News

“An economy fit for a new age of optimism” Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivered his third Budget and the results of his Spending Review on 27 October, declaring that it begins “the work of preparing for a new economy post-COVID.” The Chancellor struck an upbeat tone during the key fiscal event, as he […]

The United Nation’s 26th Conference of the Parties – COP26 – is recognised as the most important climate change event since the 2015 Paris Agreement. Due to be held this November in Glasgow, the summit will bring together world leaders to build on the work left unfinished by COP25 and the goals set out in […]

Some families have found it easier to save more than normal during the pandemic, due to reduced outgoings on things like commuting, holidays and entertainment. If you have a mortgage, overpaying is one option worth considering. Benefits of overpaying In a low-rate environment, savings rates are likely to be lower than your mortgage rate, so […]

Interest in equity release More than half (57%) of homeowners have expressed interest in releasing equity from their property, according to the Equity Release Council. Across all ages, the most popular reason is to boost pension income and savings, followed by paying for care support at home. The total housing equity available to retirees and […]

A third are indebted as they enter retirement Retirement. That much-awaited time when, after paying off your mortgage and accumulating a pension pot, you stop work and sail off into the sunset to enjoy your twilight years. Unfortunately, not every retiree’s story matches this ideal. Indeed, far from having everything paid off, it has been […]

ESG assets to top $50trn by 2025 ESG assets are forecast to exceed $50trn (£36.5trn) – over a third of projected global assets – by 2025, according to Bloomberg Intelligence1. The analysis comes as environmental, social and governance factors are becoming increasingly important to investors across the globe. “The pandemic and the global race to […]

A new health and social care tax will be introduced across the UK from April 2022. The tax will initially begin as a 1.25 percentage point increase in National Insurance, paid by both workers and employers. From April 2023, it will become a separate tax on earned income, calculated in the same way as National […]

Nearly seven in ten properties up for sale (68%) across the UK found a buyer in the year to June 2021, according to Rightmove data1 – the highest percentage in a decade. This is significantly higher than the average 53% of homes that found a buyer between 2012 and early 2020. Scotland leads the way […]

In late July, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) published its annual statistics on Inheritance Tax (IHT). These revealed that IHT payments received by HMRC in the 2020-21 tax year totalled £5.4bn, up about £0.2bn (almost 4%) on 2019–20, when receipts were slightly lower than 2018–19. Typically, more than 20,000 deaths per year result in an […]

As the year progresses to the season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’, thoughts inevitably turn to hunkering down with hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows as the nights draw in. Autumn is a season traditionally associated with change, as well as themes of comfort, preservation and protection; a time to get things in order. Time to […]