West Kirby Today #122
Natwest bank closure delayed | Meet our general election candidates | Mammoth bike ride in aid of RNLI | Pensions advice from Parker Kelly Financial Services | Beer festival at rugby club
Letter from the Editor
Welcome to our weekly newsletter, with the latest news for West Kirby, Caldy, Hoylake and Meols.
West Kirby Today is provided free of charge, and a big thank you to our current advertisers whose paid partnerships help to subsidise our work. You can also contribute a small donation to help cover our running costs by buying us a virtual coffee here.
Kind regards,
Paul Johnston - Editor, West Kirby Today
Natwest closure delayed as banking hub plans progress
The closure of West Kirby’s last remaining bank has been delayed, while plans are finalised for the opening of a new banking hub.
Natwest on Banks Road was due to close in early July, but will now remain open until 29 August. Read more.
Meet the candidates vying for your vote in Wirral West
The UK goes to the polls on Thursday 4 July, with voters in West Kirby, Hoylake and Meols able to choose their preferred choice for Wirral West MP.
We’ve taken a look at the candidates who are battling it out to represent our area in parliament. Read more.
Gruelling bike ride by friends of man who died off Hoylake
Friends of a man who died after entering the water off Hoylake are cycling the entire coast of Wales and on to New Brighton two years after he drowned, to raise funds for the RNLI.
Haydn Griffiths, an athletic 23-year-old who had extensive knowledge of the water, tragically died in July 2022 while swimming on a first date. Read more.
COLUMN | Pension advice from Parker Kelly Financial Services
Over the next few months, the team at Parker Kelly Financial Services are providing guidance on financial topics to West Kirby Today readers. They are a family owed business that provides Independent Financial Advice. With locally based advisers who have access to a diverse array of market offerings, they can tailor their services to meet clients’ specific needs and goals.
Andy Griffin who is one of the financial advisers at Parker Kelly and heads up the West Kirby office has written the following article on pensions and retirement.
If you want to set up a meeting with Andy or one of his colleagues, please call the office on 0151 236 7838 or email: enquiries@parkerkelly.co.uk.
Retirement Planning – Keep track of your retirement.
Taking control of your retirement savings is crucial. With so many changing priorities in our busy lives, whether that’s children to support, a new home, changing jobs or even setting up your own business, our retirement savings end up taking a back seat.
A YouGov Survey found that:
Just under half (48 per cent) said they don’t know how long their retirement savings will need to last them, including 45 per cent of those aged 55 and above.
Nearly three in ten (28 per cent) of everyone surveyed, say they have no idea what to do with the savings they have built up for their retirement.
Parker Kelly Financial Services provide a free initial meeting to discuss your circumstance objectives and what services we can provide to help you.
A good starting point is to ask yourself the following questions:
Do you know the value of your current pension and what provider they are with?
Do you read pension statements when they arrive in the post, or do you still receive them? You may have moved address. We recommend making a list of all the potential pension you may have and getting the value.
If you have multiple pensions, it may be worth consolidating your pension savings into one pot. This can make it easier to keep track of you pensions and simplify how you take your retirement income. We recommend seeking advice if you are taking this course of action as some pensions provide guarantees and bonuses.
Parker Kelly Financial Services can assist with this as part of our Pension Advice and Retirement Planning service.
Have you or are you saving enough?
Parker Kelly Financial Services can provide guidance and calculations on what you need to save to ensure you have sufficient savings to provide you with a retirement income. We can help you understand how much you’ll need to enjoy a retirement that meets your expectations, including what’s a potentially sustainable withdrawal rate at retirement.
Are you making the most of pension tax relief?
Tax relief on pension contributions is a valuable benefit. Your personal contributions to a pension receive ‘relief at source’ tax from the Government, with the potential for more for higher-rate taxpayers via Self-Assessment.
For example, a net contribution of £80.00 would result in a gross contribution of £100.00 once relief at source has been applied to the contribution.
Parker Kelly Financial Services can provide advice on using the tax relief available for employed, self-employed and business owners. This includes making use of your pension allowances.
Do you know where your pension is invested?
The investments a pension is held in can have a significant impact on the value of a pension. Investment volatility could have increased your investment risk and reduced the value of investments significantly.
Diversifying your investment and taking advice on an investment strategy can help your pension grow and reduce the investment risk.
Managing the risk in retirement is also key, is it best to purchase an annuity or fixed term annuity? Are you needs better suited to retirement drawdown or a combination of both.
Important Information: The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and all tax rules may change in the future. You cannot normally access money in a pension until age 55.
This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment.
Parker Kelly Financial Services are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (692552) Registered Office: 3rd Floor, 1 Temple Square, 24 Dale Street, Liverpool, L2 5RL Tel: 0151 236 7838. West Kirby Office: The Old Bakery, 72 Sandy Lane, West Kirby, Wirral, CH48 3JA.
Source:
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,116 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 12th – 15th February 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
The article above is sponsored content
Beer festival taking place in Hoylake
Wirral Summer Hops beer festival takes place until Sunday 30 June at Hoylake Rugby Club on Carham Lane, with proceeds going to the Paul Lavelle Foundation to help male domestic abuse survivors, and North Wirral Round Table.
You can get 25% off tickets with the code FB25 at https://wirralsummerhops.uk/tickets
Could you manage a junior football team?
West Kirby Football Club are looking for a manager for their new under 10’s team.
Call Jay on 07880 367849 if you think you can help - no experience is needed.
Things to do - what’s on!
West Kirby Primary School are holding their summer fair on Saturday 6 July from 11:30am - 2pm, including games, music, inflatables and a Pimms stall (for the adults!) - entry is £1 for adults and free for children.
Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI are holding a ‘meet and greet’ day on Saturday 13 July from 10am - 4pm, at Hoylake Lifeboat station on North Parade.
Hoylake allotments open day takes place on Sunday 14 July from 12pm - 4pm, including stalls, live entertainment, refreshments and a chance to follow the sunflower trail.
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