An Individual Savings Account (ISA) is a tax-efficient wrapper. Within an ISA you pay no capital gains tax and no further tax on the income, making it one of the most tax-efficient savings vehicles available. Read the rest of this entry »
Investment trusts are a way of gaining prudent exposure to stock exchange investment but without putting all your eggs in one basket. They are often categorised into country and regional funds and sub-divided further into funds that invest only in certain industry sectors. Read the rest of this entry »
New research from Aviva reveals that over half of UK workers (52 per cent) would be unable to survive financially for more than three months if they were off work with an illness. Around a third (30 per cent) say they would survive for less than a month. Less than one in ten (9 per cent) say they would remain solvent for a year or more. Read the rest of this entry »
Inheritance Tax (IHT) in the UK may be one of life’s unpleasant facts but IHT planning and professional advice could help you pay less tax on your estate. With the current thresholds set to remain at £325,000 for individuals and £650,000 for married couples and registered civil partnerships until 2014, now is the time to consider reviewing your potential liability and finding out what you could do to reduce, or even eliminate, this burden. Read the rest of this entry »
On 29 November 2011, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced the Autumn Statement, which provided an update on the government’s plans for the economy based on the latest forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility. These are the key announcements from his speech. Read the rest of this entry »
Some 6.1m of today’s over-50s expect to work past the current state retirement age, according to data from LV=’s Working Late Index. The report reveals that, on average, those planning to work past state retirement age will work for an extra six years, which could see them retiring at age 71 for men and 66 for women based on today’s retirement age. Read the rest of this entry »
With further tax increases likely on the horizon, there really is no time like the present to take a step back and look at how you could reduce your taxes and improve your financial planning strategy. Read the rest of this entry »
While the hunt for income continues apace, recent figures released by the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) demonstrate that 33 per cent of conventional investment companies are yielding more than the FTSE 100 average annual yield of 3.2 per cent. Of these, 66 per cent are trading at a discount to net asset value. Read the rest of this entry »
Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) are not actual investments; they are a tax-efficient wrapper surrounding your fund choices. When you make an ISA investment you pay no income or capital gains tax (CGT) on the returns you receive, no matter how much your investment grows or how much you withdraw over the years. Read the rest of this entry »
Investment bonds are designed to produce medium- to long-term capital growth, but can also be used to give you an income. They also include some life cover. There are other types of investment that have ‘bond’ in their name (such as guaranteed bonds, offshore bonds and corporate bonds) but these are very different. With an investment bond, you pay a lump sum to a life assurance company and this is invested for you until you cash it in or die. Read the rest of this entry »
