With Artificial Intelligence (AI) seemingly in the news every day, it is no surprise that developments in this area are under scrutiny. Ernst & Young partner, Saby Roy, quoted that ‘the entire world is in a discovery phase right now’, with every industry looking to branch out into AI technology in some way or another. …

In June, The Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 7.9% compared to the previous year. This is down from 8.7% in May which reflects a ‘slowdown’ in the annual rate between May and June. As inflation is beginning to slow, it is expected that future increases to UK …

Gemma’s been out and about recently at the local St Francis Junior school in Newton Aycliffe as part of their brilliant Believe & Achieve Day. The day was a huge success for all and saw Gemma talking with students about Financial Planning as a career option, skills needed, pathways into it, and her own career …

We are extremely proud of our ‘skydiving team’ who successfully completed their 15,000ft skydives at Shotton Airfield on the morning of Sunday 25th June. A huge thank you to the team at SkyHigh Skydiving who kept them all safe and to each and every one of you who has sponsored them. Eldon will be matching …

Individuals wishing to maximise their State Pension entitlement are able to purchase credit for missing years by making voluntary class 3 National Insurance (NI) contributions and the government is now giving people more time to make these contributions. When the ‘new’ State Pension was introduced, transitional arrangements were put in place to allow people to …

HMRC has recently highlighted that more than 800,000 taxpayers claimed tax refunds for work expenses during the 2021/22 tax year and is reminding employed workers that they can claim tax refunds on work-related expenses that are not reimbursed by their employer through the GOV.UK website. You can submit a claim through HMRC’s online portal, and …

Ofgem, the energy regulator, announced a reduction to the Energy Price Cap on Thursday, which is set to see a long-awaited drop in energy bills for millions of households across the UK. The new limit will come into effect from July, to be reviewed every quarter thereafter. The Price Cap limits the amount that suppliers …

In an effort to combat high levels of inflation, the Bank of England has increased its base rate further from 4.25% to 4.50% – the 12th consecutive increase. The base rate is now the highest it has been in almost 15 years, since October 2008 which was the height of the global financial crisis. The …

Having a spending and savings plan can help you understand what income you have, what needs to be allocated to everyday living expenses and what you can put towards future goals. With groceries, fuel and energy costs rising significantly, for many people, essential living costs now represent a large majority of take-home pay. The 50-30-20 framework …

The month of April is recognised as National Stress Awareness Month to bring attention to the negative impact of stress. Given the cost-of-living crisis present in the UK, more people may be feeling the impact of stress and anxiety. According to the charity MIND: “Stress is how we react when we feel under pressure or …