Acumen Financial

@ChezBruce @RachelReevesMP is under qualified, overpaid and out of her depth the country deserves someone who actually understands business to drive growth and reverse unemployment of the young

@MartinSLewis PTSD? Possible claim for ill health early retirement. He needs to register with a GP and being of NFA ( no fixed abode) will NOT prevent this. Then he needs to be assessed to provide evidence that he is permanently unable to work. We have done this for clients - it is possible.

Just had one of those somewhat depressing reminders of the capriciousness of life. It's absolutely pouring, and I stopped to chat to a homeless chap (who'll remain anonymous), I often pass on my way to work, chat with and help out. He had a friend with him, also homeless, and when he realised it was me, wanted to ask a question... to be honest I wasn't expecting it to be about pension tracing. Turned out he was an ex-soldier, been on the streets a few years, but had lots of jobs in the past, and lots of pensions, including some final salary. We went through how to trace them and how to get help and he took notes. I asked his age, and was disappointed to find he was only 48, so still far away from being able to get succour from the money that is hopefully in those pensions. He was happy though, to know there was a way to find the money he had sitting somewhere. I've been thinking about it since. In a way he has money, but no money and no home. He served our country but now sits huddled under the overhang of a street to keep a bit drier. We discussed shelters and charities that could help, but he was resistant, he didn't like the pressure or mixing in that way. There is no denouement to this post. No stark moral message. I just thought it worth noting.

The scrapping of an Eton-backed free sixth form in Middlesbrough tells us more about Labour than any manifesto ever could. A project designed to educate the brightest children from one of the poorest parts of the country was not stopped because it failed, cost too much, or lacked need. It was stopped because it threatened to succeed. And success, when it cannot be controlled, is intolerable to this government. This was not a fee-paying outpost or a vanity scheme. It was a free school, approved under the last government, partnered with a proven academy trust, aimed squarely at deprived pupils with high academic ability. The offer was simple: take children who show promise and give them an education equal to the best in the country. That should have been uncontroversial. Instead it triggered hostility, suspicion, and finally cancellation. Not because of what it would have done, but because of what it symbolised. The real offence was a four-letter word: Eton College. That name short-circuited reason. Local Labour figures spoke of "elitism" while opposing a free school for poor children. Ministers talked about surplus places and SEND funding while quietly abandoning a project already designed to address a regional attainment gap that everyone admits exists. None of it holds up. The explanations came after the decision, not before it. Look at the facts Labour prefers not to dwell on. The North East lags badly behind London on A-level results and university entry. That gap has widened, not narrowed. This school was explicitly designed to deal with the A-level drop-off that has trapped bright pupils in the region for years. Its location was central, its funding secure, its academic model tested. Scrapping it did nothing to help SEND pupils and nothing to raise standards elsewhere. It simply removed an option that would have worked. What happened in Middlesbrough fits a pattern we have already seen. When schools succeed by insisting on discipline, knowledge, and high expectations, the response from Labour is not curiosity but suspicion. Not imitation but obstruction. Katharine Birbalsingh and Michaela showed what happens when deprived children are taken seriously. Instead of being celebrated, that success is treated as a problem to be managed. The lesson is the same here: excellence outside the approved model must be neutralised. The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, claims the money could be better spent elsewhere. That argument collapses on contact with reality. Identical Eton-Star colleges have been approved in other Labour-run areas. The money exists. The model is acceptable. What differed in Middlesbrough was not need, but politics. Local ideological resistance was indulged, and bright children paid the price. This is the quiet cruelty of modern Labour education policy. It speaks endlessly about disadvantage while dismantling the very ladders that allow people to climb out of it. It treats aspiration as a threat and excellence as exclusion. It would rather keep everyone inside a failing system than allow some to rise beyond it, because rising exposes the lie that background is destiny. We are told this is about fairness. It is not. Fairness would mean expanding opportunity wherever it appears. What Labour practices instead is levelling by denial. If not everyone can have something, no one should. If a school might allow working-class children to outperform expectations, it must be stopped in case it embarrasses the system. Middlesbrough did not lose a school. It lost permission to excel. A message was sent to its brightest children: know your place. That is not compassion. It is control. And until Labour grasps the difference, it will keep dressing envy up as justice and calling restraint care. Ministers will feel nothing. Children will pay the price. "Bridget Phillipson, claims the money could be better spent elsewhere. That argument collapses on contact with reality."

Shocked and appalled by the amount of comments labeling farmers as 'tax dodgers', and that they should 'sell up' for the UK to import all of its food. UK farmers pay Tax similarly to other businesses and individuals, covering income Tax, National insurance, Corporation Tax (if operating as a company), Capital Gains Tax, and VAT (if applicable). The main distinctions are in targeted reliefs, especially for Inheritance Tax (IHT), which helps to support the agricultural sector as a whole by allowing the transfer of farms for the next generation to work. If a farm is sold, Capital Gains Tax has to be paid on any realised profits. In 2024 the Agricultural industry contributed £14.5 billion to the economy and employed 452,900 tax paying workers. So farmers absolutely do pay taxes (and have done for hundreds of years), while currently providing 62% of all food consumed in the UK. What an honourable vocation. Thank you, Farmers. 🇬🇧

@dontdelay It might be possible to return tax free cash under the cancellation rights stemming from 2015 if it was the first move into drawdown. Worth checking with the provider.

If anyone took tax free cash from their pension and now regrets it You might be thinking how you can contribute it back into your pension So let me introduce you to the recycling rules gov.uk/hmrc-internal-…

I think we’re at the point where the definition of ‘working people’ has narrowed down to ‘Toolmakers and their children’

A UK Labour Party politician dies... While walking down the street one day a Member of Parliament is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance. 'Welcome to heaven,' says St. Peter. 'Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you.' 'No problem, just let me in,' says the man. 'Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher  up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then  you can choose where to spend eternity.' 'Really, I've made up my mind.  I want to be in heaven,' says the MP. 'I'm sorry, but we have our rules.' And with  that, St. Peter escorts him to the  elevator and he went down, down, down  to hell. The doors open and he found himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other  politicians who had worked with him. Everyone is very happy and dressed in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the  people. They played a friendly game of golf and then dined on lobster, caviar and champagne Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly & nice guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes.They are having such a good time that before he realizes it's time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and wave whilst the elevator rises.... The elevator rises and the door opens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him. 'Now it's time to visit heaven. 24 hours pass with the MP joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing.  They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns. 'Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. now choose your eternity.' The MP reflects for a minute, then he answers: 'Well, I would never have said it  before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.' So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. When the doors open he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above. The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder. ' I don't understand,' stammers the  MP. 'Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable.   What happened? The devil looks at him, smiles and says, 'Yesterday we were campaigning - Today you voted, now you know how the UK people feel’.

@MartinSLewis No, don’t do it. Your reputation is worth more than the revenue you’d get plus how would you feel if the ads were scams or just legit but from companies you could never endorse? Remember how certain “celebs” advertised debt consolidation loans ( aka loan sharks)?

Today’s Poll: Should I take X’s ad money & give it to charity, or steer clear? My X dashboard has offered me a revenue share for ads it puts among replies to my post (ie it already does that now, only difference is it'd split some revenue). As I 'don't do ads' plus as some X ads are scams, which I campaign against, I was going to ignore. Yet then thought its doing it anyway, the money is there, should I take it and donate it all to (a possibly anti-scam) charity or does that still cross the line. I doubt this is substantial revenue (I've no clue), but would be interested in your views, by vote & reply.

Former @LBVmagazine Apprentice of the Year winner does it again! Young achiever award for Acumen's Daniel Frampton - @ lancashirebusinessview.co.uk/latest-news-an…

@boxedoffcomms @angela_acumen We are very lucky to have such a great team and Daniel is one of our #financialplanning and #investments #star #financialadvisers

Young Achiever Award for Acumen's Daniel Frampton | TheBusinessDesk.com thebusinessdesk.com/northwest/your… @AcumenF @angela_acumen #award #finance #insurance #Lancashire

Financial advisory firm Acumen hires former soldier @LBNDaily lbndaily.co.uk/financial-advi… @AcumenF thanks @tonymc39 #finance #business #boxedoff

Growth sparks appointment and promotion at Acumen - @ lancashirebusinessview.co.uk/latest-news-an… #boxedoff @AcumenF

@ScottishWidows Did that but you say you can’t find him! Terrible #financialservices #CustomerExperience #pension #investments

@AcumenF Please can you DM us the policyholders name, date of birth and postcode so we can look into this for you. Please do not include policy numbers or PIN codes as messages are stored at both ends. Regards, Jenny

Shout out to @ScottishWidows no one there is listening!😡 We have tried to release funds from a client’s Trustee Investment Plan #Pension since 20th Nov. Phoned each week -no result. You promised a CHAPS payment- zilch. Complained - you ignored us. Diabolical #CustomerService

Customer care at its absolute worst. Complaints department won’t return our call and staff offer sympathy, agree client has been treated abominably but can do nothing to push this payment through or take this higher than he has. Shameful.

@ScottishWidows Blaming the company you outsource to doesn’t help us or our client - there has to be a way to resolve this.

@ScottishWidows Done

@ScottishWidows Will do.

@IndiMackay1981 @davidelam871e @GBNEWS Not true. If you have enough income, you will be liable for tax.

@davidelam871e @GBNEWS Only if you are in full time education/apprenticeship do you not have to pay tax.

Luke Littler set to lose £83,000 in crushing tax blow after World Darts Championship final defeat gbnews.com/sport/other-sp…