News in Review
“This is fundamentally a growth market, and we see it continuing to be that way” The travel industry has featured prominently in the news over the past seven days, with an easing of travel restrictions announced on both sides of the Atlantic. Last Friday, simplification of the traffic light system and testing requirements in England, […]
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Rising inheritances and deficit may hasten IHT change
In 2018, Chancellor Philip Hammond asked the Office of Tax Simplification to review Inheritance Tax1. However, subsequent events have meant that the tax regime for transfers of wealth between generations has not been revised, though Mr Hammond’s next-but-one successor Rishi Sunak could yet dust-off two OTS reports2. A big deficit caused by the pandemic points […]
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News in Review
“This rise will impact the wider economic recovery” Over the past seven days, government plans to raise National Insurance contributions to fund the health and social care system have continued to feature prominently in the news headlines. Last Wednesday, despite warnings of a mass Tory rebellion, MPs voted by 319 votes to 248 to approve […]
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Equity release availability hits record high
The number of equity release products on the market is the highest it has ever been, with rates over two percentage points lower than five years ago. Data1 shows that the number of equity release products now exceeds 500 – the highest on record. The analysis also reveals that the maximum available LTV has remained […]
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‘Secret accounts’ slow the probate process
According to the first Bereavement Index from probate software specialist Exizent1, many people fail to put their financial affairs in order before they die, leaving behind a ‘financial mess’ and a stressful experience for those tasked with administering their estate. The Index revealed that one in seven (14%) of those tasked with gathering the assets […]
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Taking the emotion (and colour!) out of investment decisions
The psychology of investing is fascinating. There are so many behavioural traps that investors may find themselves falling into as markets fluctuate and knee jerk reactions take hold. The anchoring trap is a prime example, where investors over rely on their perceptions of an investment which may be totally incorrect, rather than being flexible in […]
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News in Review
“Following the most successful vaccine programme in the world, we’re beginning the biggest catch-up programme in the history of the NHS” On Tuesday, Boris Johnson took to the Downing Street podium, following an earlier appearance in the House of Commons, to set out the government’s intentions to “help our NHS recover from the pandemic and […]
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