Gerry Kelly - Independent Financial Adviser

Markets feel uneasy right now.

But they’ve felt like this before…and the evidence is pretty consistent…

Reacting is usually the mistake.

I’ve put together a short piece on why staying the course matters most when it feels hardest.

Worth a read if recent headlines have you questioning your plan 👇

https://open.substack.com/pub/gerardkellyfp/p/the-world-is-on-edge-your-financial?r=80k3w0&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=card

𝟔 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐔𝐊 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧.

In the weeks that followed the global stock market fell around 33-34%. Investors were understandably terrified, we were dealing with a once in 100 year pandemic that no one had experience of navigating.

Some allowed that fear to become their decision-maker, sold their investments and sat in cash waiting for things to feel safe again.

By the end of 2020 when things were far from feeling ‘safe’ the stock market finished the year around +16-18%. One of the fastest recoveries in modern history.

Today we have another blonde-haired wildcard driving up volatility in markets.

If markets fall significantly from here those same feelings will return, the urge to sell, the desire to wait, the voice telling you this time is different.

The cost of panic is almost always greater than the cost of patience.

𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒. 𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒.

It’s rarely about picking the perfect fund or timing the market.

It’s simple habits.

Stay invested.
Add regularly.
Don’t panic when markets wobble.

Nothing clever. Just consistency.

That’s usually what makes the difference.

I remember back in my Nationwide days meeting a woman who wanted get her cash working for her.

I learned that she had sold her investments in a panic in April 2020…

Markets by the time I met her were doing well and so she felt it was a great time to jump back in.

The damage was already done.

Yesterday's Budget finally arrived after months of speculation and "leaks".

While there were no major shocks, several changes will impact financial planning over the coming years.

Here's what matters:

> The Stealth Tax Continues - Tax thresholds frozen until 2030-31. As wages rise, more people get dragged into higher tax bands.

> Dividends & Savings -Dividend tax up 2% from April 2026 (basic & higher rates). Savings tax up 2% from April 2027. This affects Scottish residents too, as dividend tax isn't devolved.

> ISAs - Get Interesting From April 2027, under-65s can only put £12k into Cash ISAs (down from £20k). The remaining £8k must go into Stocks & Shares ISAs. Over-65s keep the full £20k Cash ISA option.

> Pensions - A Mixed Bag Good news: No changes to main allowances or income tax relief. Bad news: Salary sacrifice pension contributions capped at £2k from April 2029 (for NI relief purposes).
Important - direct employer contributions still fully exempt from NI.

> Inheritance Tax - All the rumours about extended gifting periods or new allowances? Just rumours. The 7-year rule stays. Nil-rate bands frozen until 2030-31.

The government strategy is clear: tax wealth and assets, not earned income. If you've got investments, rental properties, or business income, you'll feel this more than most.

As always, it's likely that more will emerge over the coming weeks. The key is understanding how these changes affect your specific situation.

“I’ve all these savings and pensions, but do I have ‘F**k You Money’…”

This client approached me for advice as he was getting to a stage in life where he was getting really fed up with work and felt he could pack in his job and retire at any minute.

The problem was...

He had gathered a number of pensions from various employers throughout the years, some final salary, others defined-contribution, and whilst he was happy he had them, he didn’t know how they pieced together as part of a plan.

He had no idea how much he could withdraw from them, and therefore, IF he could retire.

Did he have “enough” that he could leave and retire if work no longer suited him.

Among other things we discussed:

What he wanted in retirement
What a typical day would look like
How much he would need each month
How his lifestyle and therefore needs would change as he gets older

We put together a cashflow model based on the above and I proudly told him he has the “F**K You money” he was looking for.

We also calculated he does not need a significant portion of his current income to live the life he wants to lead now..

He therefore elected to fund his pension more aggressively in order to bulk up his retirement fund - making use of salary sacrifice to save tax and national insurance.

He left our meeting with greater clarity and is now far more confident in his future plans.

He was kind enough to write me the below testimonial!

I was absolutely delighted when this endorsement landed in my inbox.

Helping people get a clear picture of where they are and what to do next. Building a financial plan to match their goals is what it is all about!

Are You Working Harder Than Your Pension?

Most folk don't know that their pension might be silently drifting into lower-risk investments, well before they actually retire.

In fact, 90% of people are in their pension schemes default fund which may also include a "lifestyle strategy", (Investing Insiders).

This means your money starts being moved out of shares/equities (which are the engine for growth) and into things like bonds and cash as you get older. For some schemes, this starts 15 years before retirement!

At first glance this might make sense...

But here's the catch...

👉 Lower-risk investments usually mean lower returns
👉 If those returns don’t beat inflation, your money is losing value over time
👉 Retirement isn’t one day — your pension might need to last you 30 years or more

In years gone by retirees would effectively sell their pension pot to an insurance company in return for an income for life (known as an annuity)... So having greater certainty over how much was in the pension through low risk investments was sound.

But nowadays more and more retirees are opting to draw their income from their pension gradually (known as flexi-access drawdown).

This means your money likely needs to keep growing after you retire, not just before.

If your pension is playing it "safe" too soon, there could be a significant amount of growth left on the table.

✅ Things you can check today:
• Are you in your default fund?
• When does your pension start moving into lower-risk assets?
• Is your mix of investments right for your long-term goals?

📩 Not sure? I can help.
I’m an independent financial adviser — no jargon, no pressure. Just practical help to make sure your pension is working as hard as you are.

⚠️ Risk warnings:
- This post is for information purposes and does not constitute financial advice, which should be based on your individual circumstances.
- The value of pensions and any income from them can fall as well as rise. -- - You may not get back the full amount invested.
- Past performance is used as a guide only; it is no guarantee of future performance.
- Drawdown pension plans (unsecured income) are complex and are not suitable for everyone. Pension decisions can affect your income for the rest of your life (and that of any partner and other dependants).
- Where benefits are accessed on a flexible basis, these are not fixed or safeguarded for life. If security of income is important to you then you should consider purchasing an annuity or taking a scheme pension to provide a secured level of income.

Hi, I’m Gerry Kelly an Independent Financial Adviser based in Glasgow and Lanarkshire.

I help people make confident decisions with their money - whether that’s planning for retirement, managing investments, or getting a clearer view of their financial future.

I worked with Nationwide Building Society for just under 10 years before moving to Mattioli Woods, a national wealth management company. I then chose to join CC Financial — a boutique financial planning firm in the heart of Glasgow — as I felt I could better serve my clients as a truly independent adviser, with no ties to any third parties.

Sound advice at fair value. Financial planning tailored to you.

On this page, you’ll find:
📌 Straightforward tips on money and planning
💬 Answers to common financial questions
📊 Insights into how proper planning can create more freedom and less stress

No jargon. No sales pitch. Just useful information to help you take control of your finances.

Thanks for following — and feel free to reach out if there’s something you’d like to know more about.

“How much should I be saving into my pension?”

It’s one of the most common questions people ask me.
And it sounds like a numbers question, but really, it’s a lifestyle and more meaningful question:

“What kind of life do you want to live?”...

Here’s what the rules say:

✅ You can save up to £60,000 per year or 100% of UK earnings (if less than £60k)
✅ The Tapered Annual Allowance might apply for those earning over £200,000 per year, meaning your allowance may taper down to £10,000
✅ You can carry forward any unused allowance from the past 3 tax years to help catch up

But none of that matters without context.
The goal isn’t to max out allowances just because you can.
The goal is to build the life you want and make sure you’re saving enough to get there.

A good financial plan gives you:
💡 Clarity
🧭 Direction
🧘‍♂️ Confidence to live well... now and in the future

If you don’t know your number, or what enough looks like for you, that’s where we start.