The Money Magazine From Fluent Issue 01 Winter 2019
IN THIS ISSUE
Make your plans a reality in 2019
WIN a tablet £25 M&S Gift Card competition Plus, great money saving tips inside!
You could save thousands! Reasons to remortgage
Shake off that financial hangover Take stock of your situation
FLUENT LIFESTYLE
Issue 01 Winter 2019
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Contents
6 1
Welcome to Fluent Lifestyle 2 | FLUENT MONEY
Make your plans a reality in 2019 3 | FLUENT MORTGAGES
4 3
You could save thousands: reasons to remortgage 4 | FLUENT LIFETIME
Free yourself of mortgage payments in retirement 6 | FLUENT LOANS
Shake off the financial hangover 7 | FLUENT NEWS
Behind the scenes at Fluent HQ Recipe: Winter Warming Soups 8 | CASHBACK CORNER
Special Offers MON£Y QUIZ: Win a Samsung tablet Polygon Quiz: Win a £25 M&S gift card
FLUENT LIFESTYLE Issue 01 Winter 2019
Welcome to the new Fluent Lifestyle magazine We’ll be updating you quarterly on new financial products and services available to help keep your finances in shape, both now and in the future. We’ll also be sharing real life customer stories where we’ve helped people achieve their dreams and improve their lives. Plus, there’s competitions and special offers to save you money! We hope you enjoy reading it and we’d love to hear what you’d like to see in future issues. You can email us your suggestions to Lifestyle@fluentmoney.co.uk KEVIN HINDLEY CEO
FLUENT LIFESTYLE Issue 01 Winter 2019
Kind Regards, The Fluent Team
2 | FLUENT MONEY
Make your plans a reality in 2019 At this time of year our attention turns to home and garden improvements as warmer weather approaches and the nights get lighter. But what are your options for financing these jobs?
Don’t move, improve! Home improvements can be a great way to make your home a nicer place for you and your family to live, while increasing its value at the same time.
However, even though making improvements to your current house or flat often works out a lot cheaper than trading up to a larger home, many projects still require a significant financial outlay. Whether you want a new kitchen, need to repair your roof or are planning an extension that will transform your home, the chances are you may need to borrow money to fund the work.
Overcoming barriers If you find that your credit score is preventing you being accepted for the best loans, one option is to consider a secured loan that uses your home as security. Secured loans can be a good choice for anyone planning a big project as they can be used to borrow large sums of money – depending on how much available equity you have in your home. Secured loans generally provide homeowners with longer terms than an unsecured loan. This can allow you, for example, to repay the debt over 5 to 25 years, as opposed to five or ten.
Looking to borrow between £5k and £250,000? Fluent Money could help. We can source secured loans with rates starting from 3.69% APR, although the rate you secure will depend on your individual circumstances.
APPLY NOWIssue 01 Winter 2019 0800 255 0024 FLUENT LIFESTYLE
3 | FLUENT MORTGAGES
You could save thousands: reasons to remortgage Recent research from Which? found that 25% of homeowners with a standard variable rate could save £4,000 a year if they switched to a better deal. When you take out a new mortgage, you normally get an introductory deal which lasts between two and five years. Once the deal ends, you’ll automatically be moved onto your lender’s standard variable rate, which will typically be higher than other rates that you might be able to get elsewhere. So, when your introductory period ends, it’s important to search the market to see if switching to a new mortgage deal will save you money.
What’s more, the uncertainty facing the economy over Brexit is fuelling the remortgage market, with homeowners keen to lock into the option of a lower rate before the end of March. If you’re thinking of remortgaging, it can be helpful to speak to a whole-of-market broker like Fluent to get advice on the right deal for you. Remortgaging could save you thousands of pounds each year!
Home improvements Many choose to make improvements to their home rather than move. Maybe your family is expanding so you need an extra bedroom or you just want to update your kitchen or bathroom. Remortgaging can allow you to release some of the cash you’ve built up in your property, to help you make those alterations.
Remortgaging for more flexibility
Remortgaging to consolidate debt Do you have a loan with Optimum, First Stop, West One, Together, Paragon or UTB? If you have a lot of debt, you might be tempted to borrow some extra money and use it to pay off your other debts. It might, but it might not... let’s leave this down to the adviser following client assessment.
Remortgaging might also enable you to get a more flexible deal – for example if you want to overpay. Or maybe you want to switch to an offset or current account mortgage, where you use your savings to reduce the amount of interest you pay permanently or temporarily – and have the option to draw your savings back if you need them. If you’re approaching the end of your introductory mortgage offer, it’s really important to speak to an expert who can offer you impartial advice. Our Mortgage Advisers can help you find a better deal today, call free on 0800 530 0014.
Looking to switch to a better deal? Fluent Mortgages could help. If you’re approaching the end of your introductory mortgage offer or want to switch to a better deal, speak to a specialist mortgage adviser
FIND OUT MORE
0800 530 0014
FLUENT LIFESTYLE
Issue 01 Winter 2019
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4 | FLUENT LIFETIME
Free yourself of mortgage payments in retirement A staggering three million homeowners expect to still be paying back their home loans into retirement. One in five (21% of) mortgage holders – which works out at around three million people – worry that they’ll still be paying their mortgage off into retirement. Over half (58%) don’t know how they’ll keep up their repayments when they’re no longer working. 53% of that group are already aged over 55, meaning time is running out to make a plan. The good news is that lenders are responding by launching increasing numbers of mortgages for older borrowers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, more than a quarter (26%) of survey respondents said that the thought of having a mortgage beyond the age of 65 made them anxious – and 8% of
those aged over 55 didn’t think they’d ever be mortgage-free.
Features of a lifetime mortgage
The obvious solution is to downsize. This could enable you to pay off your mortgage altogether, or at least move to a smaller one, depending on the amount of equity you’ve built up. However, for some, the thought of leaving the home they love where happy memories were made is distressing. Not to mention the associated costs such as solicitors’ fees and stamp duty which can sometimes eat up any financial gain.
Tax-free cash – The money released can be spent on a variety of things but if you have an outstanding mortgage this must be repaid first.
Could a lifetime mortgage be an option?
It’s flexible - There is a wide selection of plans and features available to suit many customers’ needs including the ability to guarantee an inheritance.
If you’ve built up equity in your home despite still having a mortgage on it, you might be considering a lifetime mortgage. This enables you to access tax-free cash locked in your property but continue living there, which could enable you to pay off your remaining mortgage.
It’s regulated - The FCA regulate the market. For additional security, Fluent Lifetime recommend plans that are approved by the Equity Release Council (ERC) which means there are certain guarantees.
No monthly repayments Typically no monthly repayments. The loan, plus rollup interest, is repaid when the plan ends, usually when you die or move into long-term care. Stay in control - You retain full ownership of your property and you can stay living there until you die or move into long-term care. No negative equity guarantee – The amount owed will never exceed the value of the property. A lifetime mortgage will reduce the value of your estate and may affect your entitlement to means tested benefits.
FLUENT LIFESTYLE Issue 01 Winter 2019
“It was much quicker and easier than I expected too.”
Real life story Barbara Smith had worked hard all her life to pay her mortgage on her beautiful home in the North East. After sadly losing her husband she was looking for some extra money to complete long awaited home improvements and make plans for the future. “We’d intended to give the house a bit of a makeover but when my husband became ill everything was put on hold whilst I cared for him at home. I wanted to replace the carpets and update the bathroom. We’d lived here since the house was built over 43 years ago and so moving was never an option. I love the quiet street and my neighbours are like family. I had all this money tied up in the house and I could be using it to make life easier
for myself and enjoy my retirement. I don’t have any children but spend a lot of time with my 3 nieces. One of them is getting married next year and I wanted to give her a special gift. I’d heard of people releasing equity and did quite a lot of research on the internet myself. I used an online calculator and was nicely surprised that I qualified. David from Fluent Lifetime called me. I explained that I was very nervous about the decision. He was so understanding of my situation and took time to put my mind at ease. He explained everything very clearly and gave me regular updates on how the mortgage was progressing. It was much quicker and easier than I expected too.
It was still important for me to be able to ensure I could leave an inheritance for my nieces so I chose a plan that guaranteed a percentage would be left over, no matter how much the interest rolls up. I now have the money to make the updates to my home and treat my niece on her wedding day. I’m thinking of booking a cruise too. We only get once chance so I’m going to start enjoying my welldeserved retirement. To anyone considering unlocking the equity in their home, I say go for it! I also recommend Fluent to anyone, they were second to none!”
Looking for a cash boost in later life? Fluent Lifetime could help. Get your free guide or arrange a free, no-obligation telephone appointment with a specialist adviser
GET YOUR FREE GUIDE
0800 530FLUENT 0018 LIFESTYLE
Issue 01 Winter 2019
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6 | FLUENT LOANS
Shake off that financial hangover Citizens Advice were expecting more than 370,000 people to seek help on financial issues in January last year. Analysis by the charity reveals that people are more likely to research financial decisions now than at any other time of the year. While January is often associated with squeezed budgets and debt worries, the research reveals that people also used the New Year to take stock of their money situation and plan their finances long-term. The good news is that if you have been pushing the plastic in a big way, there are ways of minimising the festive financial hangover. We’ve got some tips to help you get your finances in shape in the New Year.
Cut your credit card costs If you have existing credit and store card debt, you could save money by transferring these balances to another provider offering a better rate. This is a very competitive market, and you can get balance transfer deals offering 0% interest for up to 38 months, provided you meet the criteria.
With a 0% deal, all your monthly repayment goes towards clearing the outstanding balance, so the debt can be cleared more quickly – but you do need to be disciplined. Be aware that there will often be a fee to pay, which is typically a small percentage of the amount of debt being moved over.
Debt consolidation can work If you’re juggling costly debts – such as store card and credit card borrowing – you may be able to save money by
Looking to borrow between £1,000 and £25,000? Fluent Loans could help. We can source unsecured loans with rates starting from 3.9% APR, although the rate you secure will depend on your individual circumstances.
APPLY NOWIssue 01 Winter 2019 0800 534 5004 FLUENT LIFESTYLE
consolidating them into one cheaper unsecured loan, where the monthly repayments remain unchanged and the debt is guaranteed to be gone by the end of the term. This isn’t an answer for everyone, but for some people it could work. An unsecured loan could be perfect for those who can’t resist the enticement of using more of their credit card limit and who need a sensible product to pay back their debt over a fixed term.
7 | FLUENT NEWS
Look what’s been happening behind the scenes here at Fluent HQ
We were very proud to win the Second Charge Distributor of the Year Award 2018
Welcome to the annual
Fluent Money Group
Golf Day
In 2018, our annual Fluent Money Group Golf Day raised £39,344 for our chosen charity, Education for the Children
We have invested in making our customers’ lives easier. Download our new smartphone app on Apple and Android devices today from the app store. FLUENT LIFESTYLE
Issue 01 Winter 2019
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CASHBACK & COMPETITION CORNER
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