December saw a 0.25% increase in the main US interest short term rate. On 15 December, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) raised its key short term interest rate by 0.25%, to a range between 0.5% and 0.75%. It had made … Continue reading →

The Treasury has announced the date of the next Budget. It may feel like Mr Hammond’s Autumn Statement was only a few days ago, but shortly before Christmas the Treasury announced that the Spring Budget will be on Wednesday 8 … Continue reading →

At first sight, the results from the world’s main share markets in 2016 appear mixed, but that’s before currency effects are considered. Index 2016 Change FTSE 100 +14.4 FTSE All-Share +12.5% Dow Jones Industrial +13.4% Standard & Poor’s 500 +9.5% … Continue reading →

From April, the residence nil rate band comes into being.   It was nearly two years ago that the Conservatives’ manifesto for the 2015 election promised to “take the family home out of tax by increasing the effective Inheritance Tax … Continue reading →

The Autumn Statement revealed plans for another annual allowance cut. When pensions flexibility was announced in March 2014, it did not take long for tax planners to realise that it offered an interesting opportunity to “pay” the over-55s. The idea … Continue reading →