News and Events

We are pleased to announce that Richard Kirkham has become a Director of Three Counties Ltd and GWA Asset Management
Ltd on 6 February 2024.

Wednesday 5 April 2024 sees the end of the current Tax Year. Following the Chancellor's continued plans to freeze and in some case reduce Tax-free allowances, it's more important than ever to make the most of some timely Tax planning.

STOCKS BEGIN TO MOTOR -
In June 2023 we asked whether a new bull market had begun. Nine months later, we have our answer. The MSCI World index moved to new all-time highs in February. The US and Japanese stock markets have led the way, while others are yet to catch up - including the UK’s.

Yesterday, Jeremy Hunt gave what could be the Conservative Party’s last Budget before a General Election and possibly his last as Chancellor of the Exchequer. He claimed the Spring Budget 2024 aimed to halve inflation, reduce debt and grow the economy.

A Steady Start to 2024 -
The year has begun on a tentative footing following the excesses of November and December, when asset prices galloped higher. Investors have paused to reflect on the ‘wall of worry’ that is said to accompany most bull markets. 

In November 2023, HMRC launched a new voluntary disclosure route to allow individuals with undeclared capital gains tax (CGT)…

Investors enter 2024 with optimism -
Global stocks closed 2023 with their fourth largest annual return of the last twenty years. But those gains mostly came from a narrow group. The seven largest companies in the US - Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Nvidia, Facebook & Tesla – returned a colossal 111% on average.

We often take steps to fund for future retirement, manage our Inheritance Tax position or make Wills, but planning for care needs is seldom at the top of our lists.

In simple terms when we talk about business succession we mean the long-term plan for the business. In practice, it is difficult to cover all of the taxation and accounting issues surrounding succession in business across the generations in one short article, but here goes . . .

Last month we said ‘the key economic indicators could prove not too hot, nor too cold, but just about right for investors to feel comfortable’. There can certainly be no doubt about the stock market’s favourite fairy tale after November’s gains: Goldilocks wins, hands down. With inflation cooling rapidly and GDP and employment figures remaining stable on both sides of the Atlantic, the stock market has shaken off the bears and moved markedly higher.

Yesterday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered his Autumn Statement. We have sifted through the details and hope the following highlights, which we feel will be the most significant to our clients, will be helpful.

Last Wednesday night (1 November) we held the first of two autumn Rural Seminars. Our first seminar hosted by our…