by Brian Downton | J, Jul, 2017 | blog, general, wealth-management
Much is made about the impact of inflation on the ‘real’ value of your income and investments. That is, the impact inflation has on your ability to continue affording your lifestyle. The magic number The Bank of England Monetary Policy Framework has an inflation...
by Brian Downton | J, Feb, 2017 | blog, wealth-management
While homeowners can still benefit from low mortgage rates, savers will be struggling to enjoy any kind of growth on money they have on deposit, leading some to consider a riskier investment. If you’re considering investing in the stock market, one crucial and...
by Brian Downton | J, Dec, 2016 | blog, wealth-management
Since 2012, the average cash ISA rate has fallen from 2.84% to just 0.82%, while stocks and shares ISAs are performing far better, delivering an average growth of 7.4% during the 2014/15 tax year. Clearly the latter carry a varying degree of investment risk (depending...
by Brian Downton | J, Nov, 2016 | blog, wealth-management
If you’re saving for your first home you may have heard about the Government’s latest initiative, the Help to Buy ISA. This is effectively a cash ISA where you can save up to £200 a month, but the government will boost your savings by 25% up to a maximum of £3,000...
by Brian Downton | J, Jul, 2016 | blog, wealth-management
Professional advice and careful planning can help you to make the most of legitimate opportunities to reduce the amount of tax you pay. Your Accountant, or tax specialist, will be your first port of call when it comes to tax, but it’s also an important consideration...
by Brian Downton | J, Jun, 2016 | blog, wealth-management
A quick Google of ‘Spring Clean’ will throw up a million and one Buzzfeed articles or ‘life hacks’ on how to make spring-cleaning easier and quicker. You’ll find tips about using cola to clean the toilet, lemon to clean the taps and vinegar to clean just about...
by Brian Downton | J, Jun, 2016 | blog, wealth-management
If you’ve always been a saver but never considered an Individual Savings Account (ISA) you could be losing out to the tax man. Make your savings work harder ISAs are tax-efficient savings plans that allow you to shelter up to £15,240 in the 2016/17 tax year from...
by Brian Downton | J, Apr, 2016 | blog, wealth-management
New research suggests under-40s face a 148% hike in retirement living costs, while many over-45s are exposed to financial ‘shocks’ that could upset their retirement plans. monthly retirement expenditure to rise from £1,183 to £2,930 by 2050 (For pensioners who are not...
