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that's a nice one!! Your income should be as high as possible to get a mortgage. strictly speaking, divide your mortgage loan by 4-4.5 to get your annual salary figure in gross. If you want to understand more about it, then do give me a call on 07545321393 to discuss it further. Regards Syed Imran


An Introduction to UK Taxes

UK income tax now allows everyone at least £8,105 of income in a tax year before being hit with income tax on any income over that threshold. There are higher thresholds for people aged 65 or more. However assuming you are below 65 then someone with 'taxable' income totalling £45,000 then the process is as follows:- £45,000 of taxable earnings/income less £8,105 personal allowance leaves £36,895 taxable. The first £34,370 (reduced from £35,000 last tax year) of taxable income is then charged to 20% 'basic' rate tax. In your case the £2,525 not taxed at the current 20% 'basic rate' will fall into the higher rate (40%) tax bracket. Your actual total income tax bill will therefore be £34,370 x 20% = £6,874 £ 2,525 x 40% = £1,010 A total income tax bill of £7,884 You will be left with £37,116 or £3,093 of net monthly, after income tax,income. In shorthand someone who has part of thier inocme taxed at the higher rate (currently 40% ) is simply described as being a higher rate taxpayer. However as you can see the vast majority of your earnings are actually liable to basic rate or indeed nil income tax. Sadly anyone with earnings will also incur National insurance charges - with employees now being hit by no less than 12% tax on any earnings between the 'earnings threshold' of £146 per week and the 'Upper earnings limit' of £817 per week. There is also a 2% National Insurance rate tax on any earnings over the UEL. Unfortunately this will include you as earnings over £817 a week translate into the equivalent of £42,484 a year !!


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

well why didn't you get a property you mention on your own? you can get a mortgage depending on your age, income, current credit commitments, status & desires. Why don't you give me a call on my cell # 07545321393 or email me on syed@financialoutlook.co to discuss further. Regards Syed Imran


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

Well, if yours is worth £275k, and the one you are looking to upgrade to is £350k, then your new mortgage would be [cost of new property] - [achieved selling price of your home] + [your existing mortgage] + [costs of buying/selling/moving] - [any existing cash you have]. So to put some rough numbers in; £350k - £275k + £30k + £18k - £0 = £123k I am pricing stamp duty at 3% of your purchase, and selling costs of 1.5%, and a bit for legals/moving/etc, and assuming you have no spare cash to put towards it. So that would mean your new mortgage would be £123k, which over 25 years would be around £615 pm assuming a 3.5% interest rate. If rates rise that could go up a lot. Obviously if yours doesn't go for that much then your new mortgage, and payments, would be more. As to whether that is beyond your reach - you don't declare your income or expenses, so it's a little difficult to say whether that is possible, or affordable - but it isn't ridiculous compared to many (or my) mortgage, but it is quite a big jump from where you are now. Does that help?


An Introduction to UK Taxes

I am afraid the only way to find out will be to work out how much tax you think you should have paid, and compare it to how much tax you have paid. If there is a discrepancy then you may have the right to get some of it back, however under self assessment it is significantly more difficult to get historically overpaid tax returned, as the responsibility for submitting figures lies with you. Realistically this is a job for a pretty decent accountant, not a financial adviser.


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

Self Certification isn't there anymore I believe for any LTV as we speak. Kindly call me on 07545321393 for discussing some other options. Regards


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

Well the answer rather depends on what you mean by bad credit, and to a lesser extent the cause. There are lenders who will offer terms I am sure, unless you are in a very poor position as you have plenty of equity, but the flip side of that is that you don't want to be doing anything which will leave you exposed to losing that equity. but doing nothing may not be an option. I am afraid the solution is likely to be highly personalised to your individual situation, you need to talk it through with a broker. Check a few (including us - www.acwealthmanagement.co.uk) and use the one who gives you most confidence (not necessarily says what you want to hear) that they can deliver the right solution for you. Best of luck


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

As much as you can!! As the more you put, the better are your chances really for securing the mortgage. Technically speaking, 10% would be fine, but the big question is whether your income is sufficient to secure a mortgage loan of lets say £56,700. Your loan will also depends on your age, your passport, your credit history, your current credit history etc. To discuss these matters further, kindly call me- Zafar Imran on my cell # 07545321393. Regards


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

so Mr. Anthony, What you want to do?? You have the option of remortgaging/ extending your loan by switching to another lender on either interest only or repayment basis. BUT all of it depends on your credit history, your income, your current loans, your LTV in your property, its usage like purely residential or buy-to-let etc. & last but not the least your age. Can you kindly give me- Zafar Imran, a call on 07545321393 to discuss the same & then we can take on from their. Regards


Find the Right Insurance for You

Hello anklebreak48 unfortunately i am not currently aware of a company that would offer cover as you have reached 64 already, many companies stop from age 60 due to the higher rate of claims for this age group. the providers that did come to mind have a requirement of less than 64! its just a pity that you only just fall outside of that. have you checked if your employer offers a scheme, some will offer a group income protection policy and as the terms are bespoke to the employer, they might have the facility of adding you in and then you would have the cost deducted from payroll. i didnt want to assume that your request on here meant that you had discounted this option as employers are only compelled to provide statutory sick pay and many employees think that is where things stop. it might be worth a quick call to your personnel department.


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

Depending on your income, personal debt & credit position, and the state of your property, it may be possible to purchase without a deposit. You may even be able to borrow extra to fund improvements depending on your lender. Very mainstream lenders will still support this market place. However this is simply a 'what can be possible' type answer - the actual answer will depend on your situation - feel free to drop us a line, and we may be able to help - even if only to point you in the direction of the right local lender. All be best, John Stirling


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

Hello Gazaldhino unfortunately a mortgage promise doesnt really mean much. it is not legally binding and a lender can withdraw a mortgage offer at any time - even if you have exchanged contracts to buy your new home. i would be reluctant to spend any money at this stage until you know whether you are directly affected by the consultation. you are obliged by the terms of a mortgage application to inform the lender of any material changes during the application process and this would be one. you should also bear in mind that if you work for a large employer (ie covered on the news) that the lender might link the news story to your job and possibly query this with the application anyway. do tread carefully.


An Introduction to UK Taxes

this is known as a PET potentially exempt transfer - and could be subject to inheritance tax depending on your father circumstances


Manage your money effectively to Save and get out of Debt

you haven't mentioned suffiicent detail here. if you want a refund on the warranty because the original retailer that sold the item has gone into liquidation, this might not be necessary as most "instore" warranties are underwritten by a separate insurer and "badged" with the retailer name and logo. in this instance you will still have a policy that will still be serviced. if you have decided that you no longer want the original product, you would only be legally entitled to a refund if it is faulty as the store's own returns policy will most likely have been withdrawn during the insolvency proceeding (ie no more quibble free returns within XX number of days). you won't be able to get a refund on the warranty just because the original retailer has failed. the warranty should be covered under the FSCS if the providing company was FSA authorised.


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

Hi Scarlett, Without having full details of your mortgage, the penalties and the loan, it is very difficult to answer this question. One thing you should consider is the saving on the mortgage over the next 5 years, compared to the penalty you would have to pay. You might find that you would save more than you would have to pay. This should be a separate dicision to adding your loan to the mortgage balance. When diciding whether or not to add "unsecured" loans to your mortgage, you should think about the consequencesof having the loan to be secured on your property. Also, the term of the mortgage pay be longer than the term of the loan, therefore you may end up paying more in interest over the longer term, even though the interest rate is lower. Should you want to discuss your details in more detail, and in confidence, please feel free to call me on 03332 407040 (standard landline rates apply). Or drop me an email, by clicking on my name above. Kind regards Paul


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

Hi In basic terms the answer to your question is YES. However, you may be able to use the equities in your existing properties although you would still need to meet a lenders normal criteria. Before any mortgage broker could fully answer your qustion they would need to know: 1. The values of your exting properties 2. Details of the mortgages outstanding on your existing properties 3. How much your existing properties will rent for 4. The Proposed Purchase Price of the new property 5.. Your current Employment status 6. Your current earned Income 7. Your current liabilities 8. Your budget for all your 3 mortgages 9. Your Credit History If you want to discuss please contact me - 01273390951 or info@grangefinancial.co.uk Regards - Graham Cooper Grange Financial Services


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

Hi plucking, There are a number of secured loan providers that operate a "self-certification" style lending. However, it is important tha you can demonstrate that the new borrowing is affordable. This might be through bank statements, showing how much money is coming in and out of your account, or an accountants letter confirming your income. Should you wish to discuss this in more detail, on a confidential basis, please call me on 03332 407040 (standard landline charges apply). Regards Paul Skinner PKS - The mortgage and insurance experts!


Find the Right Investment Opportunities for You

Fixed rate (cash) ISA deposits are exactly that - fixed rates. This means that you cannot add money to the same account as rates and terms change all the time. At the point of deposit you will be told the interest rate, whether it is fixed or not and any term. Next time you come along with cash to deposit each of these items may have changed - the rate, term and type of account so i would expect that you NOT be able to get the same terms a year on. However after Bank rate has been so low for so long I would expect that interest rates will actually start to rise from here and if this turns out to be true you may well find that you will be offered higher interest rates at future deposit points. Yes the interest typically cumulates as per your calculations on your account each year. In other words most such accounts do not pay out the interest earned at the end of each year - only the cumulated amount at the very end of the fixed term period. Bear in mind that capital deposits are protected up to £85,000 held with any single banking group but with inflation now running at 3.4% a basic rate taxpayer will currently need to earn 4.25% gross interest on a taxed deposit account (3.5% if ISA) if they are to maintain the real purchasing power of their cash by the end of a fixed rate period. Wherever possible therefore do keep any cash deposits you hold in Cash ISA accounts - instant access if you need access at short notice and then longer term fixed rates for any extra cash you feel it appropriate to hold.


Find the Right Investment Opportunities for You

Noted Andy. My earlier answer addresses each of these points here - you may find that you are offered better - or worse - interest rates at the time of any second deposit. However there are often deals around this time of year by banks and other deposit takers to capture more of your cash. They will sometimes say "give us the full £5,340 for this tax year's maximum cash ISA allowance AND up to a further £5,640 for the coming tax year's (increased) maximum cash ISA allowance" - so a total of up to £10,980 now and we will ensure that it is used to open two successive tax years cash ISAs at the same interest rate deal. They do this to capture more of your cash , keep you away from competitors and becasue they can be confident of maintaining the same interest rate and rough fixed rate term (every fixed rate anniversary will be different depending when you placed your first deposit - with a few exceptions) over a matter of a week or more covering the end of tax year on 5th April and start of the new tax year on 6th April.


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

Hi, Your age should not preclude you from obtaining a mortgage. The lenders will look at your income, the age you intend to retire, any pension income thereafter (assuming you want to borrow past your retirement date), how much you want to borrow, ad the value of your house, to name but a few of the criteria. Your current lender may not be able to help, but there are other lenders that I am sure would be happy to help. Please call me to discuss further - 03332 407040 Regards Paul Skinner


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

Hi There is no simple answer to your question will depend on: 1. The Properties valuation residential 2. The Properties valuation B&B / venue part 3. Your B&B / venue Business Plan 4. Your current experience of running a B&B 5. Your current Income 6. Your current liabilities 7. Your budget for this new mortgage 8. The Term of the mortgage you require 9. Your Credit History 10. Are the Properties split between 2 Land Registry Titles or just 1 If you want to discuss please contact me - 01273390951 or info@grangefinancial.co.uk Regards - Graham Cooper Grange Financial Services


Compare Mortgage Deals and Find a Low Rate Today

Hi There is no simple answer to your question and if you can get a UK mortgage or not will depend on: 1. Your current Residential statues 2. Will you be moving back to the UK 3. The Proposed Purchase Price 4. Your current and expected Employment status 5. Your current earned Income 6. Your current liabilities 7. Your budget for this new mortgage 8. The Term of the mortgage you require 9. Your Credit History If you want to discuss please contact me - 01273390951 or info@grangefinancial.co.uk Regards - Graham Cooper Grange Financial Services



Expert Financial Adviser Answer
Darren Smith
answered 3 months ago
to be honest mrchris, the "clever" option would have been to look into an electronic transfer from the US in £ as this would normally have given the best outcome at the time. any transaction with foreign currency cheques will nearly always be more expensive than a direct transfer as there will be handling costs.
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Expert Financial Adviser Answer
Darren Smith
answered 4 months ago
Hello Kirsty

i dont know if you are still trying to sort this out, but your first port of call should be with the bank/loan provider and with their complaints department.

be certain to take notes of dates, times and contact names so that you can log the events as they unfold.

you can also lodge a complaint to the information commissioner, the following link will take you to the ICO website and their steps in how to proceed further....

http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints.aspx

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_laurencain_
answered 1 year ago
I had the same question when i moved to the UK! An ISA is an individual savings account, and the best part about them is that you can earn tax free interest - great for the end of financial year time. We have loads of information on them here - http://www.simplyfinance.co.uk/investments/isa.html and then you can look at our calculators to see what savings you could be making http://www.simplyfinance.co.uk/calculators/isa-future-value-calculator.html.
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Expert Financial Adviser Answer
Darren Smith
answered 1 year ago
there are 3 credit reference agencies: experian, equifax and call credit (in order of size and usage).

all providers of credit ranging from banks to mobile phone companies and car insurers (if you are paying monthly) will report on your account management behaviour.

the banks/credit provider will pay for access to that data which is shared between all subscribing lenders but they dont all use all the agencies.

you can check your data online and many of the agencies will let you do this for up to 30 days for free, after that there is a charge of either £2 per agency by post or whatever they charge online ranging from £6.99 to £14.99.

dont waste your money on finding out your score as all lenders use their own scorecard - its a waste of your cash. there are other similar posts on this very topic which i have answered before so feel free to browse!
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Expert Financial Adviser Answer
Darren Smith
answered 1 year ago
no

lenders are free to set rates and charges at any level and even when they were challenged as unfair by the OFT in a "super complaint" the banks won!

banks/card companies will set their rates at a level to both attract new customers and to heavily penalise those that default.

a crafty act by many has been to reduce the minimum payment levels, in the past 3-5% was the norm but now there are cards requiring as little as 1% as a monthly minimum payment, how on earth you ever pay back the capital when the interest rates on cards are typically 18% is beyond me!

they are almost like signing up to a lifetime of debt that hardly ever changes nomatter how much you pay "the minimum"

at least now, card providers have to allocate your payments to the most expensive debt first, it wouldnt surprise many to know that often they would clear the 0% promotional balance whilst charging you 18% on your new purchases.
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Expert Financial Adviser Answer
Darren Smith
answered 1 year ago
Generally speaking, most banks will expect the actual account holder to make all contact especially at the application stage as this is often when security information will be set.

the usual exceptions to this would link to you holding a power of attorney.

you might even find some reluctance from the bank to talk to you about the type of account as they will usually be more interested in talking to the prospective account holder so that they can sell the "benefits" of everything else they offer.
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Darren Smith
answered 1 year ago
Even in the modern electronic world there are still some costs involved in banking and not all countries are as up to date as most european countries and the US.

having said that it is a case of shopping around. even for large payments in the uk the price can vary massively, faster payments is free but most banks limit the amount you can send.

your own bank might charge say £25 to do a same day transfer to your solicitor when you buy a house but the solicitor might then charge you £50 to send the money on because their bank charges more and they want to mark up the cost to you.

if you do regular overseas payments its best to try and reduce the number, ie instead of monthly, can you send double the amount every other month?

there are specialist foreign currency companies that deal in overseas transactions and can often beat the high street rates but if you use one you should check that they are FSA authorised and what protections are in place if they should become insolvent whilst in possession of your money.

generally you should send overseas payments in the local currency and not sterling. ie in europe send euros as although sending sterling from the UK will be cheaper, there will be interbank charges and the exchange rate might not be as good and you will end up worse off.

for more "exotic" locations you should check their preferred currency, for example in many carribbean countries the US dollar is the preferred currency.

generally the more remote or underdeveloped the receiving country, the more it will cost as every step/bank that handles the money on its journey will make a charge.
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Expert Financial Adviser Answer
Dr David Carter FPFS
answered 1 year ago
Well, let's start by getting rid of the word 'should.' This suggests some rights and some wrongs, which of course is not a useful way to look at any financial matters!

Let me answer your answer obliquely. Financial management always involves balances and compromises, the playing off of one need against another. For example, should you (there we go again!) have life insurance, which protects you and your dependents, but costs money, or should you save the money you would otherwise have spent on premiums?

Many 30 year olds will have little or no savings, because they are devoting all their income to a partner or family, and are rightly ensuring their safety and everyone's quality of life. It actually doesn't matter if you don't have anything saved for retirement at that point; however, if you can, it will be wise to be moving forward on four fronts at same time:
1 Start, or continue with a long-term savings plan.
2 Start, or continue with regular pension contributions
3 Make sure that you have enough available funds for short-term needs, as a separate category from item 1 (which you don't touch!)
4 Make sure that insurance and protection issues are properly understood and addressed.

I hope this helps.
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Expert Financial Adviser Answer
Darren Smith
answered 1 year ago
To a degree yes it is a marketing hype but that doesnt mean you shouldnt take advantage!

if the terms of the account suit you, does it really matter that its called a christmas account (unless if it offends in some way) in the past there were often good savings accounts to supporters of certain football clubs with some money being paid to the club in recognition (these were historically with smaller local building societies).

usually the only time you might fall foul of these accounts are the ones marketed to first time buyers as they might link the savings rate to insisting that you apply for a mortgage with the same company, although the savings rates might be good, the mortgage ones might be useless.

Basically, if once you have read all the terms and conditions, if there is nothing screaming at you to stay away, it will probably be a good idea.

and looking on the bright side, wouldnt you rather spend your own money on next christmas as opposed to "hoping" that you will be accepted for that 0% credit card next November?
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Expert Financial Adviser Answer
Darren Smith
answered 1 year ago
banks/building societies set their interest rates at a level to attract new business.

a good indicator in the past of a building society being in trouble was that it would offer "bonkers" interest rates as it was desperate to shore up its reserves.

equally there are banks now that have been told that they must shed customers to reduce their dominance in the market - the new lloyds group and rbs are good examples. RBS has sold over 200 branches to santander and the associated customers.

a cheaper way to achieve this same result is to "coax" people to leave by offering dire returns. But what if they dont leave? well then the bank makes even more profit! its win:win.

in choosing a provider for any financial product you need to consider the "package" how does the complete proposition add up, dont just focus on headline rates.

comparison sites can be useful when your need is simple ie which credit card offers 0% balance transfers the longest.. but if you need to know results on combined criteria, you still need to do more legwork. providers rely on this to put you off of reviewing your position and staying where you are - they call it inertia.
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Darren Smith
answered 1 year ago
Generally speaking, No. You will have difficulty getting a fully fledged bank account as you have already demonstrated by having a poor record that you are a bad risk.

you can try to overcome this by looking at a basic bank account which will offer basic functions such as the ability to pay direct debits and standing orders etc but will not have an overdraft available or a cheque book or full debit card (you might be offered an electron card or similar which only allows limited transactions).

some banks that offer this account will consider upgrading you to a full account in the future but only if you have managed the account well.

you wont find basic bank accounts being advertised much and they wont offer cash incentives or high rates of interest as they are a loss leader to the banks.
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Dr David Carter FPFS
answered 1 year ago
Effectively none - other than tax! A cash ISA is simply a savings account which is not taxed. The interest is paid to you in full, so they are slightly better for you if you are a taxpayer. If you are a non-taxpayer then there is no difference - you can arrange with the bank to have your interest paid free of tax anyway. The other main difference for you is that there is a maximum contribution you can make into an ISA each tax year, which runs from April 6 to April 5 the next year: £5100 this year, so you are well within that figure.

You will notice that I have talked about cash ISAs. The other kind is a stocks and shares ISA, which can hold investment funds (stocks and shares) - but investments such as those are not suitable for your short savings timescale. Just to complete the picture, though you can invest a maximum of £10,200 into a stocks and shares ISA, as long as your total investment into all kinds of ISAs this year (ie including what you have in a cash ISA) is no more than £10,200.

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Pete Matthew
answered 1 year ago
Totally understand where you're coming from Danny - new equipment is worth saving for, and it's to your credit (so to speak) that you haven't succumbed to the easy method of putting the amp purchase on a credit card. The amp will sound better when you know it's yours and not on tick.

Anyway. I presume the reason you want an account in Hertfordshire is because you want a high street branch rather than internet banking? Or maybe it's because you want to support a local business? If the latter, the Harpenden Building Society might fit the bill, but their interest rates are nothing special.

For a decent independent comparison of savings rates from most if not all banks and building societies, you could check out the Money Made Clear website at http://www.moneymadeclear.org.uk/tables/ and click on Savings.
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MoneyTalks
answered 2 years ago
There are a few start-ups trying to replicate Mint's success. Most notably, MoneyDashboard and LoveMoney offer a personal finance management (PFM) solution in the UK and MoBank offers a mobile banking solution.

I know Kublax was unsuccessful, so hopefully these other players have a solution and enough capital to make it work.
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anony365mous
answered 2 years ago
You should keep enough savings so that you could last 6 months without a job. If you are not strong willed enough to not touch the money in a savings account, get a savings product that penalises you for early withdrawl.
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