Welcome to our blogs which relate to the financial services you may be interested in from mortgages to pensions; protection to auto-enrolment and many more. So why not grab a drink and enjoy the read.
Anyone aged 16 or over can now invest in Premium Bonds on behalf of children under the age of 16, meaning these gifts are no longer restricted to parents and grandparents. Premium Bonds can be bought as gifts online at www.nsandi.com/gift or by post and the purchaser will need to nominate one of the child’s parents or guardians to look
You may have seen articles in the financial press referring to ‘dog’ funds, and wondered what the term means. If so, don’t be concerned, put simply, a ‘dog’ fund is one that is regarded as an under-performing fund. Meaningful comparisons All investment funds fall into sectors – for example, UK All Companies, Global Equity Income, Japan, UK Smaller Companies or
Whilst 2018 may not have been the best year for share prices, it was a very good year for dividends. A new report shows that UK dividends reached a record high of £99.8bn, the highest level since the global financial crisis. This was due to a number of factors, including soaring company profits, special dividends and a slump in the
Payments made under the pension reforms of 2015 have steadily climbed and hit 628,000 in the final quarter of last year, up from the 121,000 in the second quarter of 2015 when the reforms took effect. Interestingly, the average withdrawal dropped to a record low of £7,197 in Q4, down from £7,597 in the previous quarter. This could be a
The Halifax’s annual quality of life survey shows that Orkney is rated the best place to live in Britain. Not only is employment at 88%, the average house price is just £173,349. Residents also enjoy good health and low crime rates.
The changes to how rental income from buy to let properties continues to evolve and has moved into its next phase. Entry into a new tax year has prompted several questions from clients, so we thought it would be wise to recap on how you may be affected. As advised in previous newsletters, the deduction of finance costs, including mortgage
Maturing Child Trust Funds will keep their tax-advantaged status on maturity under draft regulations that have been published for consultation. A Child Trust Fund (CTF) is a tax-advantaged savings account which provides children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011 with an asset when they reach adulthood. CTFs begin maturing in September 2020 when the first children reach 18. Without
Running a successful business is hard work, so it’s understandable that most entrepreneurs are much more focussed on the here and now rather than planning for their retirement. As business fortunes fluctuate, this is where carry forward can come to the rescue. In more prosperous years, it allows clients to play ‘catch-up’ by paying much larger contributions into their pensions
Product options more than double in 2 years: 139 in August 2018, up from 58 in 2016. Number of homes in England bought with a gift or loan from family or friends reaches a new high of 1.1m. New Customer numbers driven by increased product flexibility and more competition in the market as people seek to meet pressing social needs
Pensioners in the UK languish way down the table when it comes to the quality of pension provision offered to the poorest and the self-employed. They’re worse off than counterparts in countries like Colombia, Chile, Australia and Germany. However, they do enjoy better benefits than those available in France, Italy, Spain and the US. This article was featured in a