Dating, DIY and Netflix: Brits stop spending on love and luxury due to cost of living crisis, Nationwide says March 24, 2023 The value of households’ spending on subscription services, home improvements and dating fell annually in February, according to analysis by Britain’s biggest building society of its members’ outgoings. The volume of dating transactions fell by a third (33 per cent ) in February 2023 compared with the same month in 2022, also falling by 7 [...]
Lump sum or regular saving, investing for children and how to go green: Your Isa guide to making the most of this year’s tax-free allowance March 24, 2023 With just under three weeks left until the end of the tax year, savers may still be considering how to use their annual tax-free Isa allowance. You can use your allowance whether you are looking at setting up a regular savings plan, or investing a lump sum, or even considering putting some cash aside for [...]
UK house prices: Growth down while rents soar by their highest in seven years March 22, 2023 Private rent paid by tenants in the UK rose 4.7 per cent in the 12 months to February 2023, up from 4.4 per cent in the 12 months to January 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics which also reported that house prices increased 6.3 per cent in the same period. Annual private rent [...]
Spring Budget 2023 fails contractors, freelancers, agency workers (and the country as a whole) March 21, 2023 | Sponsored Jeremy Hunt’s first budget met expectations. ‘Dammed by faint praise’ fits the bill when best trying to articulate the frustration felt at yet another in a long list of missed opportunities. For those working in compliance and contingent employment, across the contracting sector, the failure is stark and can be charged on two counts. First [...]
Inheritance tax take beats all records as property price hikes boost HMRC’s coffers by whopping £6.4bn March 21, 2023 The amount of inheritance tax (IHT) paid in February totalled £531m, bringing the total for the 2022/23 tax year to a record £6.4bn. With just one month to go the amount already surpassed the £6.1bn received by the Treasury throughout the entire 2021-22 financial year. The record-breaking inheritance tax take follows last week’s revision by [...]
Summertime sadness: 2022 heatwave leaves insurers with £219bn subsidence bill March 21, 2023 Insurers are set to pay out £219m to Brits whose houses sunk into the ground due to the heatwave last year, new figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show. The summer heatwave, which saw temperatures in the Lincolnshire town on Coningsby hit record highs of 40.3 degrees Celsius, led to a surge in [...]
London house price growth slows, but you’ll still need over £1m to live in Camden, Kensington or Westminster March 20, 2023 The price of the average London home stood at £680,806, according to online estate agent Rightmove, which found that house prices in the capital rose 2.5 per cent compared to three per cent in Britain as a whole in the last 12 months. When looked at borough-by-borough, property prices fared differently. So while Camden residents [...]
Exclusive: Renters face being pushed out of London as landlords struggle to cope with ‘huge’ mortgage hikes, adviser warns March 20, 2023 Landlords in London and the south east are facing a 125 per cent increase in monthly mortgage payments, or £574 on average, according to research exclusively shared with City A.M. The Bank of England’s decision to raise interest rates 11 times over the last 15 months has seen mortgage costs spiral for mortgage borrowers. Earlier [...]
What The Best Companies in The City of London are Doing to Save Money March 20, 2023 | Sponsored In the competitive business market of London, companies are looking for any advantage they can find to save money and stay ahead. One of the most popular options for companies wanting an office in London is to utilise non-traditional commercial real estate, such as serviced offices. Traditional office space is a huge investment Traditional office [...]
Pension pain: Savers who bought lifetime allowance ‘protection’ warned they may still find their tax-free lump sum capped March 17, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s decision to scrap the pension lifetime allowance (LTA) in Wednesday’s Spring Budget, was heralded as an incentive for wealthier employees over 50 to stay in the workforce. But some pensions experts say for those who took out a form of LTA protection may still have to watch they do not go over [...]