Personal Finances - Page 3

Self-Assessment deadline 31st January Countdown for 5.7 million customers to file their tax return With less than a month…

The Scottish Budget plans for 2024/25 were announced by the new Scottish Finance Secretary, Shona Robison, on 19 December 2023 and included a new income tax band for higher earners in Scotland.

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.

5 reasons Self-Assessment customers don’t need to wait on hold

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.

October was another difficult month for investors - the culmination of three consecutive months where stocks and bonds have declined together. However, the US and UK central banks provided “dovish” statements on November 1st and 2nd, stating policy is adequately restrictive in light of slowing inflation. Markets are now forecasting that further interest rate hikes are highly unlikely and have entered the new month on a positive note.

Watch out for scams…  Protect yourself and your money HMRC is reminding customers to be wary of approaches made by fraudsters…

1 November 2023

HMRC has released a new tool to assist with understanding what a tax code means, how it is made…

The first half of 2023 produced good returns from overseas stock markets, as most economies proved more resilient than expected, despite forecasts of a recession at the beginning of the year. As the second half of 2023 progresses, those gains are being given back as higher interest rates and rising oil prices are taking their toll once again.