Whilst much is often made of the plight of first-time buyers, a lot less attention is generally paid to older borrowers who are looking for the right type of mortgage product for their needs. However, banks and building societies are increasingly aware that borrowers are [...]
According to figures from HM Revenue and Customs, Inheritance Tax (IHT) revenues are up again, with £5bn being paid in the 2017–18 tax year. This increase comes despite the introduction of the residence nil-rate band in 2017. With more families falling into the IHT bracket, [...]
With investing, the old saying ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket’ rings true. To improve the potential for long-term gains and spread risk, the best advice is to diversify your investment across a range of companies, asset classes and geographical regions. This helps [...]
The Chancellor delivered his third Budget on Monday and no doubt you have read or been sent a number of commentaries since then; as before we have therefore tried to pick out those points that we feel are of most relevance to our clients. As [...]
Think tank, the Adam Smith Institute, believes that Stamp Duty Land Tax, to give stamp duty its full name, should be scrapped. Amongst many reasons why they think it should be abolished is the belief that its existence prevents older people from downsizing. The prospect [...]
The good news is that since 6th April you can use this year’s ISA savings allowance to put your hard-earned cash to work in a tax-efficient way. The 2018–19 allowance is a generous 20,000, and it makes sense to take advantage of this savings opportunity [...]
With the Bank of Mum and Dad regularly helping to finance property transactions for their offspring, it’s important for parents to be aware of the tax consequences of doing so. Research has shown that scammers frequently search for information in social media profiles, emails and [...]
MPC vote boosts prospect of August rate hike Although interest rates were left unchanged following the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on 20 June, an additional dissenting voice has increased the likelihood of a rate rise at the next meeting in August. The Bank of [...]
Whilst you might not think of yourself as an employer, if you have a carer, gardener, nanny or cleaner, you may find yourself classed as that under government pension rules. As part of the government’s auto-enrolment scheme designed to encourage pension saving, almost every worker [...]
