Navigating the available options regarding ISAs can be confusing. With 6 months to go before the end of the tax year, now is a good time to look at whether you should be contributing to an ISA. Over time the ISA allowance has increased considerably, but savings rates have dropped. The Cash ISA & Stocks & Shares
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Grandparents can make a real difference to their grandchildren’s futures by helping with the costs of education. With the cost of a 3-year university course topping £50k*, many students are starting work with large debts, or worse, could be put off going altogether. Grandparents need not feel concerned about handing large sums to their grandchildren
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We have all had our chance to vote and have judged the benefits of an independent life outside the EU to be worth the costs of leaving it. In spite of the more emotional appeals to the contrary, this is not a disaster. The UK will certainly suffer an economic impact as businesses consider their
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How has the Brexit uncertainty affected the UK market? Although the EU referendum is dominating headlines in the UK, not all stock market movements are a result of the forthcoming vote. There are also a lot of global factors affecting ours and international markets. The year started with extreme pessimism about Chinese and global growth
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Pensions – no news is good news Its business as usual for pension saving as the Chancellor confirmed there will be no imminent changes to pension tax relief. The introduction of the new Lifetime ISA (LISA) saving vehicle from April 2017 adds another complementary option to the saving landscape. Other pension news Salary sacrifice is
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There have been several significant changes over the last couple of years and therefore some important actions are required before the end of current tax year as well as a number of planning opportunities that will take effect from 6th April 2016. To help you plan; under the various headings below, we have listed just
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With over 90 years of combined experience of financial planning & investing, we consider that it is very difficult and most likely impossible to predict when is the best time to enter or exit the market. The speed at which markets react to news means stock prices have already absorbed the impact of new developments.
Read MoreGiven the current theme of global stock market volatility caused largely by the issues that exist in the Far East, we are providing a brief update addressing the current market volatility and the likely effect on your investments. Current Market Volatility There are concerns over market volatility in recent weeks, with the lack of a
Read MoreMany congratulations to Lucy Loughton, who has qualified to practice as a financial adviser. Lucy passed her final exam to achieve the CII’s Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning at the end of May 2015. Peter Blackburn, Director of Loughtons IFA said “This is a tremendous effort by Lucy and the result of 2 years of
Read MoreYou are no doubt starting to see a lot of press regarding the proposed pension legislation and enhancements to ISA investments as we head up to the 6th April 2015. Naturally there are concerns and questions being asked, especially in the media and there are those that feel that the government are looking for short
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