HM Revenue and Customs has collected £3.9billion in inheritance tax (IHT) from April to September 2023. This is up £400million from the same period last year. With the current nil rate band (NRB) frozen until at least 2028, the IHT receipts are likely set to increase. The original forecast of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)…
Get started by using these planning tips to help you feel more confident about life after work. Planning for retirement can feel complex and overwhelming. How long will your savings have to last and what sort of lifestyle would you like to enjoy? There is a lot to consider so it can be hard to…
Pension rules now make it possible to pass your pension plan on to your loved ones without paying the previous 55% ‘death tax’. These basic checks and steps can normally make sure your pension savings go to the right people in a tax-efficient way. Many people want to leave their assets to their children or…
In addition to traditional pension schemes there are a variety of other investment options which can be used to provide income in retirement. Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) Some people might use money they have in an ISA as a source of income in retirement.For example, there are cash ISAs, which you can save into and…
When you retire, you won’t be paid to work anymore – so where might your money come from? There’s a good chance you could get it from multiple sources. And knowing what these sources might be could help you plan for retirement. Defined contribution or defined benefit plansSome of your money could come from a…
The Long-term outlook If the outlook for sterling is largely to be determined by the direction of interest rates, and rates are to be largely determined by inflation rather than the economic outlook, then what is the outlook for UK inflation? Recent data around both grocery and energy prices indicates that at least some of the…
On 18th July the UK government announced a consultation on pension taxation linked to the abolition of the Lifetime Allowance. It also considers other aspects of tax linked to pensions and proposes a significant change. Currently where pension member dies before age 75, benefits received by a beneficiary are generally outside the scope of income…
Despite the gloom that currently surrounds the UK’s economic outlook, the pound sterling has performed strongly, up around 23 per cent (as at July 14 2023) versus the US dollar since September 2022, and 5 per cent relative to the euro. Economic textbooks theorise that the principal determinant of the relative strength of one currency to…
In the previous article we started talking about planning your pension to ensure you have enough money to sustain your lifestyle throughout your retirement. Here are a couple more things to consider when organising your finances today. Consider other sources of income. It’s worth considering whether you have other sources of income that could let…
Your pension plan is there to help you fund your life in retirement. But how can you make your pension savings last for as long as you need them to when the cost of living has gone up so much? We have some tips that could help you prolong your retirement income while costs are…