Against a backdrop of surging Coronavirus cases across the UK, and the introduction of further Government restrictions, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivered his Winter Economy Plan on Thursday of last week. Sunak’s Plan is intended primarily to offer additional support to businesses and protect jobs over the last quarter of 2020 and …

It’s been a long time coming, after first being announced in 2014, but the government has just confirmed the minimum pension age increase from age 55 to 57. The change will be effective from April 2028. This applies the rule of the minimum pension age being 10 years earlier than state pension. State pension age …

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of government support has increased significantly. This has enabled individuals across the UK to remain employed through the furlough scheme and the self-employed to continue funding their living without taking on personal debt. However, these are only two of the schemes put in place to boost the economy. Government …

Inflows Many people will now be familiar with Ethical/Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) investing as this is becoming an ever more prominent area, but just how much has this area grown recently? 2019 saw record inflows for ESG funds. This was the case both in the UK and in the US. Previously the investment options …

The UK government has introduced temporarily reduced rates on Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), but what does this mean for you? SDLT applies on the purchase of land or residential property in England or Northern Ireland. Similar taxes apply in Scotland (Land & Buildings Transaction Tax) and Wales (Land Transaction Tax), but the rates and …

Following the announcement of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Summer Statement on the 8th July, the Prime Minister appeared to solidify proposals for a ‘greener’ economic recovery in an announcement on Wednesday 22nd July. In addition to Sunak’s introduction of £3billion worth of grants for more energy-efficient public buildings and homes, PM Johnson has committed around £350million …

On Wednesday 8th July, Chancellor Rishi Sunak provided his economic plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Summer Statement has been introduced on this occasion to help the UK economy recover following recent events. We have summarised below the main points from the statement: Job Retention Bonus For every furloughed employee that an employer …

One of the most common phrases heard from retirees is ‘I don’t know how I had time to work before’. Indeed many people find they are busier than ever during retirement, but just how important is it to fill your time throughout retirement, and what are the common things people do? Holidays/Travel Although everyone is …

The minimum contribution to a workplace pension currently stands at 8%. This 8% consists of a minimum of 3% from your employer. This leaves you with the remainder of 5% to pay. But what happens when you have been furloughed during Covid-19? The government’s coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will cover the contribution made by your …

In periods of uncertainty, such as those of recent times, the importance of estate planning is ever highlighted. Careful financial planning can be undone by the absence of a Will, or indeed the execution of and outdated one. For many people, there has been a surge in requests for Will writing, putting in place Powers …