Bucket lists are, of course, very individual things. We will all have places that we want to travel to and things that we want to do which don’t necessarily chime with everyone else’s goals. However, bucket lists can also be surprisingly difficult to generate! The things that you really want to do one day might […]
According to George Osborne’s Autumn Statement and Spending Review, we all look set to face a galvanised HMRC, with an increased war chest for tackling tax evasion and avoidance. The Chancellor believes £5bn of additional revenue is expected to be raised by his new range of initiatives. Measures are planned to introduce new penalties for […]
The government announced on 8 July 2015, that for 2016 to 2017 onwards the annual allowance for tax relieved pension savings will be reduced for those with incomes of over £150,000. Their annual allowance will be reduced by £1 for every £2 of income they have over £150,000, with a maximum reduction of £30,000. In […]
Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) are designed to give you greater control over your retirement savings. With a SIPP you can choose from a wide range of high quality investments, manage them for yourself and consolidate your existing pensions in one place. A SIPP is different to other pension saving forms and can give you more […]
Introduction November brought us the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement and Spending Review in the UK – and rather more tragic events abroad. Friday November 13th saw the massacre in Paris, which was followed by an escalation in the bombing of ISIS in Syria. World stock markets inevitably fell in the wake of the Paris attacks, but […]
Introduction Just over four months ago, George Osborne delivered his second Budget of 2015, following the Conservative Party’s outright victory in the May general election. At that moment, the view from 11, Downing Street must have looked remarkably pleasant. Osborne’s handling of the economy was widely credited with playing a large – if not pivotal […]
Global markets are providing investors a rough ride at the moment, as the focus turns to China’s economic outlook. But while falling markets can be worrying, maintaining a longer-term perspective makes the volatility easier to handle. A typical response to unsettling markets is an emotional one. We quit risky assets when prices are down and […]
Children born after 3 January 2011 – or those aged under 18 and born before 1 September 2002 – can open a Junior ISA. This also applies for those children born between 1 September 2002 and 3 January 2011 who are not eligible for a Child Trust Fund (CTF). Cash ISAs are a good savings […]
We were recently reminded of Linda Ellis’ poem The Dash, which you can read in full here. The Dash talks about the life of a man who has passed away, being talked about by his friend at the funeral. The friend refers to everything that he had done and achieved during his life as being represented […]
Introduction “Markets can fall as well as rise…” Never was that statement more true than in August, when virtually all the major world markets headed down, led by the plunging stock market in China. It became virtually impossible to watch a news bulletin without seeing a shell-shocked fund manager or a weeping private investor. It […]