Latest News

Prior to lockdown, over half (51%) of businesses had some form of debt, owing an average of £176,000 each – and yet just 20% used an insurance policy as security. To add to this already significant issue, bank lending to struggling businesses via government-backed COVID-19 loan schemes reached nearly £52bn as of mid-August 2020 – meaning that UK bu...

We're delighted to announce that a financial adviser with an outstanding reputation and 26 years experience in the financial services and mortgage advice sector has joined our practice. Deborah Riding joins us in the newly created role of Compliance and Development Manager. Deborah will offer financial advice directly to our gro...

 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HELP TO BUY! Help to buy can be confusing and hard to get your head round. Who pays what? When do you have to pay it back? What do you have to pay back? How much can you borrow? Who is entitled to Help to Buy? WHAT IS HELP TO BUY AND HOW DOES IT WORK? With a Help to Buy: Equity Loan, the Government lends first time...

95% mortgages are back. But can YOU get one? How easy is it to get your hands on one? Who's entitled to them? What are the restrictions? Our Practice Principal Bobby Sherlock explains what a 95% mortgage is: Put simply, a 95% mortgage allows you to borrow 95% of what the house you're buying is worth. It means that you only need a 5% deposit to be a...

JANET'S TOP TIPS ON AVOIDING THE SCAMMERS AND TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR PENSIONS Are you one of the many people who have been saving into a pension for a long time but find the whole thing a little perplexing? Have you been saving into a pension for years but don't really understand how your money is invested and how you can access it? ...

1. DON'T mismanage other financial commitments! This may sound obvious to a lot of people but it's amazing how often we see clients who've had issues/problems with some of their other financial commitments (loans, credit cards, vehicle finance etc). This can often cause problems when applying for a mortgage – worst case scenario, it can preven...

"We've all got a terminal disease, it's called life" Benedict Groeschel Death, as morbid as it may seem is guaranteed for all of us. The reality of it is, we don't know when our time is up, and before I had children, I didn't really think about it too much. But, more recently I have. Like many at home during lockdown I started sorting out drawers a...

Our Mortgage Adviser Tom Graham has put together some top tips to help you understand the process behind a lender's decision on what you can or can't afford to borrow when buying a house or remortgaging your home. Lots of clients ask the same questions: How much can I borrow? How much can I have to buy a house? How muc...

Stuart Lost it All! Don't be like Stuart! This is a true case but we have changed the name of the client to avoid any embarrassment. Stuart was in his 50's, he had built up savings for his retirement and was still working full-time but had started getting a bit jaded with his work. A work colleague of Stuart's suggested he take a look at a fantasti...

Our adviser Sophie McMillan explains the mistakes many people make when looking to insure their home: Did you use the purchase price of your property when choosing the amount your home should be insured for? Did you decide you only have 10 thousand pounds worth of contents in your house? These are two very common, very real examples of mistakes peo...

On International Women's Day (Monday 8th March) we are encouraging women to take control of their future financial success. International Women's Day celebrates the achievements of women and is a call to action to increase gender parity and raise awareness about gender equality. Our team at SSA, which unusually in the financial services sector...

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivered his second Budget on 3 March declaring that "we will recover". The key fiscal event, which had been delayed from the Autumn due to the pandemic, centred on a £65bn three-part plan designed to continue supporting British people and businesses through the pandemic, 'fix' the public finances once rec...

Are you a saver? Saving your hard earned surplus cash for a rainy day? Or a big occasion? Or maybe for your retirement? Perhaps you're squirrelling away pennies in a "safe" savings account ready for when you want to spend it. But…what is safe? The capital amount may be guaranteed and will grow with interest added but what about its value? Would you...

The world of finance can be a puzzling place. Numbers mixed with words mixed with acronyms. It can be hard to decipher, harder still to know what's best and even harder to know if the adviser you have chosen is REALLY doing a good job for you! We have pulled together 3 tips for you to consider when choosing who to trust with your money and your pla...

What I know now, I wish I knew then! Here I am, 40 years old and starting my first personal pension. One that I am going to manage and invest, and watch as it grows, with the ultimate goal of a pension pot that will provide me with the ability to retire on my terms with the income I want. As a teenager and well into my twenties I was good with mone...

Do you worry what would happen to your family if you or your partner were to suddenly lose your job, become seriously ill or even die? How would you pay your mortgage, day to day bills and manage financially during a period of emotional distress? Protecting those you love could be more affordable than you think A Family Protection insurance policy ...

Estimates suggest that well over one million borrowers have lapsed onto their lender's default standard variable rate (SVR). Has this happened to you? If so, now could be the perfect time to consider a remortgage, to get your finances in good shape for the year ahead. Do you know your mortgage rate?If your current tracker, fixed rate, or discount m...

As a nation, we aren't great with our financial acronyms and terminology. Life is busy and our heads are often full of important things to get done to make it through the week, without having to worry about whether we know our LTV from our ERC! You're certainly not alone if you're feeling financially flustered. Recent research has found that more t...

With the first wave of Child Trust Funds maturing this year, there's a great opportunity to talk to your children about the benefits of saving and investing. If one of your children has recently celebrated their 18th birthday then there's a good chance they'll have some money in a Child Trust Fund (CTF), which they can now access for the first time...

On 17 November the FCA confirmed guidance for homeowners struggling financially due to coronavirus. The mortgage payment holidays scheme, first announced in March and then extended in May, has been further extended until 31 March 2021. How does it work? Those who have not yet had a payment holiday will be eligible for payment holidays of 6 months i...