Tag: Money
Minimising or even avoiding Capital Gains Tax Liabilities
Gains are calculated by subtracting the purchase price and related expenses (such as sales charges) from the selling price. They are generally taxed at a rate higher than income taxes in order to discourage speculation. If you plan to sell assets that have appreciated in value, such as real estate, stocks or bonds, it is important to be aware of CGT and how it can affect your bottom line. Proper planning can help you minimise or even avoid CGT liabilities.
2023 Financial Resolutions
Most of us have probably made at least one New Year’s resolution, but how many of us will actually go on to achieve it? We all have different financial goals and aspirations in life, yet these goals can often seem out of reach. In today’s complex financial environment, achieving your financial goals may not be that straightforward.
2022 Autumn Budget Highlights
Jeremy Hunt delivered his first statement as Chancellor of the Exchequer at a time of great challenge for the UK and global economies with the backdrop of sky-high inflation, recessionary warnings, high interest rates and the ongoing war in Ukraine. In his first few days in office, he had already reversed most of the measures announced in his predecessor's September Mini Budget. He has now set out a series of tax rises and allowance freezes & cuts to help combat the ‘black hole’ of public spending set out in the September mini-budget.
Pension Consolidation & New Freedoms
By the time we have been working for a decade or two, it is not uncommon to have accumulated multiple pension plans. There’s no wrong time to start thinking about pension consolidation, but you might find yourself thinking about it if you’re starting a new job or nearing retirement.
Pensions on Divorce
If you’re going through a divorce, dividing up any pensions you have will usually be one of the largest financial decisions you need to make. Agreeing financial arrangements in your divorce can seem daunting; there are so many misconceptions and myths as to what each party is entitled to that it gets confusing.
Retirement Matters
Perhaps the most common investment advice is to stay invested. But with markets being so volatile, the ease of sticking to that advice has been sorely tested in 2020. Even though we’ve seen global markets bounce sharply from their March lows, understandably there will still be those investing for retirement who remain worried and wonder what the best approach is for the remainder of the year and beyond.
COVID19 Effects on Retirement Planning
The coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a widespread impact across all aspects of financial life, including retirement plans. The current global stock market turbulence, as a consequence of COVID-19, will no doubt be concerning for individuals whose pension savings are invested partly or fully during these volatile market conditions...
Income Protection Insurance
There is a growing unease about the economic fallout of coronavirus (COVID-19), with many businesses laying off contractors and putting staff on extended leave, as well as natural worries about contacting the disease. What this crisis has shown is that being unable to work can quickly turn our world upside down. No one likes to think that something bad will happen to them, but if you can’t work due to a serious illness, how would you manage financially?
Investment Insights
We all have different objectives in life and need different strategies to help achieve them. Sensible diversification – owning a mix of assets, including shares, bonds and alternative investments such as property – can help protect investors over the long term. When one area of a portfolio underperforms, another part should provide important protection... However, when it comes to financial planning for your future, it’s important that you receive expert professional advice about all the options and income sources available to you.
Discover a Clearer Financial Future
It’s often a common fallacy that only those that are wealthy have any need for professional financial advice. Regardless of how careful you are with your money, dealing with the tricky intricacies of taxation, investments and financial regulations can be difficult for even the most money-conscious of earners. However, when it comes to financial planning for your future, it’s important that you receive expert professional advice about all the options and income sources available to you.
Millennial Money
Building wealth for the future is important, but increasingly people want their investments to do more than make money. Investing ethically means different things to different people. According to a new global survey[1], almost eight out of 10 millennials now prioritise socially responsible and impactful investing...
Preserving your Legacy
Are you worried about leaving an inheritance to your loved ones and then having them pay tax on your legacy? No one likes to think about a time when they won’t be here, but unfortunately the reality is that some people aren’t prepared financially...
Effective End of Year Tax Planning
The end of the 2019/20 tax year is fast approaching, and there are a number of valuable allowances and reliefs that will be lost if they are not used before the deadline. These opportunities include, but are not limited to, four important areas of tax planning. We’ve summarised these allowances below and suggest that if appropriate to your particular situation, these areas should be reviewed before 5 April 2020...
2020 Spring Budget
Newly appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivered his first Budget on 11 March, against a backdrop of uncertainty following the COVID–19 outbreak and subsequent financial losses. It was the first of two Budgets to be delivered in 2020, with the second to follow in the autumn...
Life is Full of Uncertainties.
Everyone should consider protection, even those who don’t have a family or a mortgage! Unless they have substantial savings or inherited wealth, most people rely on their salary to pay for everything. Over the years, you may have taken out a number of different insurance policies to give you and your family financial security. Perhaps this may have been when you started a family, took out a mortgage or became self-employed...
ISA 2020 Allowance – Use it or Lose it!
Whatever you’re putting money aside for, there’s likely to be a role for Individual Saving Accounts, or ‘ISAs’. An ISA is a way of holding savings or investments without paying personal tax on interest received or on the growth of your investment. Whether you’re a novice or an experienced saver, we can help you get the most from your 2019/20 ISA allowance...
New Pensions Freedoms
The pension freedoms, introduced on 6 April 2015, have given retirees a whole host of new options. There is no longer a compulsory requirement to purchase an annuity (a guaranteed income for life) when you retire. The introduction of pension freedoms brought about fundamental changes to the way we can access our pension savings...
2020 Financial Resolutions
Whether it’s stopping smoking, losing weight, eating more healthily or getting fitter, most of us have probably made at least one New Year’s resolution, but how many of us will actually go on to achieve it? We all have different financial goals and aspirations in life, yet these goals can often seem out of reach. In today’s complex financial environment, achieving your financial goals may not be that straightforward.
Every Journey Starts with a Destination
Every plan starts with a goal, just like every journey starts with a destination. Planning your financial future is not only important for your security, but it also provides peace of mind. Financial planning should be viewed as a long-term approach to managing your finances...
Tax Wise
As we enter January, the end of the 2019/20 tax year will be just over three months away on 5 April. As this date approaches, the window of opportunity reduces if you want to make the most of valuable allowances, reliefs and exemptions that could help reduce your tax bill and make sure your finances stay tax-efficient.