Category Archives: Life & Style

Can I access my pension savings before I retire?

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If you are over 55 and have the right pension – yes you can! This is great news for people in the UK at the moment, as the official retirement date seems to be getting further and further away.  But why would you want to use hard earned cash which has been saved for your later years? Isn’t this a bit risky?

Use the guidance of a regulated financial advisor

Clearly money put aside for your retirement years was put there for a reason. To diminish those funds could be putting your retirement in danger. For this reason, you should never mess with your pension pot alone and get the guidance of a regulated financial advisor if you are thinking of releasing money. These professionals are accountable to the FCA.  Many offer a no-obligation pension check and can help you understand the options available to you. They can let you know if releasing money is right for you or not, based on your individual circumstances. It could leave you worse off in retirement.

In other words, as you approach your final working years you can double check that your pension pot is strong enough to fund a long retirement and also consider how you can use your savings to help you with debts, treats or big buys in the here and now.

So how do you access your pension?

In 2015 the government in the UK introduced pension freedoms. They allow people to take lump sums from their pension or a regular income, from the age of 55. You can only do this with work pensions or private pensions. You cannot access your state pension or unfunded pensions. If you have a final salary pension you can transfer monies to a fund which offers access. However, be careful as you could be giving up valuable guarantees. Before you do this get guidance as to whether having access to your pension will be detrimental to your long term benefits.

What are your options?

Here are three fundamental ways in which you can access your pension savings:

  • One lump sum
  • Taking out lump sums whenever you need them
  • Income drawdown. In other words, you draw down your pension as a regular income.

The first 25% of any money you take from your pension will be tax free. Any money left in your pot will continue to be invested by your pension provider. As seen above, you can take as many lump sums – if and when you need them. With drawdown you can create an extra income for yourself which could act as a sole or complimentary income. 

Why do people access their pensions?

Throughout our working lives our hard earned cash tends to go on five specific things:

  1. Sustenance. i.e., paying for those things we need just to allow us to live comfortably
  2. Those treats we give ourselves on a weekly/monthly basis
  3. Short-term savings (i.e., that holiday to America next summer; that new sofa you have been promising the family; rainy day money)
  4. Emergency funding (that unforeseen urgent bill etc.)
  5. Long-term savings (i.e., a savings pot for retirement)

There is always going to be the time when you need that extra bit of cash urgently. It seems people access their pot for reasons 3 and 4 above. Statistics from 2018 show people tend to access their part for the following reasons:

  • 32% to tackle a debt
  • 21% to make house improvements
  • 10% to buy a new car

See here how people are using pension freedoms in the year 2019/2020.

Whatever you do – don’t go it alone. Seek out the guidance of a regulated financial advisor to ensure your pension pay-out will be maximised after any access or indeed if it is a good idea at all. Check out the FCA website to get ideas as to where to find an advisor.

If you are considering your pension, consider using a regulated pensions specialist like Portafina or, view the information guides at The Pensions Advisory Service.

Collaborative post with our brand partner. 

Let’s Make Us Better – Starting With Pukka Tea by Dr Kathleen Thompson- Award winning author

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After a year of an invisible enemy and lockdowns perhaps it’s no wonder that our lifestyle may have slipped from healthy to ‘could do better’.

Maybe now’s the time to ditch the comfort eating, the ‘is it too early for a glass of wine?’ habit and swap the TV for long walks (socially-distanced of course).

Gently as it goes though, self-kindness and patience are important too – and Pukka teas are a particularly pleasant way to start.

Do you remember when herbal teas tasted like coloured water? No, you’re probably too young, but trust me, Pukka is a totally different experience.

Pukka teas are all certified organic, and are harvested sustainably, and growers paid fairly.  The company was established by entrepreneur Tim Westwell and practicing herbalist Sebastian Pole. ​

Sebastian expertly blends practitioner-grade herbs and spices, which contain the highest level of essential oils and active ingredients. He uses Ayurvedic principles, a centuries-old Indian health practice which classifies people into three types, or Dosha: Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which can be rebalanced to restore health. You can even find your personal Dosha using the questionnaire on the Pukka Herbs website.

I love the various Pukka tea collections , but Day To Night has a particularly great selection, from getting you up in the morning with Ginseng And Matcha Green tea, Turmeric Gold to help reduce inflammation naturally, Revitalise (with cardamom which I adore), and then as we get towards evening, winding down with the naturally caffeine-free teas After Dinner and Night-Time.

But let’s talk a little more about night-time and sleep because sleep patterns have generally suffered during the pandemic. Research shows strong links between sleep and our immune system, and good quality sleep may even help our response to vaccination. So now is a good time for sleep hygiene.

Pukka’s new Night Time Berry is ideal – a mixture including different berries, valerium, chamomile, lavender and echinacea – a fabulous combination of natural sleep-inducers with immune-system support. And the best bit, it tastes absolutely delicious.

So, as a first step to your new healthy life, why not pop a box of Night Time Berry on your shopping list. Available from Waitrose, Amazon and Holland & Barrett for RRP £2.99 for a box containing 20 sachets.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

New Cocktail Recipe: Cotton Gin Mother’s Day Martini

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cocktail, cocktail recipes, cocktails, gin, gin cocktails, Yorkshire-based Premium Gin Cotton Gin has teamed with TV’s Andy Clarke to create a mouth-watering new Martini for Mother’s Day: Introducing the Cotton Gin Mother’s Day Martini.

Watch the Cotton Gin Mother’s Day Martini – a mix of tantalising tarragon, zingy pomegranate, fragrant Rosé Vermouth and crisp, smooth Cotton Gin – be made on Insta Live with Andy and Distillery Founder Nicola at https://www.instagram.com/otterbeckdistillery/  – Tuesday 9 March @ 7pm

Method

 

FOR TWO

 

Ingredients (for two cocktails)

 

3 Parts (150ml) Cotton Gin

2 Parts (100 ml) Londinio Rosé Vermouth

1 Part (50ml) Pomegranate Juice

20 Pomegranate Seeds

2 Sprigs of Tarragon

A Large Handful of Ice

 

Equipment

 

1 x Cocktail Shaker

2 x Martini Glasses

 

Chill the glasses.

 

Put the ice to the shaker and add all liquid ingredients. Shake for 20 seconds or until the shaker condensates and is extremely cold to touch.

 

Pour into the glasses and decorate with the pomegranate seeds and tarragon leaves.

 

Joffe’s mystery week is one to keep the pages turning… by Annie Clarke

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Joffe Books have done it again. A great line up.

A brand-new mystery from Helen H. Durrant, the bestselling author who’s sold over 1m copies of her mysteries worldwide. If you’ve yet to discover her, now is the perfect time to do so.

THE FACELESS MAN is out now. Don’t miss out, grab your copy today for a mere £2 / $2.99.

The body of a young boy is discovered, stabbed to death and set alight.

When Detectives Lennox and Wilde identify the victim, they’re led back to a room decorated with photographs of unsolved murders including an image of the faceless man.

Did the victim know too much?

 

                       

Body on the Island by Victoria Dowd. 99p       Creepy, dark, funny – what more could you want.

The Lipstick Murders  by Roger Silverwood.  99p      A killer who leaves each victim bearing a message written in lipstick . Is it a vengeful patient is back,  hunting down those who botched his surgery one by one?

This time, Detective Angel knows exactly who he’s looking for . . . but can he catch the killer before he strikes again?

                  

The Price of Murder by Brian Battison. 99p       Barbara answers a call at home and a distorted voice on the other end announces the kidnapping of her husband. Who has taken her husband and why?

The Girl on the Beach by Susanna Beard 99p     What would you do if you discovered a dead body on a remote beach and no one else seemed to care?  Anna recoils in horror as she pulls a strand of seaweed away from the rocks and uncovers the white, smooth curve of a human leg . . .

All page turners… go to Joffe to see more offerings.

MEET STEPH CAREY     PROJECT EDITOR at Joffe Books

WHAT I DO: As Project Editor, I’m lucky to be able to work on many different aspects of our books, and I get to read across a wonderfully wide spectrum of genres: from police procedurals and thrillers, to cosy crime, to historical romance. Part of my job is working out how to position a book within the market, so I might be researching competitor titles to brief a designer for the cover, or working out the exact readership of a book to write the perfect blurb. I also really enjoy the hands-on, nitty-gritty editorial tasks, like taking in author and proofreader corrections or finding and correcting errors in final files.

WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2021: Having only started at Joffe Books in October last year, I’ve never actually met any of my colleagues in person! I’m really looking forward to getting to know them all properly (hopefully in the pub) as soon as the world goes back to normal. It would also be great to be able to meet some of our wonderful authors and start thinking about ideas for future projects.

FAVOURITE BOOKS: I’m currently about halfway through Diana Athill’s memoir Stet: An Editor’s Life, which is a really fascinating account of what publishing used to be like in the glory days. Oddly, it’s making me nostalgic for cramped offices and huge stacks of proofs on my desk! I just finished Françoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse, which is every bit as good as everyone says it is (and being set in the gorgeous, sunny South of France is the perfect escapist read…). Also – and I realise I’ve very late to the party on this – for any fans of psychological thrillers I can’t recommend Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, The Serial Killer enough.

Annie Clarke (one of Margaret Graham’s pen names along with Milly Adams)  is the author of the Home Front series.

 

Open-form Writing Competition – sounds interesting- free entry, £725 top prize

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I was talking recently to another writer about short stories which we agreed were a particularly exacting writing form. Clear, concise structure, usually revolving around one incident, with a lean cast and one protagonist, an antagonist, and a strong theme. It is a form that needs honing, then honing again, which is why I was interested to read news of this competition.

Exisle Publishing, a global publisher with a significant presence in the United Kingdom, has launched an open-form writing competition. Their goal is to encourage and reward creative expression, and tap into a diverse range of voices on an interesting and pertinent theme. Specifically, the impact of technology on our lives.

Entitled “When the Machine Arrived,” Exisle Publishing is offering a generous prize of £725 GBP to the winner, as well as publication opportunities for the winner and select runners-up. The word limit is 1,500 words.

Standard entry is free of charge, and open to writers from around the world. The deadline for submissions is March 30.

I had my first writing break after I was placed in a competition. Give it a try, all you writers out there.

This is the link to learn more and participate:  When The Machine Arrived

And good luck!

Margaret Graham is the author of 30 novels, writing under Margaret Graham, Milly Adams and Annie Clarke.

Her latest novels comprise the Home Front series.

 

 

 

Bookshop.org Generates £1 Million for Independent Bookshops in Just Four Months

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bookshop

Chener Books (London)

200,000 customers flock to ethical ecommerce platform, as book buyers vote with their wallets to support the high street while shopping online

Independent booksellers report that Bookshop.org has helped them avoid putting staff on furlough, attract new customers, build an online presence, feel connected to their customer community and even open new stores

 Bookshop, the book buying site that empowers socially conscious shoppers to financially support independent bookshops when shopping online, has generated over £1million in profit for indie booksellers in just over four months of trading, with over 200k customers embracing the new platform to date.

The East Gate Bookshop (Totnes);

At a time when the majority of the UK’s bookshops have been forced to close their physical stores due to lockdown restrictions, by choosing Bookshop.org book-buyers have generated over £1million in profit for the 410 independent bookshops using the platform.

 As of 4 February 2021, 82 per cent of sales on Bookshop were generated by titles selling four or less copies each, and 54 per cent from titles selling a single copy, demonstrating how the platform helps draw attention to books beyond bestseller lists and celebrates diversity within the publishing ecosystem.

Booksellers using the platform have reported the many ways in which Bookshop.org has been a financial lifeline in a particularly challenging time, with the additional income allowing many to avoid furloughing staff, pay out Christmas bonuses, strengthen their online presence to better compete online, and even open new stores.

Miranda Peake from Chener Books, London, who likewise hasn’t previously had the resource for online bookselling, reported new customers discovering her shop online: “I had no expectations when we joined Bookshop.org in November, but it was very successful for us right from the word go. I haven’t had the time or resources to set up an online shop, so having a well-managed, efficient and lovely looking website to direct customers to has been absolutely brilliant. It’s been so gratifying to see so many of our regular customers using the website, as well as lots of new customers, friends and contacts from further afield who are not able to visit the bookshop but want to support us. We are enormously grateful to be part of this initiative.”

 

Nigel and Claire Jones were able to open The East Gate Bookshop in Totnes in December. The co-founders said: “The positive impact of customers being able to buy from our shop has been immense. And it’s not just the revenue that Bookshop.org creates – which of course is essential. Having an online presence confirms to our customers that we are a ‘proper’ professional retailer; it’s what’s expected, but we’d never have the skills, time or the deep pockets to operate online at all without Bookshop.org. Bookshop.org arrived in the nick of time for us, I honestly don’t think we could have managed financially and emotionally without it.”

 

Bookshop.org offers an ethical online marketplace that ensures independent bookshops receive 30 per cent of the cover price from each sale they generate on the platform. Moreover, 10 per cent from any sale not attributed to a specific bookshop goes into the shared profit pool. In addition, a number of publishers – including Canongate, Atlantic, Murdoch, Profile, Serpent’s Tail, Faber, Pushkin Press, Scribe, Nosy Crow, Simon & Schuster, Pan Macmillan, PRH, Hachette, Usborne and Europa Editions – have chosen to forego their 10 per cent affiliate commission and opted for it to go into the shared profit pool, to be split equally by independent bookshops using the site.

A recent survey conducted by the Booksellers Association found that 80 per cent of booksellers had a “good” or “very good” experience of using Bookshop.org to date.

Meryl Halls, MD at the Booksellers Association, commented: “The £1m milestone for Bookshop.org is a remarkable moment for indie bookselling, and in the fight against Amazon’s dominance in the book market over the last 10 months.   For those booksellers using the platform, Bookshop.org has provided a lifeline, often, and an additional sales channel, to indie booksellers forced to close and otherwise struggling to provide an ecommerce offer to their loyal customers.  The team at Bookshop.org deserve huge credit for the speed of the launch, the empathy and openness they’ve shown to booksellers and the supportive community they’ve created for their users.    In our newly hybrid world, the need for online bookselling is not going to abate, and we are delighted that indies are now able to join the other high street booksellers, Waterstones, WHS, Foyles and Blackwells, in reaching book-buyers online – and we urge publishers and authors to link to specialist high street booksellers online, rather than lazily linking to Amazon, who certainly don’t need the money.”

 With over 6,000 affiliates – spanning publishers, authors, book bloggers and beyond – using the site to support bookshops, the early success of Bookshop.org has been welcomed by many publishers:

 

Stephen Page, Chief Executive at Faber, said: “A clear truth that has been emphasised this past year is that independent booksellers play a key role for readers in their discovery of a wide range of interesting books. The arrival of Bookshop.org ensures that independents now have a great partner whose service allows them to offer both a brilliant online and physical service to their customers.”

 

Bookshop was founded with the belief that independent bookshops are vital to our culture. As consumers are increasingly realising that where they spend their money matters, Bookshop.org offers an entirely new approach to online shopping, giving customers the power to support the local high street when they buy books online.

 

Highlighting recommendations from real booksellers, authors, publishers and beyond, Bookshop.org takes a human approach to book curation that avoids relying on algorithms, reflecting the unique browsing experience of a physical bookshop. Authors who have supported the platform by curating reading lists have often increased sales of the books featured, including: Elena Ferrante, Malorie Blackman, Marian Keyes, Nikesh Shukla, Julia Quinn, Edmund de Waal, and more.

 

 

The Beauty of Eczema – For People Who Have Eczema, And People Who Don’t – by Award Winning Author Dr Kathleen Thompson

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I’ve become quite addicted to Beauty of Eczema products, invented by Camille Knowles, who struggled with such dreadful eczema that her life was a complete misery. Nowadays she looks just fabulous after having worked out a regime of life-style, diet and skin products, and she’s keen to help others with her Vlog and books and of course her fabulous skin range.

The nice thing about her skin products is that they’re all made with high quality, pure ingredients (plus a little magic in the form of crystals), so even if you don’t have eczema you’ll find they are fantastic for your skin, smell great and are perfect for a pampering evening. And if your skin is sensitive, they’re particularly good.

Calming Cream for example, is formulated with Mango and Shea butters and Jojoba Seed Oil. It also contains Omega 3 and 6, balanced to reduce inflammation and Oat lipids (a rich source of vitamin E). Rhamnosoft is based on a fermented sugar which protects and soothes and Bioecolia is a prebiotic to encourage beneficial skin bacteria. The final ingredients are Smithsonite and Rhodochrosite crystals for serenity, calmness and self-love.

Other items in her range include Pamper Me Bathing Oil, Skin Warrior Wash and Salty Soother and they are all fabulous and look so attractive in pretty pink.

If you’re wondering what to get Mum for Mother’s Day, look no further. All products are available from her website.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

Energydot – Retuning and Harmonising Radiomagnetic Fields – What Do We Think? – by Award Winning Author Dr Kathleen Thompson

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With average mobile phone use at around three hours each day and rising, there are concerns about possible health effects. Wireless devices including phones emit radio-frequency waves, and one area of concern is whether this can affect our brains. Some research has been done, but more is needed. In the mean time using a speakerphone where possible is probably sensible.

Energydots make low-powered magnets which, they say, are programmed with a specific, naturally-occurring frequency. They explain that each DOT performs a slightly different function and the smartDOT and bioDOT protect from harmful effects of wireless radiation. They clarify that the DOTs do not shield from radiation, rather ‘retune (or harmonise) the emissions to a more natural coherent frequency’. The sleepDOT ‘uses passive micro vibrational technology to slow brain waves from beta to theta and delta (sleep) frequencies.’

To be honest, as a doctor, I don’t understand what ‘retuning or harmonising’ radio-frequency waves means and cannot endorse this from my medical or scientific background. I am curious to know how the sleepDOT changes brain waves.

To Energydot’s credit, they have commissioned a couple of quite small studies of the effect of the DOTs on mobile phone exposure, although I am unsure of the clinical relevance of the results.

However I try to have an open mind and wearing magnets is a popular treatment for arthritis and other diseases, albeit of unproven benefit, so I have given the DOTs a go.

I have tried the Bioband – a rather neat disc on a rubberised wrist band; I’ve also stuck a smartDOT in my mobile phone case and a sleepDOT on my bed. They’ve only been in place for two days so a little too soon to tell. I do confess to feeling a little calmer – whether it’s a placebo effect I can’t say.

So what’s my view on Energydot? I think Energydot have an interesting idea. I would have liked more information on their technology and their theory as to why it could work. Some serious research is needed to establish whether the DOTs do have a beneficial effect and I hope they will commission further work.

In the meantime I’m prepared to try the DOTS for a little longer – I can’t see that they would do any harm and with lockdown I think we can all benefit from anything which may help us sleep.

They are available from the Energydot website.

By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.