Welcome to our latest client e-zine, designed to keep you informed on any topical personal financial matters.

"There are two types of economists. Those who know they don’t know and those who don’t know they don’t know." J K Galbraith

While it is always a pleasure to see clients during annual review meetings at present we are the bearer of bad news.

If you have money invested, chances are you will have experienced heavy falls over the last 20 months – as the value of most stocks and shares worldwide have decreased significantly since July 2007. However, only if you sell your investment now, when markets have fallen significantly, will you make a loss. The majority of asset classes have seen heavy falls since the middle of 2007, which understandably can be unsettling for investors.

However, that’s only an issue if you plan to sell your investment in the near future...Learn more

Norwich Union has come up with a series of 15 steps that could add a number of years to your life.

Life insurance companies know a bit about life expectancy. The products they sell, such as life assurance and pension annuities, rely on an accurate prediction of average life expectancy. So what can you do to live longer? Well, try flossing your teeth (adds 6 years); don't smoke (adds 10 years) or maintain a positive outlook on life (adds 9 years).

Find out the other 12 things you can do

A few people have recently asked us about when and how they should claim higher rate tax relief on pension contributions that they make via their employers.

What you need to be aware of is that there are two main types of pension scheme, namely "occupational" and "personal" pensions. Confusingly, many employer sponsored pensions are now "personal" pensions. Nothing is ever straightforward with pensions! Henwood Court can help...

The much loved Premium Bonds from National Savings & Investments are undergoing some changes.

Firstly, one of the two £1m jackpot prizes each month is going to be distributed as a wider mix of tax-free prizes. At the same time a new £25 prize is being introduced.

Secondly, the rate used to calculate prizes is being reduced from 1.8% to 1% and will be held at this level for at least April, May and June 2009.

It is worth noting that this is the first reduction to the prize fund rate since the last reduction took place in December 2008.

Odds of winning a prize remain unchanged at 36,000 to 1. This means that an investor with average luck holding the full £30,000 in Premium Bonds could win 10 tax-free prizes each year. Learn more

For much more information, simply visit our website at  
www.henwoodcourt.co.uk