Financial guidance for charities and social enterprises

Financial planning for your team and your cause, explained.

Workplace pensions, employee benefits, personal planning, wills and legacy giving — explained in plain English for people running charities and social enterprises. This is general information, not advice — with a route to regulated advice if and when you want it.

Why the basics matter

The money admin no one sets up for you

Running a charity or social enterprise comes with financial responsibilities for your team and for yourself — workplace pensions, benefits, your own retirement, wills and legacy giving. These pages explain, in plain English, what each area involves, so you know what to consider and where to get regulated advice if you choose to.

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

Workplace pensions & auto-enrolment: Set up and reviewed properly for your team — the right scheme, compliant contributions, and staff who understand it.
Group protection & benefits: Death-in-service, income protection and health benefits that help you attract and keep good people on a charity budget.
Personal financial planning: For you and your leadership — pensions, investments and retirement planning from a regulated adviser who gets the sector.
Wills & estate planning: Wills, trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney and inheritance-tax planning, so your own affairs are as well-run as your cause.
Legacy giving & gifts in wills: Gifts in wills are one of the sector's biggest income sources — we help you and your supporters make them work, tax-efficiently.
Reserves & investment support: Regulated guidance on investing reserves in line with your investment policy and trustees' duties.

How to get regulated advice

If and when you want it

1
Understand the basics
These guides explain, in plain English, what each area involves — so you know the questions worth asking.
2
Find 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.
3
No 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 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.

What do workplace pensions and benefits involve for a charity?

If you employ eligible staff you must auto-enrol them into a workplace pension and contribute at least 3% of qualifying earnings; group benefits (death-in-service, income protection, health) are optional extras. These pages explain the basics; a regulated adviser can advise on the right scheme.

How does legacy giving and gifts in wills work?

Gifts to charity in a will are exempt from inheritance tax, and leaving 10% or more of an estate to charity reduces the IHT rate on the rest. Will-writing and estate planning aren't FCA-regulated; E&G's specialists can help supporters arrange it.

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.

Buzz Financial Services calculators

Buzz Financial Services is a trading style of Equity & General Financial Services Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA 474163).

Online financial health check

Asks twenty-five questions across retirement, protection, savings, mortgage, estate and day-to-day money, then writes a report on where the gaps are.

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Pension gap calculator

Works out whether your pensions will cover the retirement income you want, and by how much they fall short.

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Inheritance tax calculator

Works out the inheritance tax on an estate as things stand, and which nil rate bands apply.

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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.

Financial planning for your team and your cause, explained.

The money admin no one sets up for you

Plain-English guides to each area

If and when you want it

Straight answers

Buzz Financial Services calculators

Online financial health check

Pension gap calculator

Inheritance tax calculator

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