Blog
Swiss parochialism backfires March continues to provide investors with the opposite of the ‘steady-as-she-goes’ environment of January and February. It appeared that global banking sector turmoil had eased after Swiss authorities officiated over a classic ‘shotgun’ marriage between Credit Suisse and UBS. Indeed, for a few days, stock markets and bond yields recovered somewhat, but…
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Bank stress-testing in real-time Following the run on Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), fear has spread. The nervousness of market participants over recently elevated stock and bond valuations found its focal point and so the stock index of the aggregate global bank sector had a very bad week. SVB has become the first sizeable victim of…
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The Spring Budget certainly sprung a surprise when Jeremy Hunt announced that the lifetime allowance (LTA) is to be abolished. An increase to £1.8m had been strongly rumoured in the days leading up to the Budget, but scrapping it altogether is a welcome simplification for advisers and their high earning clients. In most cases it…
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Key Takeaways The closure and wind-down of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has led to some considerable stress in global equity markets, particularly among shares of regional banks, as well as fear of contagion. There are unique elements to SVB that contributed to its demise, including its client base and risk controls. While we are likely…
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Pensions Download the latest update and tax tables here. Lifetime allowance The Chancellor announced today that from 6 April 2023 no-one will pay a lifetime allowance charge. From 6 April 2024, the lifetime allowance will be abolished and a future Finance Bill will remove the lifetime allowance completely from pensions tax legislation. The current 55%…
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As an independent financial adviser, I often work with clients who are considering equity release as a way to unlock some of the value in their homes. Equity release can be a useful financial tool, but it’s important to understand the reasons why clients take out equity release and the potential risks involved. In this…
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UK The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.3% during January, after shrinking by 0.5% in December. This was a faster recovery than expected and a firm move away from recession territory. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) house price balance, which measures the difference between the percentage…
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10 key ISA (Individual Savings Account) facts 1. What is an ISA? An ISA is a tax-free savings account. Money saved within the ISA wrapper isn’t charged any income, capital gains, or dividend tax. 2. How much can I save in my ISA each year All eligible ISA participants receive a £20,000 annual allowance. This…
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As an independent financial adviser, I am often asked about the benefits of contributing to a pension. It’s an important question, and the answer is more complicated than you might think. That’s because pensions offer a wide range of benefits that can vary depending on your individual circumstances. However, in this article, I will outline…
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Mood swings Bond and equity markets have been experiencing teenager-like mood swings for some time now. Investors have oscillated between optimism over the surprising resilience of consumer demand and relative company earnings stability, and pessimism that the same economic resilience will force central banks to keep raising rates for longer. Last week, focus shifted back…
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