One of the nation’s largest investment managers has examined investors’ attitudes in the UK relative to other major developed G7 nations with interesting results. In recent years, Chancellors of both main political parties have spoken about encouraging investment in UK shares. Their focus has been on persuading pension funds to show more interest, not least […]
Action Fraud urges the public to continue reporting phishy emails, with more than 32 million already reported. The reports have led to more than 329,000 websites addresses being removed by the National Cyber Security Centre. Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting service, launched a national phishing awareness campaign on 24 June 2024, as […]
The latest Budget move to count pensions as part of your estate for inheritance tax (IHT) is a major change, with potentially significant consequences. At present, most pension benefits payable on death, whether lump sums or other income, are outside the scope of IHT because they are not considered part of the deceased’s estate. However, […]
The Budget brought inheritance tax (IHT) into the news headlines, but its impact is not well understood. Mark and Hannah have an estate valued at £1.25 million, including their jointly owned home worth £400,000. Like many couples, their wills leave everything to the survivor on first death and to their children on second death. What […]
National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has been busy reducing its interest rates in recent months. NS&I has roots going back to 1861, when Gladstone, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, launched the Post Office Savings Bank. NS&I’s latest quarterly results show that on 30 September 2024, it held £233.9 billion on behalf of investors. That […]
As 2025 gets under way, it is once again the time of year to start considering your tax year-end planning. The early months of the year are the time to undertake year-end tax planning. Unsurprisingly, the traditional drivers have been the tax year-end (Saturday 5 April 2025) and the Spring Budget. On this occasion, […]
