Make the most of your tax breaks before the tax year end February 27, 2018 | City Talk ISA allowance ISAs are often the first port of call for investors looking to save tax. They are simple, flexible and tax-efficient. By using your full ISA allowance each year (£20,000 in the current 2017/18 tax year) it’s possible to build up a large pot of money sheltered from capital gains tax or income tax. [...]
Profit from Theresa May’s war on plastic February 27, 2018 | City Talk Theresa May recently declared a “war on plastic” and businesses such as Costa Coffee, Wagamama, Pizza Express and Leon have said they will phase out the use of plastic straws. California is considering banning them completely. Frozen food retailer Iceland has also pledged to be free of plastic packaging in its own-brand products within five [...]
The most common investment mistake of all February 26, 2018 | City Talk Having cash reserves is important. Most people need a “rainy day” fund to cover unforeseen events, and for the purpose of saving towards shorter term goals cash is appropriate because it has the significant advantage of offering security of capital. Some investors also like to hold some cash to take advantage of opportunities in the [...]
Five reasons to consider a Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) February 23, 2018 | City Talk Almost everyone includes a comfortable retirement as one of their financial goals, and building up pension benefits is often a highly attractive means of achieving this. One pension option offering great flexibility is a SIPP (Self Invested Personal Pension). 1. Add to your savings pot with tax relief Investing through a pension scheme can be [...]
Beat the shrinking dividend allowance February 23, 2018 | City Talk Changes to the way dividends are taxed stand to leave investors exposed to an unwelcome tax charge from April. Investors can mitigate this risk by making the most of all their available tax-free allowances. The government has been tweaking the rules surrounding dividend income for a while now. In 2015, it was announced that the [...]
Commodity outlook in the Year of the Dog February 23, 2018 | City Talk We are now in the Chinese Year of the Dog. With China being the main driver of commodity markets – and Britain’s blue chip miners enjoying a long bull run – what is the outlook for commodities for the rest of the year? China’s seemingly insatiable desire for commodities will slow. The country is seeking [...]
The ‘big tech’ backlash: How sustainable is the success of Google, Facebook and Amazon? February 22, 2018 | City Talk In recent months it has felt like the tide is turning against big tech. Google has been fined for market abuse in the EU. Silicon Valley heads have been hauled in front of the US Senate and the UK Parliament to answer for the abuse of their platforms by extremists and Russian saboteurs. The repeal of [...]
The outlook for the oil price is bearish February 22, 2018 | City Talk Since hitting a three year high in the last week of January, the oil price has been volatile. Investors were getting very bullish on the oil price, with hedge funds and other money managers building up record net-long bets on oil futures, a run-up that only started to fall back recently. While the Saudis have [...]
Is inheritance tax too complicated? February 22, 2018 | City Talk The chancellor has requested a review of the “particularly complex” UK inheritance tax regime. What is it that makes inheritance tax so complicated? Chancellor Philip Hammond recently wrote to the independent Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) in order to call for a review of inheritance tax to make sure the system is "fit for purpose". [...]
How to plan a comfortable retirement February 22, 2018 | City Talk Saving for retirement is essential if you want to fully enjoy your later years, but how do you assess how much income you will need? Plus how much do you need to save to reach your goals? For many people retirement seems a long way off and saving into a pension isn’t always seen as [...]