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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, […]

The global market outlook showed an improvement for 2024 with the US achieving more than 20% returns for a second consecutive year. A quick look at a table comparing changes across key global indices puts the UK, as represented by the FTSE 100, in a relatively poor light. Figures suggest that the government has its […]

The long freeze on student tuition fees in England has come to an end. Do you know what the RPIX is? You might guess it’s related to inflation given that RPI is the Retail Prices Index. But what does the X mark? X stands for RPI excluding mortgage interest. RPIX was used as the Bank […]