As the year progresses to the season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’, thoughts inevitably turn to hunkering down with hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows as the nights draw in. Autumn is a season traditionally associated with change, as well as themes of comfort, preservation and protection; a time to get things in order.
Time to prepare
In many ways, autumn is the perfect time to get things done and that is certainly the case when it comes to finances. The halfway point of the fiscal year is fast approaching, making it an ideal time to consider your ISA or JISA investments and any other tax-related issues. It’s also an opportune time to look at pension arrangements and check your protection needs are fully met.
Don’t procrastinate!
While we all know the importance of keeping on top of our finances, it is easy to pop such tasks on our ‘must-do list’ and then proceed to forget all about them. A recently commissioned poll* found 84% of the UK population put off key tasks by either doing nothing or doing something more enjoyable or completely unrelated, and a staggering one in five do this on a daily basis! Sound familiar?
Engage with your finances this Autumn
It is though extremely important to sort out financial arrangements long before you ‘need’ to. This is particularly the case with retirement planning, although research* suggests relatively few people do actually engage with their pensions: more people knew the value of their house (58%), car (55%) and television (63%) than the value of their pension (38%) with almost as many knowing the value of their wardrobe contents (34%).
Apparently, statistics don’t lie, so it is clearly only human to procrastinate. However, it’s also true there’s no time like the present. It’s our business to make sure your finances are in good shape. We can help you tick a few more tasks off your ‘must-do list’.
*Micro Biz Mag, 2021, *Aviva, 2021
The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested.
The past is not a guide to future performance and past performance may not necessarily be repeated.
