Budget 2013 comment: is it a good time to buy a house?

By Steve Manning, Founder, Manning and Company Independent Financial Advisers

Let’s face it; George Osborne had very little room for manoeuvre.  The country is spending more than it is earning - no different from most of Europe. 

The Chancellor’s task is a pretty tough one.  He needs to stimulate growth to provide more income for the treasury, while at the same time reducing spending and limiting government borrowing.

The political parties largely disagree on how much we should be borrowing to stimulate the economy.  Get it wrong, and the consequences are not good: bankrupt because of over-borrowing; or bankrupt because of severe depression.

By and large, being a ‘neutral’ budget, it was endeavouring to make better use of the money in the system - effectively robbing Peter to pay Paul.

I want to focus on just one of these initiatives: stimulating the housing market.

Buildings & Contents Insurance - Are You Leaving Yourself Exposed?

by Sophie Pomeroy, Building & Contents Administrator, Manning and Company

Buildings & Contents insurance is like anything in life - you get what you pay for!

In these times of economic hardship, people are looking for ways to reduce the cost of living, and Buildings & Contents insurance can be one area under scrutiny.  It may be tempting to cut your level of cover, or even cancel it altogether – perhaps thinking it’s worth the risk, given how infrequently you may have made a claim in the past.

But under-insuring your property is a false economy and leaves you over-exposed to risk.  What’s more, failing to have Buildings insurance could be in breach of the terms of your mortgage.