Lifetime Planning News & Blog

For Scotland, a cut to the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax will be introduced from Wednesday 15th July, remaining in place until 31st March 2021.

The changes will mean that the starting point for paying the LBTT on house purchases will rise from £145,000 to £250,000.

It’s now been over three months since we entered into lockdown, and our office closed. We’ve continued to stay open throughout this period with our staff 100% working from home.

When we were in the office, every Friday we would dress down and pay a donation to charity. We’re delighted to say we have virtually continued to do so the past three months. Although, the dress-down clothes may have become more relaxed while working from home - with PJs, gym gear and vests all making an appearance.

More than ever we need to be looking after our mental health. With 1 in 4 adults experiencing a mental health problem each year according to Mind. The coronavirus lockdown will only impact this further.

Balancing working from home, home-schooling and staying indoors for long periods of time can be tough. Mental health is as important as physical health. So, if you're feeling low, stressed or anxious it is always good to talk.

As well as our mortgage services that we provide, we also specialise in financial protection for your mortgage and your family. The majority of protection providers have clarified their position on claims with regards to COVID-19. For a full list of our provider panel and their updates, view it here.

During these unprecedented COVID-19 times, it’s important to know the types of life protection that is available to keep you financially protected. Our video explains all that we can help you with.

Our Head of Protection Andrew Donnelly presents a conversation with representatives from protection providers Guardian, LV and Vitality. Discussing the impact on your life insurance and other policies during these unprecedented times.

We discuss:

With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic still affecting the UK, we wanted to give you information on what our panel of protection providers will do if coronavirus affects you. The below information is for existing customers of these providers.

AIG

AIG have confirmed that death from coronavirus will be ‘handled like any other life insurance claim.’

As news of the Coronavirus continues to hit the headlines, we thought we'd update you with how we will continue to serve you.

The health of our staff and their families comes first, so we have advised them all now to 100% work from home.

The Scottish Government has launched a pilot scheme called First Home Fund. The scheme is to help first-time buyers with the cost of purchasing a home in Scotland.

The scheme will contribute up to £25,000 towards the cost of buying a property through a shared equity scheme.

Season's Greetings from everyone at Lifetime Planning. We will be open during the festive period, please see our opening hours below.

For the third year running, we, at Lifetime Planning, are taking part in the Salvation Army’s Christmas Toy Appeal.

Along with the Salvation Army, we believe every child deserves a new gift at Christmas. That’s why we have chosen to take part again this year. Last year our staff donated toys and gifts ranging for all ages. This year we are donating a further 20+ gifts - ranging from Lego, Barbies and Transformer toys to name but a few.

This month men all over the country will be growing out their facial hair for Movember as a fun way to raise awareness of men’s cancer and mental health risks.

We all think “It won’t happen to me”. But most of us know of someone either directly or through friends and family that have been affected.

We’re delighted to announce, from our generous staff donations from our “Dress Down” Fridays over the past few months, we have raised an incredible total of £1,067!

Instead of focussing in on one charity, we asked our advisers and case managers which charities meant the most to them. So, with that in mind, we are happy to announce the five charities that have been picked to share our fundraising total.

With the summer months long gone and the festive month(s) nearing, now is a good time to look at your mortgage.

If you haven’t looked at your mortgage for a while, you could be paying more than you should on your mortgage. This could because you have been transferred over to your lender’s standard variable rate (SVR). A lender normally transfers you onto their standard variable rate when your fixed rate comes to an end. Allowing your mortgage to revert to the SVR can cost you dearly, as lenders typically hold their SVR at a significantly higher rate. Recent research from Which? states that UK homeowners are spending £4,000 too much on their mortgages each year [1].

AIG have launched Smart Health. It gives unlimited access to a 24/7 virtual GP as well as a range of other health and wellbeing experts. With any AIG policy, Smart Health is available at no extra cost.

24/7 virtual GP

Managing your health doesn’t always fit in to the 9-5. That’s why when you need a medical appointment, the Smart Health service provides you with unlimited, round the clock access to a GP.

If you’re a first-time buyer looking to buy a home this year, read on for our four top tips to secure your first mortgage.

1. Save deposit

You won’t get anywhere on the property ladder with out money for a deposit.

Critical illness can strike at any time.

• 1 in 2 people in the UK (born after 1960) will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime. [1]
• Every 7 minutes someone will have a heart attack [2]
• Every 12 minutes someone will have a stroke [2]

Serious Illness Cover from Vitality helps protect you financially if the worst was to happen to you, and you fall ill with one of the 178 conditions that they cover. They pay out a cash lump sum based on the severity of your condition. It gives you financial stability allowing you plenty of time to recover.

A recent report from Macmillan Cancer Support, state there are 400,000 of the UK cancer population who struggle to pay household bills [1].

With improvements to diagnostics and treatments, the cancer population is increasing, but surviving cancer doesn’t mean living well. Everyone’s priority should be ensuring every person living with cancer gets the financial support they need when they need it.

Teachers endure greater job-related stress than other professionals, according to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) [1].

Research revealed that 3,750 teachers were signed off on long-term sick leave in 2017 because of pressure of work, anxiety and mental illness. [2]

According to a report from Scottish Widows, more than half (58%) of men with dependent children have no life insurance. That means that just over 4.5 million dads could be leaving their families with no financial protection if the worst was to happen to them.

Life insurance is designed to come to the rescue of your loved ones in the event of your death. It pays out a lump sum to those closest to you, relieving the financial worries from your family. It can help cover the cost of your mortgage, bills, general living expenses and funeral bills. Could your household survive without your income, a fifth of dad admitted that theirs wouldn’t.

Buying your first home is an exciting time, but it can take a while to build up enough savings so that you can put down a deposit. We’ve compiled a list of 9 money saving tips you can use to work towards saving for your first-time buyer mortgage.

1. Make a shopping list

Plan your week’s meals at the start of each week. Buy what you need at the shops. Remove the need to go to the shops everyday & the temptation of buying expensive takeaway food.