News

New data from HMRC show growing numbers of income taxpayers paying above the basic rate. Source: HMRC The club that all members want to leave, the income tax playing club, is gathering ever more members who are paying every greater … Continue reading →

New rules have come into force governing the claims made by sustainable funds. As sustainable investing has grown in popularity, the issue of ‘greenwashing’ has moved into the spotlight. However, investors, turned fund detectives, have discovered that funds with ‘sustainable’, … Continue reading →

‘Tick the Gift Aid’ box to boost your donation to charity and save some tax. The number of national and international calls on our goodwill to donate to causes has grown in the last few years. You are probably familiar … Continue reading →

Are student loans something to avoid? With the 2024/25 academic year on the horizon, student finance is again a hot topic for many parents. How hot differs slightly for the UK’s four nations as each has a subtly different way … Continue reading →

Autumn won’t leave much time for the new government to settle before important pension policy decisions need to be made. When MPs return to work after the summer recess, many areas of policy will require attention. Some are inheritances from … Continue reading →

The date of the next Budget has been announced, accompanied by the new Chancellor’s warning about government finances. Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first announcement on entering 11 Downing Street was the commissioning of a ‘spending inheritance’ review from the Treasury. Her … Continue reading →

Market responses to elections should be treated with caution. Source: Investing.com 2024 is a year of elections around the globe – in varying shades of democracy. On some counts, around 60 countries will vote, representing close to half of the … Continue reading →

Central banks around the world are beginning to cut interest rates with the European Central Bank leading the way. Source: US Federal Reserve, Bank of England, European Central Bank On 6 June 2024, the European Central Bank (ECB) became the … Continue reading →

Do you dream of retiring much earlier than your peers? Many ideas which originated in the US have made their way across the Atlantic. The latest financial innovation to join index-tracking investments, budgeting apps and exchange traded funds is the … Continue reading →

With a majority of over 200 and a weight of expectations, what happens next for Sir Kier Starmer’s new Labour government? The importance of the first 100 days of a new government cannot be understated. Within that period the new … Continue reading →

In mid-May 2024, the Dow Jones Index crossed the 40,000 threshold for the first time. Source: Investing.com You might have noted headlines in May that the Dow Jones Index of US shares had broken through the 40,000 mark for the … Continue reading →

The National Audit Office (NAO) has published a report on HMRC customer service which isn’t a happy story. Source: HMRC historic data, Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates A common tactic for grabbing a headline, be it a politician or … Continue reading →

A useful new web tool has emerged, a little late in the game, in a joint effort from two government departments. In early 2023, HMRC and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) found they were unable to cope with … Continue reading →