Advice

By Samuel Mather-Holgate  Swindon’s property market is making headlines: average prices now sit at £259,000 — up 3.6% year-on-year — while first-time buyers are paying around £222,000, a 3.8% increase. Rents have surged too, averaging £1,053 a month — a nearly 10% hike, say ONS. But why are prices rising in Swindon more sharply than…

By Samuel Mather-Holgate As rumours swirl about the UK Government potentially cutting the annual Cash ISA allowance from £20,000 to just £10,000, savers across the country are rightly concerned. With interest rates still elevated and the cost of living squeezing household budgets, tax-free savings remain a vital tool — not just for investors, but for…

By Samuel Mather-Holgate With higher interest rates and market volatility dominating the financial headlines, many people are asking a familiar question with new urgency:Should I put my money in a Cash ISA or a Stocks & Shares ISA in 2025? Both types of ISAs allow you to grow your money free from income tax, capital…

By Samuel Mather-Holgate For many of us, our first experience of money came from Mum. Whether it was being handed a few coins for sweets, learning how to budget pocket money, or hearing the phrase “money doesn’t grow on trees” (more times than we can count), mums have been quietly shaping our financial habits for…

By Samuel Mather-Holgate Are You Making These Common Retirement Planning Mistakes? Retirement should be a time to enjoy life without money worries—but for many people, that’s not the reality. The earlier you start planning for retirement, the better your outcomes will be. But even if you’ve already started saving, it’s easy to fall into common…

A personal opinion piece by Samuel Mather-Holgate Swindon’s property market has made an impressive start to 2025, with house prices rising by 2.2% over the past year, surpassing the national average of 1.9%. This consistent growth has placed Swindon among the top five best-performing areas in the South West, reinforcing its reputation as one of…

By Samuel Mather-Holgate Why Do So Many People Avoid Making a Will? Let’s be honest—no one likes thinking about death. It feels far off, complicated, and maybe even expensive to sort out. But the reality is that not having a will can cause serious problems for your loved ones. A shocking 54% of UK adults…

By Helen Quayle, Independent Financial Adviser for Mather & Murray Financial- International Women’s Day is on 8th March 2025:  It gives me a real buzz when people reach out to me for my thoughts about women in financial services in the lead-up to International Women’s Day (IWD). It makes me realise that I must be…