Mark O'Hara - Independent Financial Adviser

08/05/2024

Meetings can be held at our office in Warrington, at your home or place of work, or any other convenient location of your choice. Here is a recent spot at a charming Cheshire pub!

17/04/2024

Good to speak all things Financial Planning recently! 🗣

Retirement Planning
Investing
Protection
Inheritance Tax Planning

Financial Planning will never be about the numbers but the live you want to life. ✅

Building solid foundations for a secure financial future.

20/03/2024

While the year ahead might be bumpy for your investment portfolio, the best course of action for many investors is to stick to their long-term investment strategy.

Over the coming weeks, I will share three tips that could help you make investment decisions that are right for you.

𝟏. 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬

When the markets are falling or rising, it can be tempting to make snap decisions. You might worry about the possibility of markets falling further and consider withdrawing your money as a result.

While volatility can be nerve-racking, the ups and downs often smooth out when you take a long-term view. Historically, markets have recovered from periods of volatility or downturn to deliver returns over a longer time frame.

Of course, returns cannot be guaranteed and it’s important you consider what level of investment risk is right for you when creating a strategy. Focusing on your reason for investing could reduce your worries about market volatility.

Tune in for the next tip!

13/03/2024

The main question our clients ask is: “How much money do I need to retire?” 🤔

There’s no magic number that works for everyone. We all live a unique lifestyle, have individual families, and set different goals. However, if you speak to Arcus Wealth, we can help with…

𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧

A good time to plan for retirement is while you’re still earning an income. Based on how much you earn and save, we can put together a clear retirement plan and review it regularly.

𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞

There are many ways to fund your retirement. We’ll establish helpful strategies for you to ensure you have a sufficient level of income later on.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝

You want to relax during your retirement, which is why it’s important to put in the work beforehand. By doing this now, you can rest assured knowing it’s all taken care of.

14/02/2024

Unsurprisingly, many people seek financial advice to grow their wealth 📈

But there’s so many other benefits, like…

𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀

If you want to handle it yourself, you’ll need to spend a fair bit of your free time:

🧑‍💻 Researching different investment opportunities
💼 Keeping up to date with changing government legislation

We know your time is precious.

Working with a financial planner allows you to spend time on the things that are most important to you:

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Making memories with loved ones
🏋 Looking after your wellbeing
✈️ Ticking items off your bucket list

A financial planner can add real value to your life, not just by boosting your finances, but by giving you the gift of time 🎁

The iconic 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is one of the bucket list items I was fortunate enough to tick off ✅

06/02/2024

How concerned are you on the effects of IHT when it comes to passing on your wealth? 😕

It isn’t just families with wealth like the Bridgerton’s who need to worry…

Although a pension is usually considered outside of a person’s estate when it comes to IHT, it doesn’t necessarily mean there will be no tax due.

The amount your beneficiaries could pay depends on:

👉 The age the client passes
👉 Additional incomes of the beneficiary
👉 How the beneficiary access the savings

The beneficiary can also take steps to reduce their tax liability, such as spreading withdrawals out over several years.

31/01/2024

Asking yourself “how much money do I need to retire?” is like asking “how long’s a piece of string?” 😣

The number is unique to you, your lifestyle, your goals.

Whether you want to:

👉 Maintain your current lifestyle
👉 Wind down and spend time with family
👉 Do all the things you never had time to do

We can help you to find your magic number.

Not sure who to talk to?

Get in touch 📞

An expert team of independent financial planners, helping our clients to achieve secure financial futures since 2005.

17/01/2024

If you want to start your retirement with a bang, you 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 take your pension tax-free lump sum 💷

But just because you 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 doesn’t mean you 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥.

Before you commit to withdrawing it, think about how and when you might use it.

Interest rates are rising, but they’re still below the rate of inflation.

With retirees only spending (or expected to spend) 32% of their tax-free lump sum within six months of taking it, removing money from your pension could reduce the value of those savings fall in real terms.

𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵-𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵:

📈 Leave your pension invested, which can often deliver better long-term growth

💰 Consider taking your tax-free cash in several smaller withdrawals to make your cash work harder

📋 Review your plans and goals and make sure you’re still on track to hit your targets

09/01/2024

The biggest retirement goal for Brits is being financially secure, but there’s plenty of other retirement dreams too. Is yours on the list below?

90% - 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺

81% - 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥

73% - 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺

72% - 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨

69% - 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺

Want help turning those into reality?

Start by deciding when you’d like to retire 📅

To come up with a realistic time frame, consider:

🧑‍⚕️ Are you likely to be healthy enough to enjoy retirement?
👔 Do you think you’ll be ready to give up working?
🚵 What do you want to spend your time doing?

03/01/2024

Is your retirement planning a work in progress?

Over a third of over 65s are not confident they have enough in their pension to last their whole retirement. Is this something you’ve considered?

As you know, when you’ve got bills and other commitments to think about, putting money aside for your pension isn’t always easy - especially during the cost of living crisis.

However, it can be done and, the quicker you act, the more you could benefit in the future

So, we’ve come up with six practical tips to help you boost your pension now to ensure a more comfortable future:

➡️ Been given a pay rise? Use that as an excuse to save

If and when you get a pay rise, redirect a portion of it into your pension. You won’t then get used to spending the money that’s headed to your pension and you’ll benefit from some of your hard-earned raise going into your bank account.

➡️ When a regular spend ends, pay in more

For example, if you pay off a car loan, you could pay the extra money into your pension plan. Small increases like this can make a big difference over the long-term.

➡️ Pay a lump sum into a pension for a quick boost

If you come into some cash, consider paying it into your pension as a lump sum. You could receive some tax relief from the government as a result.

➡️ Maximise any employer contributions

Your employer may increase the amount they pay into your workplace pension when you increase your contributions too. Ask your boss how much they contribute and whether they’d consider upping that.

➡️ Be selective with your investment choices

Look at which investment funds your money is invested in as some may not be the most suitable for you.

➡️ Delay accessing your pension for as long as possible

The longer you leave your pension untouched, the longer it has to potentially grow. Working for longer won’t be for everyone but if you’re happy to do so, it’s a useful option to have.

Want to know more about how you can boost your pension? Get in touch 📞

22/12/2023

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and fantastic 2024! Thank you for your continued support. 🎄

The office will be closed now until 2nd January. Enjoy the festive season. ⭐️

06/12/2023

How do people take money from their business tax-efficiently?

If you have grown your business and built up substantial cash reserves, the next logical step is withdrawing money from the business.

But it can be tough for knowing what to do next, and it’s my job to help people extract cash with ease.

If people are thinking of making pension contributions, they can get tax relief on:

👉 Corporation Tax
👉 Income Tax
👉 National Insurance contributions

If they fall under the annual allowance for tax-free pension contributions, currently £60,000 in the 23/24 tax year.

Do business owner's get overwhelmed with the process?