Are You a Sophisticated Investor?
In March 2005, the rules relating to approaching people regarding financial promotions were relaxed so that so called ‘sophisticated investors’ and high net worth individuals (HNWIs) could be more easily approached with a view to making...
Capital Gains Tax for Owners of Two Homes
Ownership of two homes in the UK is becoming more commonplace as couples who both own houses marry, houses are inherited, parents buy houses for their children to live in, or people just buy a place in the country, either to let or to escape to at weekends....
Equity Release
Managing an active retirement can present significant problems for the many people who are blessed with good health but cursed by the effects of the poor performance of pension funds and low annuity rates over the last two decades. This combination of factors...
Fiscal Help for your Student Children
With the introduction of top-up tuition fees in 2006, gaining a university education has become even more expensive. If you have children going away to university there are money saving options worth considering, if you are in a position to take advantage of...
How Drawdown Lifetime Mortgages Work
For people who have money tied up in their homes who wish to release capital for expenditure, or possibly to give to family members, the drawdown lifetime mortgage (DLM) is a possible vehicle. ...
How Inheritance Tax Works
Inheritance Tax (IHT) is paid on your estate when you die and also when money is transferred into some trust funds. Some other transfers during one’s lifetime may also be subject to IHT. The first £312,000 (at 2008/9 rates) of the estate is...
IHT Planning and the AIM
In recent years, Inheritance Tax (IHT) has affected more and more families, largely due to rising house prices. IHT is payable at 40 per cent on the net assets of an estate where these exceed £300,000 – the current nil-rate band. Investing in...
Is Your Home Your Pension?
Fluctuations in the stock market have had an adverse effect on the value of many people’s pensions. At the same time, many people have seen the value of their home rise sharply. It is no surprise that financial services groups are...
Paying For a Permanent Home Care Place
Many people, as they grow older, worry about where they will live if they are no longer able to manage in their own home. For some, the need will arise for nursing home or residential care. The cost of care varies greatly, depending on...
Putting Cash into a Family Business
When younger members of a family start a business, they often ask other family members to provide part of the necessary capital. If you are approached to do this and are willing to provide funding, it is often difficult to know how best to provide...
Selling Your House and Land: Tax Tips
Most people buy and sell the property they live in without any thoughts about tax (other than, perhaps, Stamp Duty Land Tax). However, there are some circumstances in which selling the property you live in can cause tax problems. Some of the main ones are:...
Should I Buy To Let?
The ‘buy to let’ market is still reasonably buoyant, fuelled by the availability of lending, a relatively high level of confidence in property price stability and an increasing demand for rented accommodation. In this article...
The Enterprise Investment Scheme
Successive governments have recognised that the spirit of entrepreneurialism, though deeply ingrained in the UK’s culture, is not really very well supported by the financial institutions. In an...
Unit-linked or With-profits: What's the Difference?
If you’ve ever had a session with a financial planning adviser, you will have heard about unit-linked and with-profits investments, but what does the jargon actually mean in practice? Unit-linked Investments These put the...
Unlocking Your Equity - the Choices
There is a bewildering variety of equity release schemes on the market and, judging by the letters pages of the financial press, they are not well understood. Releasing equity in a house can be an effective way of supplementing your income or releasing...
What is Phased Retirement?
Phased retirement is the term given to the process by which retirement pensions are split into segments, which are then treated separately. It makes use of the rule in the UK that allows a retirement policyholder to take each pension policy at a time of...
What is Taxable?
With the Government seeing fit to make the Inland Revenue a payer of benefits (pension credit etc) as well as a collector of taxes, it is no wonder that people are becoming confused as to which sources of income are taxable and which are not. It is...
Year End Tax Planning Checklist
Here is a quick checklist of things you should look at before the tax year ends on 5 April. It is not exhaustive and, of course, all financial planning should be done with proper professional advice. Ask before you act! Income Tax ...