General News
COVID 19 – Office Arrangements & End of Tax Year Planning
Dear All I am writing to update you on our current working practices and how we can ensure that we continue to provide support in these difficult times. Our phones in head office will be monitored but we would ask you to email any queries in the first place. Please only use the office phone number if it is very
Company Update
Dear All I am writing to reassure you that we are fully operational during this business-critical and uncertain period. Following new guidance from the UK Government on 16 March, we’ve prioritised staff wellbeing and asked our colleagues who are at higher risk to return to home as well as asking our staff to follow Government guidance on self-isolation, where relevant.
For the times they are a changing
As a financial adviser my clients expect me to keep abreast of what is happening in the world of investments. I think I have heard the views of about a dozen investment companies so far in 2020 and what has struck me is how many are talking about Environmental, Social and (corporate) Governance (ESG). A few weeks ago, I attended
The outlook for Equity Markets…possibly!
It’s the start of the year and predicting what may happen to global stock markets in the year ahead is just as difficult as any year….2020 vision or not! It is always tricky writing such articles because by the time you read it, things can be quite different. However let’s press on. 2019 was a volatile (but rewarding) year for
Protecting against risks
Sometimes people ask me what their greatest priority should be in terms of their financial planning. Everyone’s circumstances are different and so priorities will vary, but I have always believed someone should deal with the ‘what ifs’ before doing anything else in terms of planning a more comfortable future. In recent months I have been more aware of this because
Should Financial Journalism be more closely regulated?
In recent weeks many of the headlines in the financial press have been about Neil Woodford and his flagship Equity Income Fund. The problem, for those that are unaware, is investors wanting to exit the fund but not being allowed to, due liquidity issues. The fund, valued in 2017 at £10.2bn, is now £3.7bn in value. Investors in the Woodford
Are you owed money by HMRC?
This month, a brief article on a couple of issues regarding private pensions and whether you are owed money by HMRC. This is something that often gets overlooked, especially if you deal with your financial arrangements yourself and have no financial adviser or accountant looking after your tax affairs in particular. Pension Tax Relief on Contributions If you pay contributions
The UK has the joint highest Income Tax rate of 60% in Europe – Who Knew?
Surely this can’t be the case? Well it is. All Income tax tables will show that the highest income tax rate in the UK is 45% if you earn over £150,000, however a quirk in the system means if you earn over £100,000 you might start to pay an effective income tax rate of 60% on some of your earnings,
Looking forward in 2019
It’s that time of year when the papers will be full of predictions about the coming 12 months, more often than not under an attention seeking headline! I’m writing this several weeks before the end of 2018, in a week of so much political uncertainty and I am in no doubt that ‘short term predictions’ on many financial aspects are
