this – they cannot be forced, so a contractual variation will need to be implemented.
Default investment fund
Investment Options
All eligible employees will be automatically invested into a default investment fund, which is a balanced risk fund that is “life styled” to account for the employees approach to retirement. They also have the option to invest in a wide range of funds of their choosing.
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