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3 Top Tips to Plan for a Comfortable and Fulfilling Retirement

It doesn’t matter what age you are, at some stage you’re going to need to start thinking about how your life’s going to look when it comes time for you to retire from work – and the years beyond. Everyone’s circumstances are different, but whether you plan on living a life of luxury, or are content to just live modestly in your later years, it will pay to have at least some kind of a plan in place.
Here are three things you should consider.

Pay Attention to your Biggest Asset

No, it’s not your car and not even your house; your most important and valuable asset is your health. No amount of money or material wealth can compensate for bad health, and if you don’t take care of your body it won’t serve you well in your retirement. You should be making a lifelong commitment to your health, whatever your age, because neglecting it will cost you dearly – not only in medical expenses, but also the physical lifestyle you’ll be able to maintain. Join that gym, take that walk, make healthy eating choices and ensure you have regular dental and medical check-ups – in a nutshell, just respect your body for the wonderful machine it is and never take your good health for granted. Put simply your health is your wealth!

Get your Pension Plans in Order

While words like pension drawdown, annuity and tax certainly don’t roll off the tongue with the greatest of pleasure, making financial plans for how you’re going to survive when you come to the end of your working life is vital. Don’t be tempted to put organising and managing your pension plans in the ‘too hard basket’, and even if you think you might have left things too late, take heart in the fact that it’s never too late to improve on what you’ve got. The best advice is to engage a good independent financial advisor who’ll be able to advise you on the best wealth growing and pension set up for your individual situation. They may suggest things like a pension drawdown or an annuity to give you an income, they’ll be able to ensure you remain compliant in terms of your tax, and they’ll give you expert, tailored advice in order to give you the best possible life after you leave the workforce. Remember, just because you’ve never heard of a pension drawdown so far, it doesn’t mean it can’t be in your future!

Think About Life Outside Work

In the hustle and bustle of our busy lives it’s all too easy to get bogged down in stress as we focus on work, work, work. Of course, in most cases it’s absolutely necessary to put in the hard yards in order to earn the big bucks so you can actually plan for that comfortable retirement, but it’s just as important to remember what really matters in life. If you make a commitment to maintain a sensible and fulfilling life/work balance, everyone (not just you) will reap the benefits. Factor in quality time with your family, get out into nature as much as you can, and give back to your community on whatever scale you feel comfortable with – whether it’s volunteering or financial support.

Live a Balanced Life

When most people think of retirement planning, they think of the financial aspects, however it’s also extremely important to consider your physical, emotional and spiritual needs once you leave the workforce. It’s all about the balance…

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Claire Novakovic is the go-to expert for those who need advice on pension drawdown and other related issues. As a Chartered Financial Advisor, she also holds the relevant FCA permissions to conduct pension transfer business including defined benefit schemes. Accudo Investments offers comprehensive independent financial advice tailored to each individual’s needs, using effective portfolio management and tax strategies to meet the needs identified.

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Lucky in Leeds: How the Council are Helping the Haulage Industry

Leeds City Council is making moves to help out those working in the haulage industry by re-working a few regulations and encouraging governmental support. To begin with, the fee for non-Euro-6 HGV’s entering the city’s Clean Air Zone is being reduced from £100 to £50. Drivers will welcome the chance to save a bit of cash and make their haulage jobs in the area more profitable and this reduction in fees is the first of several suggested changes. Read on for more.
Long-awaited Support

As well as reducing the fee, the council plans to scale back the charging zone boundary. This will mean less of an economic impact on the businesses using the routes, with a little more leeway to travel free of charge. They are also suggesting that drivers should only be charged once per day, no matter how many CAZ’s they enter while carrying out their haulage jobs. This policy is being pushed on a national level and, again, the economic impact for companies will be significantly reduced if successful.

In addition, the local council is calling on the government to aid haulage businesses in other ways. Both retrofit accreditation and manufacturing funding have been suggested as ways to increase the number of low-emission vehicles being approved and available for local haulage companies. The impact of this could be huge, particularly if the idea spreads to other large cities with similar volumes of traffic.

Doing Their Bit

The Leeds City Council has not stopped there. They have recently introduced a few strategies for their own fleet, with the view to further lowering harmful emissions (clearly they can’t get enough of being eco-friendly). Already they have one of the largest local authority fleets of ‘green’ vehicles, but have promised to buy a further 200 electric vans by the year 2020. This action could also encourage other fleet owners to follow suit and invest in electric or alternative fuel vehicles.

The council has also appealed to have a refuelling station built for HGV drivers to use, where alternative fuels including CNG, LNG and (eventually) hydrogen will be available to purchase. Having more refuelling stations will increase the number of haulage jobs that can be completed using low-emission vehicles, since drivers will not have to limit themselves quite as much to the proximity of fuel stations.

Will This Be Enough?

The industry holds out hope for a positive response from the government regarding these potential changes as they have the potential to dramatically reduce not only harmful emissions, but overheads for haulage companies as well. It may seem expensive to finance the development of fuel stations, for example, but in the long run, having a more eco-friendly delivery industry will benefit everyone in the wider community.

In a world where more and more businesses are using more and more resources, any success in reducing emissions and creating a ‘greener’ transport industry should be greatly encouraged. In the future, with more initiatives like these ones, haulage jobs could end up being completely eco-friendly – and that’s certainly something to be celebrated!

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Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage jobs with available drivers. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.

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8 Valuable Tips to Plan for a Springtime House Move!

You’ve recently planned to shift from Kolkata with the packers and movers in Kolkata and are planning to host a housewarming party in your newly purchased Delhi home. You’re looking forward to celebrating the function next month with the onset of springtime because for you this season is full of joy and brings with it a different vibe and positivity! Well, that’s a great idea but are you prepared for it? Do you know what all it takes to make a successful springtime move? Just in case you don’t, then we’re sure you won’t regret going through this write-up.
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We all know why more and more people prefer moving in the months of March, April, and May! Although the summer heat comes to surprise you occasionally but generally, the temperature and climate during these few months remain memorable – there is fresh air around, greenery is spread all over, and everything seems clean and beautiful! People go out, travel, and celebrate. Since house moves are one such fortunate and happy event, the world sees a lot of household relocations happening during this phase of the year.

Since you are also in the same shoes and gearing up for your next springtime house move, do check out the tips shared below:

1. Prepare for the move in advance – With moves and move planning, there is a solid principle that works irrespective of any other factor. It is your decision-making and presence of mind. The more spontaneous and swift you are, the better your move would turn out to be. Since springtime moves often call uninvited guests like rains and jammed roads, it is better to finalize your moving date with the professionals as early as possible, because companies charge hefty prices owing to high demand. So, a quick move might save you good money.

2. Plan your moving finances well – As mentioned in the first point, the months between March to June is not just the favorite season for customers to plan their moves but for the moving companies too, because they see significant funds coming into their business. Springtime moves are highly expensive and you might have to pay double the price you would have paid them in the winter months. So, budgeting wisely becomes extremely important at this point. But do that only when after discussing with the movers.

3. Book your slot with moving experts – When it is time to lock a moving plan with the moving company, be watchful of the quoted price. We would recommend you to collect as many moving quotes as you can so to decide which moving company would make a sensible choice. Negotiate with the experts to get a better deal for your move. Take your time to review every moving clause mentioned on the agreement papers so you do not end up committing any mistake and make an informed choice.

4. Be ready for the odd, outer-setting – Since you have planned a springtime move, you might also be aware that the weather that looks so refreshing and beautiful, also makes you witness terror (in terms of the health hazards spring season brings when it gets fused with rains and dust). So, you should be prepared well in advance and keep a close note of the climate with the weather forecasts. There would be sudden showers and then dust blowing away, bringing with them all unwanted pollen. So, be wary of all that.

5. Seek needful precautions on time – Moves can never be complete if you do not have the essentials with you and when you are moving in the springtime, carrying the needful medications and taking care of some health measures becomes extremely important. If you have elderly members or children, keep the medicines for cold, cough, fever, an infection caused due by dust and dirt, and sudden weather changes so that everyone including you reaches the destination fit and fine.

6. Do not rush but take things easy – Like every household moves calls for extraordinary packing and preparations, there are certain things that should be given utmost attention when you are dealing with a spring season move. Amidst all the packing and moving chaos, do not forget to plan for the upcoming housewarming function you are organizing. You have to keep working on that idea until the final day. Just make sure you do not miss out to take care of yourself all through this because often when we hurriedly try to do things for the sake of it, we end up ruining it.

7. Opt for weather-proof packaging – The moving experts need no special guidance because they know their job well. Just make it clear that you have opted for water-proof packing services for your belongings because it is not a matter of surviving a few hours but the extensively long period in the transit, which makes quality packing and protection even more essential for the move. So, invest in that and ask the movers to take care of your possessions in the best way so they remain safe from rains and season pollens.

8. Enjoy every bit of the moving process – After deliberating for long in the planning and conducting springtime moves, it becomes even more essential to enjoy the process. There is no point in worrying about things because that is not going to solve your problem. So, do not forget to experience the moment and find out joys in those times because everything happens for a reason and everything has something in it that makes you cherish it forever. So, make memories, click pictures of your old home, say goodbye to your friends, and look forward to entering a new world, a new life in the new city!

Springtime moves do not just sound right but they really are a different kind of experience altogether. Yes, they too come with hassle and struggles because house moves have forever been like that, but that does not mean you need no preparation and planning to pull it off. The first thing you need to do is book the movers and packers in Kolkata, and secondly, go by the ideas shared above.

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