The popularity of cash ISAs is continuing to wane, according to new statistics from HMRC. With inflation persistently above interest rates, it’s not hard to imagine why. The bank of England recently increased the interest rate to 0.75%, but inflation was 2.7% in August 2018. This means, if you are holding cash in an ISA […]
The 2018 Budget has been set for Monday 29 October, setting a deadline for speculation and proposals. Mr Hammond, however, has indicated that he won’t end the long spell of austerity measures, despite improving public finances. Proposals raised by think tanks and professional bodies include overhauls of income and inheritance tax, ‘pension tax relief simplification’, […]
Action Fraud launches a campaign to warn people about the threat of Computer Software Service fraud, one of the country’s most reported top five frauds. What is Computer Software Service Fraud? Computer Software Service fraud can start with either a phone call, an email or a pop-up message appearing on your computer, stating there […]
Summary Readers of this note could be forgiven for thinking that the world in general, and the UK specifically, is in a right old state. There’s certainly lots to be thinking about – Trump’s belligerence, China’s debt mountain, Putin’s malevolence, not forgetting Brexit and the prospect of a far-left leaning Labour Government. This inevitably leads […]
Many people make their first foray into investment on a DIY basis, perhaps based on advice from a friend, or after reading a report in the media. Over the years they may save in ISAs, or take out a personal pension plan, or dabble with investments without really having an overall investment strategy in mind. […]
The £5,000 tax-free dividend allowance was cut to £2,000 from April 2018. This change will impact investors with portfolios that generate more than £2,000 of dividend income where the investments are held outside ISAs or pensions. This means that making full use of tax-efficient wrappers such as ISAs is likely to become more important […]
