The average deposit paid by first-time homebuyers jumped by £10,000 in 2020. When the pandemic took hold in the first half of last year, it looked as if the housing market was headed for a fall, if not something more dramatic. There were problems about viewing properties, arranging surveys, organising removals – you name it, […]
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We all know about making (and breaking!) resolutions at this time of year. While we’re waiting for the green shoots of spring to emerge, why not use the time effectively by taking on a lockdown project to take stock of your finances and make some realistic resolutions which will boost your financial wellbeing in 2021 […]
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Despite scam awareness campaigns and frequent consumer shows interviewing devastated people about their financial losses as victims of fraud, scams are still happening to many people. It may be tempting to think: “it won’t happen to me” but think again and stay vigilant! In the year to September 2020, Action Fraud received over 17,000 reports […]
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Following proposals announced to bring Capital Gains Tax (CGT) in line with Income Tax, financial advisers should be aware of the need to have a rethink if the plans come to fruition. OTS proposals Back in July, Chancellor Rishi Sunak called for a review of CGT in a letter that asked whether the current CGT […]
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A recent report on UK dividend payments suggests the worst of the cuts may be over. First, the bad news: In the third quarter of 2020, total (regular and special) dividend payments from UK companies were 49.1% lower than in the corresponding quarter in 2019. Two thirds of UK companies either cut or cancelled their […]
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It is more than likely that any expenditure you had planned for 2020, to make the most of your retirement, will have been affected by lockdown and travel restrictions, possibly meaning that you don’t need to take as much from your pension pot as you had originally thought. Now is an ideal time to review […]
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We are delighted to provide our summary of the key announcements in the Chancellor’s Winter Economy Plan on 24 September 2020. In his statement, Rishi Sunak announced the next stage of help and support for jobs and businesses. The aim is to steer the economy through what he described as a “difficult winter” after the […]
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As if the pandemic hasn’t given us enough to worry about, there is the resulting impact on global economies which has resulted in extreme stock market volatility. This may have made you anxious about your pension and wondering if you should take action, particularly if you are nearing retirement, but it is important to consider […]
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Dividends paid by UK companies dropped dramatically in the second quarter of the year. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on dividend payments has been highlighted by recent research from Link Asset Services, one of the leading UK company registrars. It looked at the dividend payments from UK listed companies in the second quarter of […]
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Lockdown has prompted many people to think about their current home and how it suits their lifestyle. Rather than moving to a new property, perhaps to accommodate a home office, it could make sense to stay put and release funds to give your home a makeover. Remortgaging can also make sound financial sense by making […]
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We are delighted to provide our summary of the key announcements in the Chancellor’s Summer Statement on 8 July 2020. Mr Sunak emphasised that we are only part way through the pandemic crisis and he will be coming back with further proposals later in the year – most notably in the planned Autumn Budget, when […]
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The cricket season may only now be slowly getting underway, but May saw the Chancellor score two centuries which, in different times, would have deeply worried investors. Every month the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes a detailed summary of the public sector finances, showing how much the public sector has spent and how much […]
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