News

Inheritance Tax (IHT) receipts have been consistently rising, with new data from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) showing takings for the 2022-23 tax year totalled £7.1bn, up a massive £1bn from the previous tax year (£6.1bn 2021-22). According to HMRC, this huge uplift can be attributed in part to ‘a combination of the recent rises […]

Home renovations are a popular way to give your property a new lease of life. When undertaking large-scale projects, there is a lot to think about – and the impact on your home insurance should be part of this planning.   In the loop   As well as producing detailed plans, seeking planning permission and choosing your […]

How up to date are you with your pension? Here are a few things to consider.  How much is in your pension pot?  According to research1, three quarters of UK adults don’t know how much is in their pension pot. This figure rises to 79% of 55 to 64-year-olds who say they can’t put a […]

While recent financial challenges have taken their toll on everyone’s pockets, it comes as no surprise that parents are putting concerns about their children’s finances above their own, as highlighted in a recent survey of advisers1.  Over half (55%) of the advisers surveyed noted that adult children were taking priority in clients’ wealth planning at […]

Older buy-to-let (BTL) landlords are selling up in large numbers, new analysis suggests1, leaving a void when they ‘retire’ from the business.  Ageing population  The median age of individual landlords was 58 in 2021, according to the latest English Private Landlord Survey, significantly older than the general population. In contrast, only 15% were under the […]

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that 90% of those currently in their 30s and 40s are saving less than they need to if they want to have a decent standard of living in retirement. Whilst the IFS researchers found that the current generation of pensioners is doing better than any before it, […]

The last few years have created an increasingly complex backdrop for retirement planning. Not only has the post-pandemic era seen attitudes to work alter significantly, but macro-economic headwinds from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis have created significant unhelpful market volatility. In combination, this has inevitably heightened the need for everyone to engage […]

Turning homes into short-term holiday lets could soon require planning permission if new government plans come into force.  Conversion crackdown  The motivation behind plans is to save residents from being pushed out of their towns, the government says. Specifically, the government aims to target the practice of ‘industrialising’ online rental platforms, whereby entire apartment blocks […]

Apartment sales drive recovery   Agreed residential sales have returned to pre-pandemic levels for the first time since September 20221. The number of sales in March 2023 was only 1% behind March 2019, with the recovery largely driven by sales of apartments, which are now 10% above 2019 levels. In total, agreed sales remain 18% below […]