Midlife Cycling, Workplace Generations and IHT
It would appear that sometime in January some of you stopped receiving these emails, and we can’t quite work out why. They’ve still been coming out every 2 weeks, so apologies if you have missed out. We’ve tried to fix the problem, but if you have previously unsubscribed and now have to again, please accept my apologies in advance. The tech is playing games with us, and it’s currently winning! If you’d like to catch up on any that you may have missed, you will find the archive here
As we battle with the heat of the British summer (not words that I have uttered often in my lifetime) spare a thought for 2 friends of mine. As I write, one is getting to the end of cycling from London to Edinburgh and back again, in 4 days - that’s about 250 miles per day, in this heat. The other is about to embark on cycling 1900 kilometres with 37,000m of climbing along the ‘Silk Road’ of Kyrgyzstan. It follows gravel, single track and old soviet roads that have long been forgotten and fallen into disrepair, very little tarmac, and I dare say some rather hot temperatures. No support, no beds to sleep in, just pure hard work.
Mike Hall once said, “nothing that’s worth anything is ever easy,” and these guys are certainly putting that to the test. Thinking of them certainly helps me sleep a little easier.
TRIBEathlon Podcast
There is no new episode of the TRIBEathlon podcast this week as we are currently having a break after series 3. As series 4 is due to launch in September, I had a look back at the last few episodes and realised that the amazing Mark Bryant is in the final days preparing to complete Ironman Cork - his first full Ironman.
Mark is a terminal cancer survivor who uses his healing journey to help inspire, educate and empower cancer patients on their own path to recovery. Since his terminal diagnosis 6 years ago, when he claimed on his own life insurance, Mark has been on an incredible journey of learning, recovery and, more recently, endurance sport when he completed a 1/2 Ironman distance triathlon that involved running up Snowdon. I am sure you will join me in wishing him luck and good fortune in his full Ironman race. If you didn’t listen to his TRIBEathlon episode, I suggest you give it a go as it is truly inspiring. You can find it here.
What I’ve Been Reading
The Midlife Cyclist: The Road Map for the +40 Rider Who Wants to Train Hard, Ride Fast and Stay Healthy by Phil Cavell is a brilliant book for anyone who, like me, can relate to the title.
Jam packed full of advice on the health implications and benefits of cycling long distances into midlife and beyond, as well as more practical advice on the bike itself. Sadly, it’s not available as an audiobook, but it’s so good, I actually ‘read’ it!
TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting
For the first time ever, we have five generations in the workplace at the same time, says entrepreneur Chip Conley in his TED talk ‘What baby boomers can learn from millennials at work -- and vice versa’. What would happen if we got intentional about how we all work together? In this accessible talk, Conley shows how age diversity makes companies stronger and calls for different generations to mentor each other at work, with wisdom flowing from old to young and young to old alike.
What I’ve Been Watching
Having not grown up with any interest in cycling, I find races like Paris–Roubaix somewhat of an enigma, so when The Midlife Cyclist book above mentioned a 1976 documentary called A Sunday in Hell about the race, I decided to investigate.
Paris–Roubaix is the most famous and usually the most dramatic of the spring classics. Much of the latter portion is over narrow, cobbled tracks that choke with dust on dry days and become slick and muddy in the rain. For the riders it is a challenge to keep going without puncturing or crashing. Seeing this chaotic, helmet free race unfold is both scary and fascinating. If you want to see what it is like to be a part of such a race, I suggest you give A Sunday in Hell a watch.
Quote of the Week
"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."
- Babe Ruth
Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering
Whilst only a proportion of people in the UK pay Inheritance Tax (IHT) when they die, HMRC continue to see year-on-year rises in IHT receipts, the latest being a rise of £0.1 billion from April to May 2022, when compared to this time last year.
Over the course of the last decade, IHT income has doubled from around £3 billion per year to approximately £6 billion per year. The increases in IHT are likely to do with the continuous rise in property prices over the years, however, it can also be attributed to the fact that the Nil Rate Band (NRB) has not been increased from £325,000 per person since 2009! If it had risen generally in line with property prices, then it would be at least £100,000 higher.
There are a lot of legitimate ways that you can reduce or eliminate your IHT bill, so if you would like help doing so for your family, please don’t hesitate to ask!
