by Brian Downton | J, May, 2018 | Budget
March has traditionally been the month for Budgets, but no longer. In Autumn 2016 the then-new Chancellor, Philip Hammond made clear he thought the propensity of previous Chancellors to turn their Autumn Statements into second Budgets was not a good idea and that he...
by Brian Downton | J, Apr, 2018 | blog, mortgages
If you let out a residential property but haven’t declared the rental income, you might be interested in a new campaign from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). HMRC estimates landlords fail to pay £550m every year and their ‘Let Property Campaign’ aims to reclaim the...
by Brian Downton | J, Apr, 2018 | blog, Pensions
New research has suggested that UK’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are optimistic about the global economy and their role in it. If this applies to you and you have built up a healthy balance sheet, you may be considering how you can release money from your...
by Brian Downton | J, Apr, 2018 | blog, Pensions
Since April 2015, pensioners have had greater freedom over how they manage their retirement savings. No longer forced to buy an annuity, they can now leave their money invested and draw an income from it (known as flexi-access drawdown). Whether you’ve already stopped...
by Brian Downton | J, Mar, 2018 | blog, protection
It can seem like we work our entire lives, but retirement comes faster than you think. The average person works around forty-five years of their life and then relies on a pension for another twenty-five years. That means the money you save towards your pension needs...
by Brian Downton | J, Mar, 2018 | blog, wealth-management
Much of the discussion and commentary around ISAs is positive, particularly comments that come from the government. However, is an ISA the best place to invest your hard-earned money? What interest can you expect to earn? Here’s what you need to know. What is an...
by Brian Downton | J, Mar, 2018 | blog, wealth-management
The original use of the term ‘nest-egg’ comes from an artificial egg being put into a nest to induce a hen to lay. These days we often refer to our hard-earned savings as our nest-egg, and the recent rise in the ISA allowance gives additional incentive to...
by Brian Downton | J, Mar, 2018 | blog, mortgages
In 2007 Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union, Lewis Hamilton got his first drive in Formula 1 partnering with Fernando Alonso at McLaren, the final book in the Harry Potter series was published and England played their first match at the new Wembley Stadium....
