Enhanced and Impaired-Life Annuities

What is an annuity?

An annuity is where you exchange a lump sum of money for an income payable for the rest of your life. This can be either a lump sum of money from your savings (Purchase Life Annuity) or from your pension plan (Compulsory Purchase Annuity). The rate of return you will get will generally depend your age, sex and the annuity rate set by the provider. However, there are circumstances where you may be eligible for enhanced or impaired-life annuities, thus giving you a higher income.

At least one in three of us could be eligible for a higher income when we retire. All you have to do is buy a type of annuity that pays out a higher income if you're in a poor state of health. The trouble is that most of us don't realise it.

An enhanced annuity works on the basis that you will have a shorter life-span than someone in a better state of health - essentially using up your pension fund more quickly by giving you access to more money each year.

Protecting Your Business

Talk to any business owner and ask if their business is insured and the automatic response is, yes.

Often or not they are referring to insurance against the risk of fire, theft, flood and liability. But then ask what would happen if one of the business owners or key members of staff passed away unexpectedly, or was diagnosed with a serious illness that meant he or she could never work again? Whilst buildings can be rebuilt and stock replaced, the same cannot be said of an individual.

Research carried out on the Institute of Directors in 2011 found that 39% of businesses could not survive more than 18 months following the death or critical illness of a key person. A key person could be one of the owners, an essential employee or even a major customer.

Investing money? Then invest your time first – in planning

When looking at financial planning, it's just that, planning. We have seen a long period of turmoil in the markets, clients feeling uneasy about where to invest. Even the banks do not have the same secure appeal they once appeared to have.

So what do you do? All is not doom and gloom. We have seen many clients benefit from excellent returns over the last year as some markets showed signs of recovery. There are so many places to consider investing and many people, given low interest rates and therefore poor deposit returns, are now starting to once again consider alternatives.

Pension Reform - Auto-enrolment

This guide gives information on the new employers duties introduced by the Pensions Act 2008.

The Pensions Act 2008 - Pension Reform

The Pensions Act 2008 contains a number of measures aimed at encouraging greater private pension saving. From 2012 all eligible workers, who are not already in a good quality workplace scheme, will be automatically enrolled into either their employers' pension scheme or a new savings vehicle, NEST (National Employment Savings Trust), formerly known as personal accounts. To encourage participation, employees' pension contributions will be supplemented by contributions from employers and tax relief.

The overall aim of the government's pension reform strategy is to get more people saving for retirement. All employers in the UK, small and large, will need to take action to comply with their new responsibilities under the Pensions Act 2008.

With-Profit Investors Preparing to Escape

With-profit bonds were one of the most popular types of investments a few years ago, with over 495,000 policies sold in 2001 alone. Now ten years on, investors remaining in with-profits are desperate to release their capital but with high exit penalties, known as market value reductions (MVRs), it has been expensive to make withdrawals.

During 2011, £15 billion held by almost 500,000 investors in with-profits bonds will reach its tenth anniversary, triggering a penalty-free exit period for many of them. Research shows that there are about 90 with-profit bond funds that have penalty-free exit dates this year with many of them paying a typical bonus of just 1% in 2010, less than the average ISA.

Financial Planning - ISAs

Calling All Hay Fever Sufferers…

In my nearly 10 years as a homeopath I've had my most satisfying results treating people for hay fever. I reckon I have an 80-90% success rate in easing symptoms (significantly easing them!), and sometimes I can get rid of them completely. People who've been walking balls of itching and irritation for years are often astounded that they can actually live a normal life. If I treat someone for more than one season, there is a possibility of eradicating their hay fever altogether.

But I would say that, wouldn't I?! You have every right to be doubtful…

Good clinical proof that homeopathy is more than just placebo is a bit thin on the ground and, yes, I know there's been a lot of adverse publicity that homeopathic remedies are nothing but sugar pills. So this year I've decided to put my money where my mouth is and prove it! I'm going to show that homeopathy is a highly effective way of treating people with hay fever by conducting a study at Boldre Homeopathic Practice.

Calling All Hay Fever Sufferers…

In my nearly 10 years as a homeopath I've had my most satisfying results treating people for hay fever. I reckon I have an 80-90% success rate in easing symptoms (significantly easing them!), and sometimes I can get rid of them completely. People who've been walking balls of itching and irritation for years are often astounded that they can actually live a normal life. If I treat someone for more than one season, there is a possibility of eradicating their hay fever altogether.

But I would say that, wouldn't I?! You have every right to be doubtful…

Good clinical proof that homeopathy is more than just placebo is a bit thin on the ground and, yes, I know there's been a lot of adverse publicity that homeopathic remedies are nothing but sugar pills. So this year I've decided to put my money where my mouth is and prove it! I'm going to show that homeopathy is a highly effective way of treating people with hay fever by conducting a study at Boldre Homeopathic Practice.

Happy Homeopathic Christmas

Don't want to be a complete Bah Humbug - but you have to admit it, there is a certain inevitability about Christmas. You run yourself ragged list-making, planning, trailing around heaving supermarkets and sweating for half a day over a meal that everyone wolfs down in 20 minutes. Then they all slump in front of the TV repeats feeling bloated, drunk, bored and overheated.

There's no happy pill to transform Christmas into happy families with tinsel on top. But here a few homeopathic pills to get you through everything from rampant reflux and hangovers… to a lack of festive libido!

Build Yourself Up for Winter

The warm weather has to come to an end sooner or later. And when there's a dip in temperature or weather change, that's when we all start to go down with the lurgies that spread like wildfire. Here are seven ways to build up your immunity so you're less likely to succumb to colds, flu and viruses. Boldre Homeopathic Practice stocks all the products listed below, plus we're offering a special Pre-winter MOT for just £40. This is a top-to-toe check-up where we assess you and give you individualised guidelines on what you should take to get your immune system in good shape for the dark months ahead.

Back-To-School Blues

So you've done it! The kids are back at school, your toddler's survived his first foray into nursery, life's got back to some semblance of normality. But has it?

If your child's quiet and sullen and won't say why… If each morning is a battle because someone is really not happy at being back at school… If that bullying and sniping has restarted from day one… and if you're feeling bereft each time you hand your little one over… then read on. Homeopathy is helping lots of families through school wobbles at the moment. And in the next month I'll be having lots of visits from mums who're not quite themselves after dispatching their young adult to university.

Here are just a few of the many remedies that can help.

Homeopathy for Hay Fever

The natural way to beat those sniffles

If this time of year is a sore-eyed, sneezy, itchy drag for you, then you're by no means alone. One in four Britons suffers from hay fever, compared with one in eight in the early 1980s - and, in line with asthma and eczema, allergic hay fever is on the increase. Due to global warming and mild, early springs, not only has the hay fever season extended, pollen counts have also risen dramatically in the past four years. And ash clouds and pollution only add to the allergic mix.