An issue concerning how the high income child benefit charge (HICBC) can potentially affect stay-at-home parents has emerged. The HICBC claws back child benefit payments where either parent has income over £50,000 a year, and removes the benefit entirely if either parent has income over £60,000. For couples where one person earns over £60,000 whilst […]
Home insurance acts like a financial shock-absorber and protects thousands of families each year from unexpected and unwelcome loss, damage and expense. Whilst standard policies can cover buildings and all the things kept in a home such as TVs, furniture, carpets and personal belongings, your adviser can also help you choose additional cover for specific […]
We reported on this scam last year, since then a new wave of phishing emails have started. Fraudsters are sending the public fake TV licensing emails to steal their personal and financial information. Victims who click on the link in the email risk having their money stolen by fraudsters. Hooking victims in In October 2018, […]
Investment in venture capital trusts (VCTs) is continuing to rise as we head in to 2019/20. VCTs have been growing in popularity in recent years, as the graph shows. Nearly £750 million was invested in VCTs in 2017/18, the highest figure since 2005/06, when the rate of income tax relief was temporarily boosted to […]
2018 may have been a disappointing year for equities, but is shouldn’t have been a surprise December 2018 dished up a rather distasteful present for the holiday period. Many lines were written in the broadsheets about the global equity market falls, but were they really anything out of the ordinary? ‘Stock market slide in 2018 […]
In early December the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced the thresholds that should apply to automatic enrolment pension contributions from 6 April 2019. We say ‘should’ because, strictly speaking, they need final approval from the Secretary of State, although any change is extremely unlikely. There are three key levels to be aware of: […]
