We all listened with interest to the Budget which did not throw too many nasty surprises although the Coalition Government’s announcements are significant.

At the weekend I took part in Race for Life. This is the UK’s largest women only fundraising event in order to raise money for Cancer Research.

There are some organisations that do it exceptionally well and others that do the polar opposite, so I have to say when I was mightily let down by the Automobile Association (AA) this week I was shocked and more than a little disappointed.

It has been over 20 years since I have had to burn the midnight oil to cram in last minute exam revision and experience the anxiety of knowing you’re not fully prepared for the onslaught of exams.

Savers have been dealt a crippling blow this week with the consumer price index (CPI) official measure of inflation leaping to 3.7% and the Retail Price Index (RPI) rose to a staggering 5.3%.

There’s nothing like the gut wrenching experience of seeing your child being prepared to go into an operating theatre to put the irritations and challenges of everyday life into perspective.

Last week I met with some potential clients who are yet to sort out their wills. The conversation led to what is an acceptable fee for will writing and it reminded me to share a word of caution with regard to free will writing offers.

Seeing the pain etched on the faces of last weekend’s London Marathon runners took me back several years to when I ran it but this time I had a totally different perspective – as a volunteer helping to reunite the young runners with parents at the finish line.

I am currently studying for my last few exams towards becoming a Chartered Financial Planner. This is the minimum standard for any adviser at Xentum and highlights the belief that our firm has in qualifications. The long hours of study will hopefully pay off but it has been tough, particularly when the sun is out!

Necessary evils are the bane of our lives and tax planning must be right at the top of many ‘to do lists’. Today, is the first day of the new tax year, so why not buck the trend and do your tax planning NOW rather than later.