With the new year comes new possibilities, and most of us like to put a resolution in place. While you might not stick to your January gym membership or finally get that novel written, committing yourself to a financial resolution is an excellent way to start 2019. Improving a financial situation has proven to be […]
From January 9 2019, the cold-calling of savers about anything to do with their pensions will become illegal. The new law doesn’t just cover phone calls. Any unsolicited emails or text messages about your pension will also be illegal. As it stands, not every cold-call you receive about your pension is a scam, though many […]
Inheritance tax is enormously unpopular to say the least. A YouGov poll found that 59% of the public deemed it unfair, making it the least popular of Britain’s 11 major taxes. What’s more, the tax has a limited revenue raising ability, with the ‘well advised’ often using gifts, trusts, business property relief and agricultural relief […]
Introduction It is always difficult writing a report like this, as you are always trying to ‘hit a moving target.’ While you can record the stock market levels at the close of business on, say, 30th November, there is always the risk that the commentary is overtaken by events. That has never been more true than […]
Retirement should be the time of your life. No more early alarm calls, no more commuting and no more carefully counting your holiday allocation. Instead, you have the freedom to do exactly as you please. Yet retirement might not always work out as the idyllic move to a cottage by the sea it’s billed to […]
Retirement planning means taking into account a whole host of factors. You have to navigate tough questions like, ‘What will the impact of inflation be?’ or ‘When will interest rates start to creep up?’ As well as these, there is another question that must be considered: ‘How long will you live?’ This question is unanswerable […]
Sustainable investing has grown rapidly over the last couple of decades. Investors are increasingly committed to the social and environmental impact of where they put their hard- earned money. Getting good financial returns and having a positive impact on the world are not mutually exclusive. Impact investing and ESG investments allow investors to ‘kill two […]
This year Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his autumn budget a few weeks earlier than usual. Normally the budget is released in mid-November, but this year he gave the budget on 29 October. In the run up to Brexit, Hammond didn’t release any huge announcements. Perhaps he wants to leave plenty of room to accommodate for […]
Introduction A Budget for “Strivers, Grafters and Carers” Budgets, as we all know, take place on Wednesdays. After the excitement of Prime Minister’s Questions, the Deputy Speaker calls ‘the Chancellor of the Exchequer’ and he – so far we have not had a female Chancellor – bounds to his feet, delivering an upbeat message about […]