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...
Retirement Income
‘Will I be able to afford the retirement lifestyle I want?’is a question that many people ask but struggle to figure out. There are many ways to assess your likely income in retirement and work out how much you need to put away now to enjoy the kind of lifestyle you want in later life...
Market Review April 2019
Markets continued to climb the proverbial wall of worry over April as the S&P 500 was back into record-setting mode, moving past its previous all-time high set back in October 2018...
Team News: Relaxing Breaks, the Inca Trail and Next Stop Ibiza…
May is now upon us, which means summer is around the corner! April was a busy and exciting month for the Vizion Wealth staff.Corinne and her husband, Howie, had a well-deserved and relaxing break up north. They visited Bamburgh in Northumberland and then went to visit Edinburgh for a few nights. They saw some beautiful sights in the Farne Islands including nesting Hardy Puffins, and even spotted some dolphins on the boat ride back...
Safeguarding your wealth for future generations!
Unforeseen life events and circumstances can potentially impact your finances in a number of ways. We can help you to safeguard your wealth for future generations. But for many of us, there can be a remarkable gap between our intentions and our actions...
Brexit! What’s Next?
As we’ve been constantly hearing over the past few years in the media, Brexit uncertainty is affecting business and consumer confidence, whilst also contributing to a difficult political backdrop. But right now, the form of what this might look like is unclear, as are the related economic and regulatory implications for investments...
Market Review March 2019
As Q1 2019 came to a close, we can reflect on a quarter which saw equity markets rebound from the sell-off seen late last year. Most major regions delivered positive returns for the first three months of 2019 with the US in particular recapturing much of the decline experienced in the run-up to Christmas.
Team News: Lots going on for the New Financial Year!
The end of the tax-year is now one week away, so that only means one thing for anyone in the financial industry… carnage. But of course, here at Vizion we are most definitely keeping things calm and collected 😉 Exciting news on the investment side of things, Vizion Wealth now have a Discretionary license! Therefore, in the next coming months we will be rolling out our new discretionary management service so watch this space.