We need to talk about money!

March/April 2024

Indeed. It’s all very well making a flippant jovial comment “let’s just sell up and move here” but it quite another thing contemplating selling our beautiful home. Conversely we had already 90% decided to sell the small cottage we had in Pembrokeshire. The council decision to increase second home premiums council tax to 300% was crippling even for a tiny end of terrace cottage. So that was easy. Within a few weeks of getting home from Barbados, we were mobilised to get it ready for sale and actually had an offer very quickly. It’s surprising how easy it was to let it go. It’s been a place of sanctuary, peace and escape especially during the time of my mother’s demise and my grief. But then again maybe not so surprising…. Look what’s ahead of us.

So here’s a thing, we start thinking about how to transfer money internationally to pay the deposit on the Mill. In the past we have just used our UK current account (high street branch) to transfer funds but we are introduced to the concept of an international money broker by our Bajan attorney. Turns out you get much better rates and actually we have been ripped off for years. Using a broker for large sums can make a difference of thousands, even tens of thousands of pounds. Wendy and Marty Byrde should have told us.

So get us – we start obsessing about the exchange rate.