Warmth and Pain Relief

Many of us don’t like taking pain relief medicine unless we really have to. We’ll put up with the pain rather than take drugs for it. But there are other ways to relieve some types of pain, and some of them involve warmth. To find out more visit http://www.arthritistoday.org/conditions/osteoarthritis/treatment/heat-cold-for-pain-relief.php

There are many different types of warmth or heat treatments available – from simple neck pads to full-size spa baths. All of these use the application of heat to your body to help relieve your pain.

So why does heat work? Well, in layman’s terms it’s because the more pain you’re in the more your muscles tense and the more stressed you feel and the more pain you feel. The heat relaxes your muscles and that improves your blood flow and reduces your pain levels.

When you apply heat to all, or a particular part of your body, your body tries to restore your natural temperature. Your heart beats faster and that results in a temporary increase in your blood pressure. Having warmer blood pumping through your system expands your blood vessels, causing the blood to flow more freely. This increases your circulation, which in turn relaxes your muscles.

Although some heat treatments would need to be recommended by your doctor, there are plenty of heat pads that you can buy to help with everyday muscular problems. Specially shaped neck pillows filled with a variety of different things from cherry stones to wheat, cushions that can be microwaved for heat relief or frozen for cold compresses and pads that are specifically for warming hands or feet, can all give you relief when you need it most. What’s more, they’re a great gift, because they can be re-used and give real comfort when we need it most.

Why is the FSA important to you, as a customer

The FSA is an independent watchdog set up by the government to regulate financial services and protect your rights. It covers a wide range of services and pensions are one of them. So, why is the FSA and its pension advice and regulations important to you? To find out more visit http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/StatePension/StatePensionforecast/DG_10014008

The FSA (Financial Services Authority) introduced regulations within the pension business in 2004. This means that every pension provider you deal with today should be FSA registered and should comply with the FSA regulations. As a result this means that all the advice you receive from a professional pension adviser should be honest and within your best interests.

The Pensions Act 2004 benefits you and protects your rights by:

• Ensuring that all the existing legislation is clear and accessible
• Establishing a Pensions Regulator
• Obliging all Stakeholder Pension Schemes are registered with the Pensions Regulator

This is a tremendous benefit to you as a consumer as it means that you can be sure that your rights are being protected

Pension Advice and the Reasons for Getting a Pension

Why get a pension?

If you feel you are in the prime of your life you might be wondering why on earth you should be considering a Pension Lite pension or even listening to pension advice. Surely thoughts about pensions should be for old people. Or maybe you think that you have enough expenses going out of the account without adding another one to them. However, don’t you also feel as though time is moving faster and faster? There are only a few days between Christmas and Easter and so imagine how quickly your retirement will be upon you. Every day you get closer to your retirement and everyday that you don’t pay into a pension scheme is a little bit less comfort in your old age. Why not read on for some excellent reasons for taking out a pension?

People are living longer and longer and this is throwing doubt over what the future for State Pensions might hold. The State Pension at the moment is £82.05 per week but this might not be sustainable in the future. This means that you will have to save the money in order to retire and continue with your standard of living. At the moment you would be living off £82.05 a week which may be much lower than the amount you are currently used to and even this is looking uncertain. If you want to have a comfortable life when you retire and you don’t just want to be living off a minimal income then you need to start paying into a pension scheme now.

With good solid pensions advice you will find that no matter what your situation you will be able to find a suitable scheme or savings system to suit your needs. This will give you total peace of mind for your future and you will not need to put all your eyes in the rickety, old State Pension basket. It may seem like an extra expense at the moment and one which you may even struggle to afford but it is an investment into your future. Don’t forget that as time goes by, you will have less basic expenses, your children will no longer be dependent on you and you will have paid off the mortgage. This means that your monthly payments into your pension will not have as much of an effect on you, making it easier for you. It is never too late to begin making an investment into your future. If you are interested in finding out more about pensions, talk to Pension Lite today.

Offshore investment – benefits

Why should you choose to invest offshore?

Over the past 15-20 years, UK investors have become far more adept at managing their own investments. The introduction of tax-efficient vehicles such as ISAs and the emergence of off-setting accounts are just two of the ways in which the UK investment market has become more accessible to the man or woman on the street.

UK investments alone, however, don’t always provide the returns that some investors are looking for, and many of the products are subject to tax at high rates. It’s no surprise then that many investors choose to invest a proportion of their wealth in offshore investment products.

So, what are the benefits of choosing to invest offshore?

Returns

The wide variety of offshore investments means that there are more opportunities to gain excellent returns. For investors who have medium-term goals and need to provide for school or university fees or early retirement, offshore investing can provide the returns they need.

Tax

There are several tax benefits to investing offshore, particularly if you are living and working overseas. Depending on the type of investment, the length of the investment and how you choose to access your money when you need it, you can gain significant tax advantages through offshore investments, including income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax.

Access to more opportunities

By their nature, offshore investments give you access to more opportunities than traditional UK-based funds. The growing number of countries offering offshore investment means that you have a wider choice of products, and this allows you to tailor your portfolio more accurately and more successfully. Your returns could be greater and you can spread your risk across a wide range of investments.

Debt Consolidation – The Wealthy at Risk

Debt consolidation is something City workers may be facing up to as the credit crunch takes its toll. Even with offshore banking and investments, the rich are being hit by the financial crisis

Debt consolidation isn’t just something those on the financial breadline have to consider, as the credit crunch kicks in, predictions of job losses are being bandied around. Already, it’s expected City workers’ bonuses will disappear, and although for most of us earning an average salary, this seems like no big deal, for some it could end up leaving them with unmanageable debt. Debt consolidation, IVAs and bankruptcy are all set to increase for those high earners at the top end of the salary spectrum.

Debt Consolidation for the Super-rich

Debt consolidation is a reality for the super-rich as some City workers’ lifestyles are dependant on their big bonuses. Some City workers have mortgaged themselves to the max to afford London property in exclusive areas, and if prices plummet into negative equity and their salaries are affected, debt can quickly escalate. But those who hold on to their jobs could be the lucky ones; with debt consolidation schemes, by downsizing, or adjusting their outgoings to match their reduced income, it’s possible to batten down the hatches and survive the credit crunch. But for some, debt consolidation may not be enough; bankruptcy and house repossession could be looming.

40,000 City Jobs at Risk

A report in the Evening Standard states that up to 40,000 City jobs could be axed as the financial crisis deepens. One in ten jobs could be chopped in London’s financial heart; which will have a knock-on effect on property prices, deepening the financial crisis. Debt consolidation is likely to be on the cards as more City workers face up to the financial reality. Bankers, traders and financial support staff are all at risk of job cuts and redundancy – the loss of high salaries with the burden of expensive mortgages, cars and lifestyles will lead to spiralling debt for some; debt consolidation strategies will be crucial if they want to stay afloat.

‘Debt Consolidation’ – The New Buzz Word

The estimate of 40,000 jobs being at risk was projected by JP Morgan, a leading US investment bank. The figure is much higher than the 19,200 the Centre for Economics and Business Research recently suggested for City job losses. Debt consolidation is going to be more of a buzz word in the City than big million-pound bonuses for the next few years.

Independent financial advice – Offshore funds

Take independent financial advice to find out whether you should be investing in an offshore fund

Offshore explained
Independent financial advice may show that you should consider investing in an offshore fund. As well as collective investment schemes set up in the UK, many are set up in other jurisdictions. In UK tax terms these are referred to as "offshore funds". The UK has no taxing rights over such entities, although UK resident investors are chargeable in respect of income from these schemes and gains on disposal of holdings in them. Where the scheme makes distributions each year, the income is generally chargeable as income from overseas possessions.

Tax treatment
When an investor disposes of shares or units in an offshore fund, the tax treatment depends on whether the fund had ‘distributing’ status throughout the period of the investor's ownership of the shares or units. If it had, the normal chargeable gains rules apply on disposal. If the fund did not have ‘distributing’ status for the entire period of ownership of those share or units, special rules apply to treat any gain on disposal of those shares or units as income arising in the year of disposal. In broad terms, a fund has distributing status for a year if it distributes all its income to investors. Take independent financial advice for more details.

Where should I invest?
There are many places around the world offering excellent offshore opportunities. Here we put the spotlight on a few of them.

Guernsey
Independent financial advice might point you in the direction of Guernsey. Its position as a centre of excellence for the provision of offshore financial services is evidenced by the wide range of institutions conducting business on the island and the quality of the Guernsey professional practices upon whose expertise they can call. English speaking, with a centuries-old tradition of political stability and good governance, Guernsey is in the same time zone as London and has frequent air links both to London and to other United Kingdom airports.

Monaco
The Principality of Monaco in the south of France has especially favourable tax laws for companies and corporations. As such it is often used as a base for corporate wealth management Monaco

The Isle of Man
Situated off the coast of North West England, the Isle of Man exists under its own jurisdiction and has particular tax advantages. Independent financial advice reports that the Isle of Man operates a taxation strategy working towards a zero rate for companies, a policy of low taxation for individuals, and no capital transfer, wealth, inheritance tax or death duties.

British Virgin Islands
The BVI's financial strategy has been to diversify from its historical role as a domicile for International Business Companies (IBCs) and into trusts, captive insurance, and funds. Independent financial advice reports that the BVI has been very successful in this diversification.