Press Releases
New Year’s Resolutions for Financial Planning
Around 50% of us make New Year’s Resolutions and ‘sort the finances out’ must be one of the most popular: but that’s a little vague – it’s more a wish than a firm commitment to take action. Looking at the January appointments we’ve had with new and existing clients, here are the topics that we’ve discussed most often. If you’re determined to sort out your finances, these may give you some food for thought.
Over-55s struggle as savings & income levels plunge
Savings for older people have fallen by more than 25% over the past year, while incomes for the over-55s have dropped, according to research by Aviva. One in 10 of the over-55s are surviving on less than £500 a month, with single women most likely to be in poverty, said Aviva in its "Real Retirement Report", which over the last two years has tracked the income and spending of 11,600 people in, or near, retirement. The average monthly income of the over-55s now stands at £1,285, a small rise on the quarter before, but 4% down from last year.
Ten strategies for tax planning in 2012
Many of us will be making a New Year’s resolution to sort out our finances in 2012 – but an often overlooked part of putting your finances in order is making sure that your tax planning is effective. Are you claiming all the tax relief you’re entitled to? Are your investments arranged in the most tax efficient way?
The Pitfalls of Dealing with Dragons…
Dragon’s Den seems like a good idea. Someone injects cash into your business; they bring years of experience, a proven track record and a contacts book to die for – and all you have to do is give away a slice of your equity. And even if it’s not one of the Dragons, the idea of an outside investor can be attractive, providing the capital and sometimes the expertise that a small business needs to grow.
Keeping your Business Plan on Track
We’re living in unprecedented times. Countries are threatening to default; the West is facing the prospect of a ‘double-dip recession’ and stock markets are falling sharply. So if you’re running a business, you’d be forgiven for having a one word business plan: “survive.”
January Market Commentary
December saw the death of North Korea’s ‘dear leader’ Kim Jong-il, with command of the country seemingly passing to his youngest son – the ‘great successor’ – Kim Jongun. But with sundry generals peering over the younger Kim’s shoulder tensions are likely to remain high, especially around the border with South Korea.
The house price rollercoaster continues
Many house owners now feel let down and cheated by what has happened to house prices since October 2007. Some house owners who were house buyers just before the end of 2007, may have the right to be very unhappy if they bought at the peak of a booming housing market, which then took a nose-dive before flattening out at a below-peak price level – they may now be suffering the draining effects of negative-equity.
Improving your chances of selling your house
What makes a house buyer choose to buy a particular house? What do they have in mind when they look at houses to buy? If, for whatever reason, you are determined to sell your property, you can’t dwell on the state of the house sales market, even if it is sluggish or saturated with unsold houses. You can only do your best to sell yours, either at the price you require, or by going for the appeal of an irresistible, and costly for you, bargain!
The Tax Implications of Entertaining your Employees
With the dust now settling on the office Christmas party, employers could be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief and thinking they can get back to real work. Unfortunately, that might not be the case – because the aftermath of the Christmas party (or any form of entertaining your staff) could leave you with a serious hangover in the shape of an extra tax liability.
Your PAYE end-of-year checklist
HMRC recently offered a small concession to taxpayers by pushing back the current self assessment deadline by two days. For companies dealing with PAYE, however, there are a whole host of deadlines to meet: while we’ll be working with all our clients to meet these deadlines we thought it might be useful to list them here, giving you the chance to do any necessary preparatory work in good time.
Selling your business – what to consider
Selling a business is likely to be the largest and most important financial deal any business owner will ever make. If you are thinking of selling your business for whatever reason, you should understand the business selling processes and how you can best get through and successfully complete a sale.
ISAs gathering dust, not interest!
An increasing number of new cash ISA products are being sold with additional interest as a bonus percentage, usually for no more than the first year. Investors who do not review their ISA holdings on at least a yearly basis may find that a later interest yield is dramatically less that they expected. Some people with ISA investments believe that it is not easy or even possible to transfer their ISAs from one provider to another.
