Category: Financial News

Have you taken advantage of the increased ISA allowance? If you have not already talked to us about using your 2009/10 Individual Savings Account (ISA) allowance, time is running out. Any unused ISA allowance from this current tax year cannot be rolled over to the next tax year and will be lost forever. An ISA… Continue reading ISA surgery, use it or lose it

What you can do to reduce tax? With further tax increases on the horizon, there really is no time like the present to consider your tax position carefully and explore what planning can be effectively put in place to help mitigate or defer the upcoming increased income tax liabilities. There are a number of areas… Continue reading Key tax planning tips

Whose wealth is it anyway? Helping you protect your wealth is an important part of what we do, and one thing is certain, you need to plan to protect your wealth from a potential Inheritance Tax (IHT) liability. Once only the domain of the very wealthy, the wide-scale increase in home ownership and rising property… Continue reading Inheritance Tax mitigation

Solutions for the diverse needs of both our wealthy clients and those who aspire to become wealthy We provide solutions for the diverse needs of both our wealthy clients and those who aspire to become wealthy, enabling each individual to structure their finances as efficiently as possible. There are many different ways to grow your wealth,… Continue reading Creating wealth

Mitigating the impact of the forthcoming rate increase An increase in the top rate of personal income tax for all income above £150,000 was announced in the 2009 Budget. The new 50 per cent rate will come into force from 6 April 2010. This is a significant increase (and an increase in the original figure announced… Continue reading 50 per cent tax rate

Passing assets to beneficiaries using a trust You may decide to use a trust to pass assets to beneficiaries, particularly those who aren’t immediately able to look after their own affairs. If you do use a trust to give something away, this removes it from your estate provided you don’t use it or get any… Continue reading UK trusts

Greater flexibility and control over your savings A Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) is an investment savings vehicle aimed specifically at producing income, or a tax-free lump sum with a reduced income, in retirement. A SIPP is a pension that gives you greater flexibility and control over your savings and where they are invested. It is… Continue reading Tax-efficient SIPPs

Building up enough‘ qualifying years’ The basic State Pension is a government-administered pension. It is based on the number of qualifying years gained through National Insurance Contributions (NICs) you’ve paid, are treated as having paid or have been credited with throughout your working life. – If entitled, you can receive the basic State Pension when… Continue reading The basic State Pension

Important changes on the horizon The additional State Pension, or State Second Pension, is paid in addition to the basic State Pension. Your entitlement to the additional State Pension (whether from SERPS – State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme, or from the State Second Pension) is calculated when you claim the basic State Pension. Until April 2002, the… Continue reading The additional State Pension