While much attention has been paid to successive government freezes of tax thresholds, there is another prolonged threshold freeze with similar distortionary effects. The narrative highlighting government success stories seems thin on the ground these days. However, one initiative that started under the previous Labour government, and was implemented by the Conservative government that followed, […]
An introduction to Isas Individual Savings Accounts, universally known as ISAs, began as relatively simple savings plans 26 years ago, but since then the rules surrounding them have become ever more complex and, following the Autumn 2025 Budget, will yet become more so. Rachel Reeves already announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 that she would […]
2025’s investment performance numbers contained a surprise. In 2025, it was hard to escape the emphasis on US dominance. An element of that all-pervasiveness was down to Donald Trump and the unpredictability of his actions. However, a starring role was also played by artificial intelligence (AI) and the US megacompanies associated with the technology, such […]
If you have received a new tax code recently, check it. Do not assume it is correct. A recent Freedom of Information request from a Top 20 accountancy firm revealed some bad news for taxpayers. HMRC was asked about overpaid income tax in 2023/24 and provided an estimate of £3,470 million owed to 5.6 […]
Annual inflation ended 2025 at 3.4%, up from 2.5% in 2023, but not all prices rose over the year. Inflation has been on something of a rollercoaster in recent years, buffeted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war, among other factors. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) annual inflation reading for December 2025 was 3.4%, […]
Planning the longest holiday of your life There comes a time when you stop working for your money and put your money to work for you. For most people, that is at retirement. The decisions you make then could have repercussions for the rest of your life, and in recent years there have been some […]
