According to recent research(1), approximately 14.3 million people across the UK (44% of employees – 7% in the last year alone) have paid too much tax as a result of being on the wrong tax code. HMRC sometimes makes errors (allegedly 2.8 million times last year) with deductions, or other elements of their calculation such… 
Research by Direct Line(see 1) suggests that over 12.6 million people (about 24%) would contest a will if they were unhappy with it – and incidences of wills being contested are growing in number. But we can take steps to reduce the risk of that happening to our own will. A first step that may…
Our Focus this month is an important reminder for all those who are members of a pension scheme – whether a personal pension plan or a company defined benefit scheme. Below, we focus on several key areas. Annual Allowance Your Annual Allowance is based on your earnings and other income and is currently capped at…
You will have read in the first item in our Techie Stuff section (oh yes you have … you know you have!) about HMRC’s concerns about taxpayers making gifts without appreciating that rules exist about how, when gifts are made, there may be Inheritance Tax consequences. But HMRC are not the only ones to have…
We all remember the refrain from our childhood about gathering nuts in May. But aren’t nuts gathered in the autumn? You will know that that phrase about nuts is actually a corruption of ‘gathering knots of may’. The ‘knots of may’ being the hawthorn blossom we see at this time of year. I am being…
Income Tax – The personal allowance is reduced by £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000 * Consider transferring income yielding assets to a spouse or civil partner to maximise your allowances. Capital Gains Tax – The annual exemption for 2019/20 is £12,000 * Married couples and civil partners can consider transferring assets to…
In early Roman times, March was the first month in their calendar. Martius, as they called it, was named after Mars the Roman god of war because this month signalled that winter was coming to an end and, with the warmer weather on its way, it was time to prepare for the season of warfare…
Whenever we are in market conditions such as those affected by Brexit, it is sensible to review the balance of our investment portfolios – and to assess our income and capital needs over the next few years. For example, looking at asset allocations, many balanced portfolios contain holdings in property funds when appropriate. While such…
The Romans dedicated January to their god Janus – god of Endings, Transitions, and new Beginnings. He is depicted with two faces since he looks back to learn from the past and the year that has just ended (Endings) and, having taken stock (Transitions), he looks forward to the next year (new Beginnings). We would…
There was scarcely a mention of the ‘P’ word in October’s Budget speech (believe us, we were listening closely for it!). However, we had a good read of the accompanying ‘Red Book’ looking for any mention of pensions. At 106 pages, this was no mean feat. Fortunately, though, it was time well spent as some…