OK, we don’t want to blow our own trumpets, but we got access to some research recently that was simply too good not to share the key findings with you. The research titled “The value of financial planning” was carried out by the Financial Planning Standard Board, in which they surveyed over 15,000 consumers in 15 countries, including Ireland. The full report can be found here.

As our clients progress through their financial lives, we see a consistent trend. Thoughts tend to move from thinking about the “here and now” to a much greater focus on the future. While the age at which this happens varies from client to client, retirement coming on to the horizon is an obvious driver for this mind shift. Alongside this, or maybe lagging by a few years are thoughts and conversations about passing wealth efficiently to loved ones. Of course, this opens up the whole discussion about estate planning.

The word retirement conjures up different thoughts for each of us. Some think of growing old, others think of enjoying life in the sun. Some people think of the need to save money in pensions, others think of finally having that freedom from work and enjoying their financial freedom. Each view is valid, some just a bit more positive than others.

So here we are again, digging around for eligible receipts to reduce our upcoming tax bill. Sometimes in the rush to complete the tax return on time, valuable tax-saving opportunities are missed. So here are a few ways for you to reduce your upcoming bill.