Simon Parker

The last few years have seen UK house prices rise to levels never before seen. This has meant that millions of potential buyers can no longer afford the deposit, never mind the estimated mortgage repayments on the home of their dreams. There is good news of the horizon though.

If you're a parent you'll undoubtedly want your child to do well in life, and what better way to start them off than with a solid education. You'll probably know how expensive a private education and further education can be though, which is why you need to plan for your child's education fees from the moment they're born.

Lately pensions have become an outdated financial product however they do carry a number of very attractive benefits, the top 5 of which are explained below.

According to a recent survey around 70% of wage earners would much rather spend their hard earned cash on frivolous luxuries than deposit it in a savings account. This is what is known as instant gratification and if you're honest you probably know exactly what we're talking about! But how beneficial is this way of life to your financial future?

It has long since been agreed by financial advisors and planners that a diverse investment portfolio is much safer for the investor than sticking to one type of financial product.

Critical illness insurance is often overlooked by people taking out a new life insurance policy, but for those of you who are young and healthy this can be a regrettable mistake. Critical illness cover typically pays out a cash lump sum when the policyholder is diagnosed with one of the critical illnesses listed on their policy.

Life insurance, also often referred to as life assurance, can be a sticky subject for some, simply because the very mention of it reminds us that sooner or later we are going to die. Taking out an adequate life insurance policy though will help to make your passing easier on the loved ones you leave behind – even if only from a financial point of view.

In my article last month I gave an overview of the Expatriate market and the lack of regulation within it. This however, does not mean that the market is crowded with unscrupulous Brokers selling there Grandmothers to earn a living! Clearly in an unregulated world you get your criminals as we did in the UK pre FSA, but you also get a swathe of good Western trained IFA's, CFP's and CLU's who want an expatriate lifestyle and bring their Best Practices with them.

No longer should the expatriate worker have to rely on his own good sense and financial acumen to achieve his financial goals, the forward thinking employer will get more involved in their employees as globalisation continues to affect all our lives.

300 years ago the British were firmly planting seeds which still have a profound effect on the world today and in so doing created a favourable climate for British IFA's who are looking to hang up their umbrellas, put away their raincoats and follow their ancestors to far away shores.