Five things your clients will call you about this week

The struggle of finding a mortgage in your forties, families being split apart by inheritance tax disputes and fears around cash held outside the UK safety net...the things your clients will call you about this week.

Mortgages in your forties

Finding a mortgage gets harder in your forties, according to a piece in the Telegraph. The article flagged up concerns mortgage companies are "out of step" because they have refused to amend age-related criteria after the scrapping of the default retirement age.

Investors missing out

Another piece in the Telegraph details how investors have missed out on bumper stock market gains. The euro deal, it writes, has proved a "remarkable fillip" to equities with the FTSE 100 surging over the past couple of weeks. But with fund sales falling in September to their lowest levels since 2008, it appears private investors have missed out.

Family relations hit by financial storm

A sobering piece in the Independent has laid bare the negative impact of the economic slowdown on family relations. Disputes over inheritance tax are "threatening to tear friends and families apart", lawyers have warned. It says the stock market crash and housing slump has led to a 152% increase in the number of beneficiaries suing trustees for mismanagement.

Question marks over the JISA

The Independent also ran a piece on the Junior ISA. Whilst financial secretary to the Treasury Mark Hoban has said the JISA will boost the savings culture, the article says question marks remain over how effective the much-touted vehicle will be when it comes to saving for a child's future.

IFAs, whilst broadly welcoming its arrival, have stressed family members need to look at a broad range of solutions to meet the financial needs of children.

Bring your money home!

Meanwhile, an article in the Daily Mail says the eurozone crisis has raised fears about the security of cash held outside the UK safety net. Private savers in the UK are being warned to check their money is adequately spread to benefit from depositor protection schemes.