Team News: Autumn is here!
Autumn is upon us! The best time of year is when those autumnal colours start appearing, you start ramping up the heating (the biggest source of arguments in my household) and enjoying pumpkin spice lattes...
Market Review September 2019
There was a good feeling sweeping through the equity markets in September as most of the major indices returned positive numbers. There were no spectacular rises – Japan and South Korea led the way as both markets gained 5% in the month, and a couple of markets barely moved at all, but the news was overwhelmingly positive...
Inheritance Tax
Will you be one of the thousands of households in Britain that will have to pay Inheritance Tax? What’s the best way to avoid it? If you’re administering an estate because someone has died, how do you obtain probate? Is it ever possible to retrospectively minimise an estate’s tax liabilities?
Pension Scammers
Don’t let scammers enjoy your hard-earned pension proceeds. Anyone can be the victim of a pension scam, no matter how savvy they think they are. It’s important that everyone can spot the warning signs...
Vizion Wealth Announces the Appointment of James Blackham as Partner
Vizion Wealth are pleased to announce the promotion of James Blackham to the position of Partner within the firm. James originally joined Vizion Wealth from university as an Economics graduate and during his time at Vizion Wealth he has progressed through a wide range of roles as an IFA administrator, paraplanner, investment manager and now as a fully qualified and experienced independent financial adviser.
Market Review August 2019
August is usually quite a quiet month; stuck in the middle of the period that journalists often call “silly season” - a quiet period when there isn’t much to report so there’s more coverage of lighter, perhaps more frivolous stories. Not this year...
Team News: Stepping into Autumn
Stepping into Autumn, the Vizion Wealth team are as busy as ever. As well as preparing for our client meetings and keeping an eye on the markets; we’ve had a new addition to the team, an exam pass, and a new partner of the firm on board!
What’s Your Magic Number?
Retiring is a huge life event. And the very concept of retirement is changing with phased retirement becoming more common. The way we access our pension is now a lot more flexible, and it’s no secret that in the UK we’re living longer than ever before which means we need to make the right choices...
Smart Investments
Investors looking for tax-efficient ways to build a nest egg for retirement often look to both Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) we should link this to a Stocks & Shares ISA not a Cash ISAand pensions. Tax-efficiency is a key consideration when investing because it can make a considerable difference to your wealth and quality of life...
Taxing Times
Making sure you use up any allowances you are entitled to is the first step to reducing the amount of tax you may be liable to pay.We’ve provided our ‘Top 5’ list of planning areas to consider before 5 April 2020, the end of the 2019/20 tax year. The rates given are correct for the 2019/20 tax year.
Market Review July 2019
After an exceptionally strong start to the year, financial markets paused for breath in July, with most asset classes delivering muted returns. The Federal Reserve (the Fed) lowered US interest rates for the first time in 11 years, and the European Central Bank (ECB) gave strong hints that an easing package is on the way...
Protecting What Matters
If something should happen to you, the last thing you want is for you or your family to be worrying about money. One of the most important aspects of your financial planning strategy should be to ensure that you’ve made provisions for your family and any dependants in the event of a serious illness, injury, bening unable to work or an untimely death...
Market Review June 2019
During June, we have seen much stronger than expected employment numbers in the US, and positive industrial production data from Europe, signalling that the global economy is perhaps in better health than suggested by the negative long-term bond yields in many parts of the western world...
June Antics in the VW Office – Glasto, Isle of Wight, City Breaks & More
In June, the Vizion Wealth team (and I’m sure everybody else in the country) had a chance to appreciate the miraculous sunshine we’ve had over the last few weeks! We have all been working very hard and some of the team also had the chance to enjoy some time out of the office. Thanks to the Vizion Wealth partners, the highlight was spending a team building day at Alton Towers! I must say, I think we were all most impressed by the Smiler rollercoaster (apart from Corinne who suffered one minor incident after the ride).
Lifetime Allowance
An estimated 1.25 million people are set to breach the current lifetime allowance (LTA) limit of £1.055 million for pension tax relief over the course of their working life, according to new research published...
State Pension Deferral
A significant number of people working past the State Pension age could be paying unnecessary tax on their State Pension, according to new research [1]. This is because they failed to take up the option of deferring their State Pension until they stopped work. As a result, their entire State Pensionis being taxed, in some cases at 40%.
Market Review May 2019
For much of this year, equity markets have enjoyed a healthy climb, assisted by a dovish tone from central banks, as well as the possibility of a trade deal between the US and China. As we entered May, the S&P 500 was at an all-time high. However, just six days into the month, investors were tested by the announcement that the US would be moving ahead with tariff increases on US imports from China...
Team News: Working Hard and Playing Hard…
As you know from last month’s blog, our advisers Andrew and James went cycling around France to help raise money for the Milton Keynes Rugby Club and the Aspire charity. I am pleased (and surprised) to report there were no injuries, and everything went smoothly. Even though they found it hard work, the team mentality and group spirit got them through the days, and they were able to reward themselves with a few beers and glasses of wine on the way...
Building a Diverse Portfolio
Making sense of today’s market headwinds and building a diverse portfolio should be key priorities for all investors. Whether you have a lump sum to invest or want to invest regularly each month, it’s important to know your money is working hard for you...
Breaking Up is Hard to Do
Divorce is undoubtedly one of the most difficult subjects to talk about. When relationships come to an end, there are so many things to consider – children, home and support are naturally the first things you would focus on. In fact, when you begin the process of separating a shared life, the sheer number of things to deal with can seem very daunting...