20 to 30 something's
At this stage of life, laying down the financial foundations for later decades is often the last thing on your mind. The importance of saving in the first decade of your working life can't be overstated.

A Mini cash ISA, for example, allows you to save up to £3,000 each tax year at rates generally higher than those of a typical savings account, and all interest on your savings is tax-free.
If you're willing to be more speculative, then you could opt for a stocks and shares Maxi ISA, which allows up to £7,000 to be invested in equities each year. Capital gains are tax-free and dividends are paid with a 10% tax credit until April 2004. Equity ISAs are clearly reliant on the performance of the stock market, but are considered one of the best ways to maximise your returns over the longer term. Saving a fixed amount on a regular basis will reduce your investment exposure and you can benefit from what is known as pound-cost averaging.
One of the most important things you need to consider is a pension. With a job for life now a thing of the past and the ability of the government to look after you in your retirement fading all the time, planning early pays off. The main reason for starting a pension straight away rather than delaying is the simple principle of compounding: money grows according to what you already have in your savings.

30 to 50 something's
This is when the crunch comes. You may be planning for children, moving up the property ladder, saving for or paying school fees and juggling with the costs of life in general. So, where do you begin? 
A good start is to consolidate your finances by sifting through loans, credit cards, investments and insurance policies and taking stock of what you have. Typically, the order of priorities for this age group is protection, pension planning and then investments.
The first consideration is life insurance. If you were to die without adequate life insurance cover, would your dependants suffer financially? We can make sure that you have the correct level of cover for your specific needs. This should then be followed by health insurance. Have you sufficient critical illness cover and income protection cover should you fall ill for an extended time? Do you require private medical insurance? Your employer may already offer you some of these benefits, but we can help you fill in any gaps. Alternatively, if you are self-employed, you should definitely protect yourself from the potential loss of income caused by a period of serious illness. Please talk to us if you have any concerns.
Pension provision will typically follow once you have made sure that you have a secure protection foundation. The earlier you start saving, the greater the nest egg at retirement. But how big a pension do you need to enable you to retire comfortably? We can show you what provision you should be making today to generate a fund sufficient to provide your desired level of income at retirement. Depending on your age, the Inland Revenue will limit the amount you can invest in your pension. It may be that your saving provision could now be linked to both a company and personal pension scheme. 
Your final consideration is long-term investing. Long-term investments can help you fill the gaps left by an inadequate pension. The options available to you are numerous and much will depend on your tax position, attitude to investment risk and current arrangements. We can assist you independently to implement the right investment strategy for your specific needs.

50-plus something's
If you've timed it right, your pension nest egg will be well on the way to coming up to its targeted maturity, your mortgage will be paid off and your children will be on their way into the working world and off your balance sheet. Unfortunately, if you have not planned sufficiently, you could be facing retirement with an income shortfall. If you are approaching retirement with only your state pension and a small pension fund, there are still steps you can take - but you should talk to us immediately. 
There's no escaping the fact that you will probably have to invest as much as you can afford to compensate for earlier inactivity. If you are in full-time employment, it's important to make sure you are a member of your employer's pension scheme right away. How much you can contribute will depend on the type of scheme. For example, if you are a member of your employer's occupational scheme the maximum you may normally contribute is 15% of your earnings. This will be inclusive of any contributions you are required to pay as a condition of membership of the scheme and any AVCs/FSAVCs. 

Also, don't neglect the possibilities of ISAs, which allow you to invest up to £7,000 tax-efficiently each tax year in cash, life insurance or equities within certain limits. Finally, if you are a homeowner, you could take advantage of the equity that you hold in your property by either releasing some of it or selling it and then downsizing to a smaller home to generate further income.