Victoria Whittington Financial Planning

Victoria Whittington Financial Planning Helping individuals, families and businesses plan, protect and grow their finances. Hi! My name is Victoria, thank you for making your way onto my page. The 'St.

Providing peace of mind today, by putting in place the building blocks required to achieve your future financial goals. I wholeheartedly believe that everyone has the right to, and could benefit from, personalised, holistic financial advice. No two people are the same. Your dreams for the future, those you hold dear, and your circumstances are all unique. So too should your financial plan be. By g

etting to know my clients I help them create the financial future they want and deserve. After over a decade working at various Investment Banks based in London, in 2023 my family and I took a long overdue leap of faith and embarked on a lifelong dream of living in the Cotswolds. In 2024, I took my first steps towards building my own Financial Advisory business, combining my passion for finance and drive to help people. For individuals and families, I can advise on:
šŸ„° how to protect you and your loved ones
šŸ” help you save for a future goal or dream
šŸ–ļø turn your retirement aspirations into reality. I can also assist with inheritance planning šŸ‘µ, making sure that everything youā€™ve worked so hard for can be passed onto future generations the way you want and, in a tax efficient manner. For businesses, I can assist with:
šŸ’¼ protecting you, your business and your shareholders
šŸ’· tax efficient distribution of profits
šŸ§“ pension auto-enrolment and contributions
šŸ“ˆ investment considerations
šŸ‘¬ employee benefits. Outside of the day job I enjoy being with my family ā¤ļø, playing netball ā›¹ļøā€ā™€ļø and spending as much time outside šŸŒ³ as I can - rain or shine! If you'd like to find out more, get in touch. You can
šŸ“ž 01285 402309
šŸ“§ [email protected]
šŸ›œ www.victoriawhittington.co.uk
šŸ—“ļø book a Zoom meeting: https://calendly.com/victoria-whittington

The value of an investment with St. Jamesā€™s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds selected and may fall as well as rise. You may get back less than the amount invested. Pension auto-enrolment schemes are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Victoria Whittington Financial Planning is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James's Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the group's wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the group's website www.sjp.co.uk/products. James's Place Partnership' and the titles 'Partner' and 'Partner Practice' are marketing terms used to describe St. James's Place representatives. SJP Approved 5/11/2024

13/06/2026

Hereā€™s how this genuinely happens. In England, 30 funded childcare hours (term-time) and Tax-Free Childcare both vanish the moment one parentā€™s adjusted net income passes Ā£100,000. Not tapered, but immediately stopped. On top of that, every Ā£2 earned between Ā£100,000 and Ā£125,140 strips away Ā£1 of personal allowance, so that slice of income is effectively taxed at around 60%.

Family A takes the full salary and loses the lot, but Family B redirects just over Ā£30,000 into the higher earning parentā€™s pension, bringing their adjusted net income to under Ā£100,000. That keeps the funded hours, keeps up to Ā£2,000 per child of Tax-Free Childcare, and restores the personal allowance, which means the contribution itself attracts up to 60% effective relief on the slice between Ā£100,000 and Ā£125,140.

Overall Family B ends up better off today, and better off tomorrow.

The only ā€œcatchā€ for Family B is that the pension contribution is now locked in a pension until at least 55, rising to 57 from 2028, its value can rise and fall, and these rules can change. Itā€™s not quite free money, but it is money now working for your future instead of in the hands of HMRC.

Which family are you, and have you ever actually run your adjusted net income figure?

Source: GOV.UK, Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours free childcare (England); HMRC, adjusted net income and the personal allowance taper, 2026/27.

The post is illustrative only, and should be seen as educational and not financial advice. Each family situation is unique, what is right for one family may not be for another.

02/06/2026

The 30-hour funded childcare entitlement and Tax-Free Childcare are both lost when either parentā€™s adjusted net income individually exceeds Ā£100,000, regardless of what the other parent earns.

A pension contribution or salary sacrifice arrangement that reduces adjusted net income to below Ā£100,000 can restore all three benefits simultaneously.

Adjusted net income is not the same as gross salary and involves specific HMRC calculations.

This post is for educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.

29/05/2026

Under auto-enrolment, the government sets a band of salary that pension contributions are calculated on. For 2026/27 that band runs from Ā£6,240 to Ā£50,270. Anything below Ā£6,240 is excluded from the calculation, and for higher earners the band doesnā€™t stretch beyond Ā£50,270, though some employers choose to calculate contributions on full salary instead, so itā€™s worth checking your own scheme documents rather than assuming either way.

For someone earning Ā£75,000 whose scheme uses qualifying earnings, the difference between what they might assume theyā€™re contributing and whatā€™s actually going into their pension is Ā£3,096 a year in combined contributions. Over 20 years that gap compounds into something significant, even allowing for the fact that growth isnā€™t linear, returns will vary in practice, and what goes in can come back worth less than you put in. The 7% rate used here is illustrative rather than a projection, but the underlying point holds at almost any reasonable growth assumption.

Tax relief on pension contributions can change over time and the value of any relief depends on individual circumstances, so the numbers wonā€™t look identical for everyone.

The simplest thing to do right now is check your payslip or your scheme documents and look at the figure your contributions are actually being calculated on. If itā€™s your full salary then your employer is going above the auto-enrolment minimum and the numbers above donā€™t apply to you. If itā€™s a lower figure, now you know why, and you can decide what to do about it.

This post is for educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.

27/05/2026

The monthly cost figures look lower than youā€™d expect because of salary sacrifice. Samā€™s contribution comes out of her pay before tax and National Insurance are calculated, and because sheā€™s a higher rate taxpayer at Ā£55,000, part of her contribution is sheltered from 40% tax rather than 20%. The more tax you pay, the less a pension contribution actually costs you in take-home pay, even though the value of what sheā€™s building can go down as well as up once itā€™s invested.

Because her employer matches pound for pound up to 10%, every percentage point Sam doesnā€™t contribute is money her employer was prepared to add but didnā€™t have to. At 5% sheā€™s leaving Ā£2,202 a year in employer contributions unclaimed. The 7% growth rate is illustrative and returns arenā€™t guaranteed, but even at a more conservative rate the gap between 5% and 10% compounds into something thatā€™s genuinely hard to make up another way.

Tax relief can change and the value of any relief depends on individual circumstances, so the numbers wonā€™t look identical for everyone. But unmatched employer contributions are just money left on the table.

Save this if you havenā€™t checked your employerā€™s matching structure recently.

This post is for educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.

25/05/2026

The best time to start building the life you want was years ago. The second best time is now. Financial planning isnā€™t just about numbers. Itā€™s about creating options, reducing stress, and building a life that feels secure, flexible, and meaningful for you and your family.

20/05/2026

The gap between what someone looks like financially and what their balance sheet actually says is wider than most people realise.

The quiet builders, the ones clearing debts, topping up pensions (that may go down as well as up in value) growing steadily over time, and driving a car with a scratch on the bumper, are often in a far stronger position than the people with the freshest wardrobe and the nicest kitchen extension.

Wealth isnā€™t really visible. Thatā€™s partly what makes it wealth.

Save this if it resonates, and follow if you want more of this kind of content.

This post is for educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.

20/05/2026

This is a nice and tidy bit of financial planning and it costs the parent nothing they werenā€™t already planning to give.

The annual gift allowance is Ā£3,000 per person, per tax year. It falls outside the estate on the day itā€™s made, with no seven-year clock and no conditions attached.

For Sophie, that Ā£3,000 becomes Ā£3,750 the moment it lands in her pension, thanks to basic rate tax relief. Because she pays higher rate tax, she claims a further Ā£750 back through self-assessment, which she puts into her ISA where it has the chance to grow over time, though as with any investment, the value can go up or down and she may get back less than she put in. The same applies to the pension.

What makes it work is the combination. The parent gets the IHT planning done immediately, while the daughter gets her pension moving again without needing to find money she doesnā€™t have. Both outcomes are positive and neither one requires the other to sacrifice anything.

If your family already does annual gifting and it tends to sit in a current account, it might be worth thinking about where it could work a little harder.

Save this if itā€™s relevant to your situation.

This post is for educational purposes and doesnā€™t constitute financial advice.

13/05/2026

Ā£250 a month is roughly the cost of a gym membership, a couple of meals out, and a streaming subscription.

Itā€™s not nothing, but at the same time it doesnā€™t feel like serious investing, which is why a lot of people wait until they can do ā€œmore.ā€

The table is the argument against waiting. At 8% average annual growth, Ā£250/month over 30 years becomes Ā£372,590. You put in Ā£90,000 and the remaining Ā£282,590 came from compounding, from the growth being reinvested and growing again. The longer you run it, the less the amount you invest matters compared to how long you invest it.

10 years in: youā€™ve put in Ā£30,000 and itā€™s worth Ā£45,737.
20 years in: youā€™ve put in Ā£60,000 and itā€™s worth Ā£147,255.
The second decade nearly doubled the pot, even though the monthly amount never changed.

The calculation assumes 8% average annual growth, in line with long-run global equity market history, though past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

Share this with someone who keeps saying theyā€™ll start when they earn more.

This post is for educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.

The value of investments with St. Jamesā€™s Place can go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.

12/05/2026

The ā€œitā€™s not worth itā€ feeling is one of the most expensive beliefs there is.

Ā£100 a month feels like a rounding error when youā€™re earning a good income. But the table above is why starting anyway matters more than starting with the ā€œrightā€ amount.

At 8% annualised growth over 30 years, Ā£100/month becomes Ā£149,036. Youā€™ve invested Ā£36,000, but the rest, over Ā£113,000, came from time and compounding. You gave your money a job.

The calculation assumes 8% average annual growth, which is broadly in line with long-run global equity market returns, though past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

Save this if youā€™ve ever talked yourself out of starting because the amount felt too small.

This post is for educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.

The value of investments with St. Jamesā€™s Place can go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.

07/05/2026

Look at your payslip, if your pension contribution comes out after tax has already been calculated on your full salary, you are in a Relief at Source scheme and this applies to you. If it comes out before tax is calculated, or you are on salary sacrifice, you are already getting your full relief automatically and donā€™t need to do anything.

For higher rate taxpayers earning between Ā£50,270 and Ā£125,140, the extra relief is 20% on top of what your provider has already claimed. For additional rate taxpayers earning over Ā£125,140, it is 25% on top. Both are claimed through Self Assessment.

In 2025/26 you can backdate claims to 2021/22, so if you have been a higher rate or additional rate taxpayer throughout that period and contributing the whole time, the total owed could be significant.

Itā€™s worth checking. And if you would rather someone did this alongside a wider review of your finances, that is exactly what a financial adviser is for.

Save this if it applies to you, and pass it on to someone who earns over Ā£50,270 and has never thought to look.

This post is for educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.

The value of a pension with St. Jamesā€™s Place can go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.

The levels and bases of taxation, and reliefs from taxation, can change at any time. The value of any tax relief generally depends on individual circumstances.

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