What we’ve been doing and thinking

The 2025 Budget has been and gone. As the dust settles and we look more closely at the lay of the land, we have launched a new podcast series called Colmore in Conversation.

When it comes to retirement income, there are normally two choices for advisers and clients.
The first choice is an annuity where income is secure and paid for life or a fixed term in exchange for a capital sum passed to an insurance provider.

Having to explain the features, so far so good: generous tax reliefs, tax free growth, employer contributions and a lump sum on retirement.

Our clients need our help at times when they are often at their most vulnerable.

Spectacular scenery, eagles soaring overhead, hard work to the point of questioning my decision to commit to this at times. But most of all I (and her) now have the most incredible memories of the experience and time we got to spend together pedalling along lost in our thoughts.

The last time I wrote an update note, Trump’s tariff policy had just landed, and portfolios had fallen quite abruptly on the assumption he meant it – odd given his track record!

The lessons of history are endlessly valuable to investors. On the back of the new BBC drama ‘King & Conqueror’, financial planner Charlie Garner looks at the climactic events of 1066 and what it can teach investors about the importance of timing.

Disregarding the constant stream of tax rumours coming out from the Government currently (which deserves a separate article), the new proposed inheritance tax (IHT) rules on pensions is the hottest topic in financial planning right now.

Colmore Partners has been recognised for the third year running as one of the 2025 UK’s Best Workplaces in Financial Services and Insurance™ (in the Small & Medium size category) by Great Place to Work® UK.

In a recent CityWire New Model Adviser feature, Colmore Partners managing director Richard Meek reflects on the value of experiences over simply accumulating more assets, and asks whether planners should challenge the conventional measures of financial success.

Financial advice should reflect the realities of women’s lives.

Colmore Partners’ financial planner, Katrania Lowers, has taken to the stage as part of AJ Bell’s prestigious Luminary roadshow series, an initiative designed to inspire and empower women working in financial services.