Today we're exploring a topic that's not only timely, given the impending financial year-end, but also incredibly valuable—accessing free money for investing and securing your financial future. Yes, you heard it right, free money! Learn how to utilize the U.K.'s tax system to your advantage and make your investing as efficient as possible.

I've got our investment coach, Peter Deane with me who has experience with these tax incentives and also advises our clients on how to leverage them in an efficient way.

As investors, our aim is to maximize our financial security through compounded growth. One effective way to achieve this is by tapping into the free money available via tax incentives.

This is a final opportunity to check for any gaps in your National Insurance record, and if so top up your contributions to prevent a shortfall of State Pension. Normally, you can buy back up to six years, but when the new State Pension was introduced, arrangements were put in place to go back as far as 2006. The deadline for checking back to 2006 is 5th April 2025.

You should check your position as soon as possible if you think this may apply to you. You can start by checking your National Insurance record which will show you whether you have full year’s contributions from 2006 and identify any years that are not full. To do this, follow this link [Check your National Insurance record - GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record) .

Next, visit the State Pension forecast calculator [Check your State Pension forecast - GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension) which will tell you how much State Pension you stand to receive based on your current National Insurance record, and a forecast of how much State Pension you are likely to get if you work up to State Pension age. The full amount of State Pension is £221.20 per week and if this is not the amount showing, you may be able to boost your contributions to get to the full amount.

If you identify a shortfall, you can make additional contributions to cover the gap. However, you should talk this through as whilst topping up is beneficial in most cases, there will be individuals for whom this is not appropriate. Phone lines are set up for people who are not yet at state pension age [Contact the Future Pension Centre - GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/future-pension-centre)

Remember, a full State Pension can be a valuable part of planning for retirement and is worth approximately £300,000 in today’s terms.

Thank you for joining us today, and a special thanks to Peter Deane for his insights. Until next time, stay informed and make the most of what’s available to you.

Thousands have learnt via our Investment Academy - learn more here:

https://investlikeapro.co.uk/academy

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In this episode, we delve into the crucial role of mindset in becoming a successful investor.

I chat with Peter Dean, a seasoned investor and coach in my Investment Academy, about what sets top investors apart.

Have you ever wondered how to think like a successful investor? Are you curious to understand the psychological barriers that might be holding you back? Peter shares his insights on maintaining a rational mindset, avoiding emotional pitfalls, and the importance of long-term thinking.

Don't miss out on these invaluable tips to secure your financial future!

Thousands have learnt via our Investment Academy - learn more here:

https://investlikeapro.co.uk/academy

More on InvestLikeAPro:

https://investlikeapro.co.uk/

Follow me on Facebook for regular investment insights:

https://www.facebook.com/manish.kataria.7758

Connect with me on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manishkcfa/

IMPORTANT: Your Capital is at Risk. Investments may not be covered by the FSCS. This is NOT investment advice - for information purposes only. Please seek advice from a regulated advisor before investing. The value of investments can fall as well as rise - don't rely on past performance.

Listen to my article in an interview format. It’s surprisingly good with Ai converting my article into an engaging conversation between two of my "friends".

Some investors may think investing in the S&P 500 is enough. But the increasing weighting of tech stocks within the US market could expose you to more risk than expected.

This episode explores exciting alternative investments that help you further diversify. Including REITs for income, dividend stocks for stability, gold and bonds for protection, and ETFs for global growth.

The best part?

Many of these are set-and-forget investments—no constant monitoring needed.

In this episode, hear about simple, set-and-forget strategies that can help you:

✅ Reduce risk with global diversification

✅ Earn steady income through REITs, dividends & options

✅ Protect your portfolio with gold and bonds

✅ Capture high-growth opportunities in emerging markets & thematic ETFs

No need to watch the markets 24/7—just smart, balanced investing that works for you.

Gold article and video mentioned in the episode: https://investlikeapro.co.uk/blog/gold

The Traitors was a hit show for the BBC.

But did you know The Traitors teaches us important investment lessons? Like, how to outsmart the investment industry.

I wrote an article to highlight those lessons. In this podcast episode, two of my (Ai !) friends sat down to discuss my article. It's surprisingly engaging - and totally true to what i wrote!

Enjoy, and drop a follow and review. I'd love to know what you thought of the episode.

Links mentioned in the episode: https://investlikeapro.co.uk/academy

In this episode, I detail the essentials of constructing a well-balanced portfolio for options investing and income.

Ever wondered how to identify great stocks and ETFs? I break down the four key attributes professionals use to spot high-quality companies: quality, value, growth, and momentum.

Have you experienced the struggle of finding stocks with these attributes?

Join me as I share a framework for stock selection, discuss screening tools, and explore strategies to ensure consistent income through dividends and options.

00:00 Introduction to Balanced Portfolios

00:15 Four Key Attributes of Good Stocks

01:26 Deep Dive into Quality

02:14 Understanding Value

03:07 Growth Characteristics

03:39 Momentum Explained

04:09 Screening for Quality Stocks

05:44 Dividend Yields and Payout Ratios

07:22 Qualitative Factors in Stock Selection

08:15 Building a Smart Portfolio

09:21 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Thousands have learnt via our Investment Academy - learn more here:

https://investlikeapro.co.uk/academy

More on InvestLikeAPro:

https://investlikeapro.co.uk/

Follow me on Facebook for regular investment insights:

https://www.facebook.com/manish.kataria.7758

Connect with me on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manishkcfa/

IMPORTANT: Your Capital is at Risk. Investments may not be covered by the FSCS. This is NOT investment advice - for information purposes only. Please seek advice from a regulated advisor before investing. The value of investments can fall as well as rise - don't rely on past performance.

In this episode I share how I manage my own Options portfolio.

Images referred to in the episode are at: https://investlikeapro.co.uk/podcast/options-delta

Learn how to generate continuous income, use diversified options portfolios, and apply advanced strategies like the options wheel, credit spreads, and using margin to enhance returns while managing risk effectively.

Thousands have learnt via our Investment Academy - learn more here:

https://investlikeapro.co.uk/academy

More on InvestLikeAPro:

https://investlikeapro.co.uk/

Follow me on Facebook for regular investment insights:

https://www.facebook.com/manish.kataria.7758

Connect with me on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manishkcfa/

IMPORTANT: Your Capital is at Risk. Investments may not be covered by the FSCS. This is NOT investment advice - for information purposes only. Please seek advice from a regulated advisor before investing. The value of investments can fall as well as rise - don't rely on past performance.

In this episode, I sit down with Kevin Whelan, founder of Wealth Builders, to explore essential strategies for achieving financial independence.

Here is the link for the free resources mentioned: https://wealthbuilders.co.uk/investlikeapro

We discuss why it's crucial to take control of your financial future, the benefits of SAS pensions, and practical steps to safeguard your assets. Kevin delves into the often overlooked Gift out of Income rule for inheritance tax, and we discuss the importance of consolidating pensions.

Whether you're looking to build wealth, protect your family’s future, or gain financial freedom, this conversation is filled with actionable insights.

Thousands have learnt via our Investment Academy - learn more here:

https://investlikeapro.co.uk/academy

More on InvestLikeAPro:

https://investlikeapro.co.uk/

Follow me on Facebook for regular investment insights:

https://www.facebook.com/manish.kataria.7758

Connect with me on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manishkcfa/

IMPORTANT: Your Capital is at Risk. Investments may not be covered by the FSCS. This is NOT investment advice - for information purposes only. Please seek advice from a regulated advisor before investing. The value of investments can fall as well as rise - don't rely on past performance.

I stumbled upon a new Ai tool that converts text-to-voice (thanks to one of my Investment academy grads).

The resulting conversation blew my mind - have a listen !!

Have a play around with it yourself here: https://notebooklm.google.com/

Just enter any text (eg one of your emails, an article, or even just a brief story about your day). Then wait for it to do its magic!