With the cost of children’s birthday presents and parties often totalling hundreds of pounds – could there be a better way to provide for your child or grandchild? Investing in a pension for your child can provide numerous long-term benefits and go some way to helping them secure a financially stable future. Setting up a […]
Category archives: Pensions & Retirement
Rising prices adding to retirement costs
It can be difficult to understand what funds you’ll need to finance the retirement you dream about and how this compares to your projected pensions income. It’s even harder to keep track when the cost of living is spiralling. Setting standards The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) developed its Retirement Living Standards1 to help […]
Starting early in the new tax year
A new tax year has begun and with it comes the chance to start your tax planning early, but why rush when there’s almost a year to go? Here are a few reasons: Why not get the new tax year off to the best start – get in touch. 1Vanguard, 2023 The value of investments […]
Spring Budget 2023 – key points
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered the Spring Budget on 15 March declaring it to be “A Budget for Growth.” The fiscal update included a range of new measures, starting with the latest economic projections from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR): The Chancellor’s strategy for growth focuses on four pillars ‘Everywhere, Enterprise, Employment and Education.’ Key […]
Family Finances: get talking
New research1 suggests young adults and their parents are becoming increasingly comfortable talking about money matters, which should ensure future generations are much better equipped to tackle their financial affairs. Breaking the taboo Historically, intergenerational discussions about finances have too often been viewed as a no-go area, but the research suggests UK families are beginning […]
‘Magic’ scam warning
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned pension holders to beware of scammers’ ‘magic tricks’ as research shows the economic squeeze is encouraging more people to withdraw pension savings. ScamSmart Britain’s financial watchdog recently launched its latest ScamSmart campaign aiming to give consumers the knowledge and tools to avoid scams. Over 700,000 pension plans were […]
Estate planning – take control
Inheritance Tax (IHT) is once again in the spotlight following the Chancellor’s decision to freeze IHT thresholds for a further two years until April 2028. Extending the frozen thresholds, together with rising house prices and soaring inflation mean that more estates are likely to be affected. IHT receipts on an upwards trend The latest IHT […]
Wealth – In the news
Hold your nerve Recent research1 reveals women are more likely to hold their nerve and avoid crystallising a loss when the market dips. Almost half of men (48%) have sold investments at a loss when they’ve dropped in value, in an attempt to stem their losses, while just 38% of women have done the same. […]
Beat the tax chill
Following his controversial ‘stealth tax’ Statement in November, the Chancellor made a raft of key personal taxation and pension announcements. The government pledged its commitment to the pensions Triple Lock, which will increase the State Pension in line with September’s Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of 10.1%. This means that the value of the basic […]
Reminder – tax year end
As the end of the tax year approaches, a prime consideration should be how external factors such as reduced or frozen allowances, together with high inflation, could impact your finances and what action you need to take before 5 April 2023. If you are affected by the impending changes to Dividend Tax or Capital Gains […]