Inflation: The quiet thief in the room
YOU don’t need to be an economist to know something’s off when your shopping trolley costs more but contains less. Know the feeling? Inflation. Excited to read about it or have a chat at the bar or dinner table? Either way, it’s the guest at every dinner table, nibbling away at your wallet before you’ve […]
Two per cent inflation target – from a TV gaffe to a global policy
DO you ever wonder why central banks target two per cent inflation? You might think it came from a Nobel-winning economic model, or some robust international consensus. Nope. In 1988, New Zealand’s Finance Minister, Roger Douglas, casually mentioned on television that he’d like to see inflation around 0-1 per cent. The Reserve Bank added one […]
Inflation and the six-million-dollar man
WHEN I think back to ‘how simple life was’ when I was a wee, dark-haired chap, I feel the words from the journalist, Mary Schmich, poke in my back: “Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasise that when you were young, […]
ISA V Pension – two very different tins of biscuits!
THAT moment I’m cornered at the BBQ with ”Should I put my money in a pension or an ISA?” Well, it’s like a wagyu burger versus a beer – both can be enjoyable but both do very different things. Let’s start with the ISA. It’s the financial equivalent of a well-stocked fridge. You can put […]
The pensions robbery tax?
I’M disappointed…in a ‘seriously-you-thought-this-was-OK’ sort of way. The Treasury has decided to go ahead with the ‘pull a rabbit from the hat’ for April 2027. Not a fluffy nice bunny, type. More like a fatal attraction style. From that date, most unused pension pots you leave behind will be dragged into your estate for inheritance […]
The inheritance tax trick you might be missing
IF there’s a subject more likely to turn off your dinner table conversation than inheritance tax (IHT), I haven’t found it yet (politicians aside). That is until you realise just how much money you could lose – or better, save, simply by understanding one thing: the transferable nil rate band. Stick with me – it […]
When Daffodils don’t bloom: Lessons in inheritance tax from beyond the grave
IT’S not too often we wake up thinking ‘today’s a belting day to plan my death duties’. Yet every year, families are blindsided by the bureaucratic mess and tax bill which can follow a loved one’s passing on top of the trauma of loss. There’s one thing Inheritance Tax (IHT), let alone life, teaches us, […]
What the residence nil rate band really means for your estate
IF I told you that you and your partner could leave £1million tax-free to your children, you might raise a glass and boot the financial paperwork back in the “that’s me done” drawer. But that headline number, like most headlines, needs a big shiny Asterix sticker. In 2017, the Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB) was […]
The Silent Squeeze: Conditional selling and the financial hijack
THE stresses of buying a home! It starts innocently enough. You find the house. The dream one. The “let’s start a family” one. Then comes the silent nudge. “Our in-house broker at the estate agent can help speed things up.” Conditional selling – where some estate agents push, hint, or outright state that your offer […]
Mortgage rules under review: End of ‘computer says no’?
IF there’s one thing the mortgage market has mastered over the past decade, it’s rigidity. Try explaining to a bank that you’ve just started a freelance career, or that your income comes from a mixture of pensions, rental income, and part-time work. More often than not, you’ll be met with a polite version of “computer […]
Benefitting when the markets throw a tantrum
WE don’t rip up our driving licence every time we hit a pothole. Some investors can react like this the moment markets get bumpy. They panic, bail out, and swear never to invest again, until the next boom, of course. Market wobbles aren’t unusual. They’re normal and essential. I chatted this through with our Investment […]
Markets and Missiles: What the Israel/Iran conflict signals for the global economy
IN a world where financial markets used to melt at every puff of Middle Eastern smoke, it’s remarkable how composed they’ve become, even as drones and missiles whizzed between Iran and Israel. Our investment team have been here many times and while this one is very, very different in terms of the potential, or some […]