Working for yourself means the financial basics are yours to organise — no employer sets up a pension, arranges income protection, or nudges you about a will. These pages explain, in plain English, what each of those areas involves for startups, so you can decide what (if anything) you want to look into, and get regulated advice if you choose to.
Financial guidance for startups
Financial planning for startups, explained.
Pensions, protection, mortgages, wills and estate planning — the financial basics startups need to understand, in plain English. This is general information, not advice, with a way to get regulated advice if and when you want it.
Why the basics matter
The money admin no one sets up for you
Where to get regulated advice
Only a firm authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority can give you regulated financial advice. You can find one on the FCA register. Buzz has an introducer agreement with Equity & General (E&G), authorised and regulated by the FCA (No. 474163); if you'd like, we can introduce you — it's optional, and there's no obligation.
The topics, explained
Plain-English guides to each area
- Pensions & retirement
- A pension you actually understand, and the tax-efficient ways for startups to fund it — from an adviser, not a call centre.
- Investments & tax-efficient saving
- ISAs, investments and a plan for your money that fits your goals and your tax position — reviewed as life changes.
- Protection
- Life cover, critical illness and income protection — because startups rarely get sick pay, and the people who depend on you deserve a plan.
- Mortgages
- Advisers who understand self-employed and director income — the accounts lenders ask for are the accounts we already prepare.
- Wills & estate planning
- Wills, trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney and inheritance-tax planning — so what you build passes on the way you intend.
- Business & family protection
- Key-person and shareholder protection, relevant life cover and succession planning — protecting the business and the family behind it.
How to get regulated advice
If and when you want it
- 1Understand the basics
These guides explain, in plain English, what each area involves — so you know the questions worth asking.
- 2Find an authorised adviser
Regulated advice can only come from an FCA-authorised firm. You can search the FCA register, or ask us for an introduction to Equity & General, the firm we have an introducer agreement with.
- 3No obligation
Any introduction is optional and free. If you go on to take advice, the adviser explains any fees before anything goes ahead — you're never committed by reading these pages.
Common questions
Straight answers
Who can give me regulated financial advice?
Only a firm authorised by the FCA. Buzz is not authorised to give regulated advice; we have an introducer agreement with Equity & General (E&G), authorised and regulated by the FCA (No. 474163) and can introduce you if you'd like, with no obligation. You can also find an authorised firm on the FCA register.
Can the self-employed and directors get a mortgage?
Yes — the idea that you can't is a myth. The key is a lender that understands self-employed and director income, and usually up-to-date accounts. A regulated mortgage adviser can help, and the accounts we prepare are the figures they'll need.
Are wills and estate planning covered?
These pages cover the basics of wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, trusts and inheritance-tax planning. Will-writing and some estate-planning services are not FCA-regulated; if you want it arranged, we can introduce you to E&G's estate-planning specialists.
Does an introduction cost anything?
No — an introduction is free and optional. If you go on to take advice, the adviser explains any fees up front, before anything goes ahead.
General information only. This page explains a topic in general terms. It is not advice, a personal recommendation or a financial promotion, and it does not invite or encourage you to buy any product or service. Everyone's circumstances are different.
Regulated financial advice can only be given by a firm authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority — you can find one on the FCA register (register.fca.org.uk). Buzz Accounting is not authorised to give regulated financial advice. We have an introducer agreement with Equity & General (E&G), authorised and regulated by the FCA (No. 474163); if you would like, we can introduce you — that is entirely optional and there is no obligation.
The value of investments and any income from them can fall as well as rise, and you may get back less than you invested. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change. Will-writing, trusts and some estate-planning services are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
