Unexpected economic boost: UK growth outpaces forecasts
Economic Review July 2024 Figures released last month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the UK economy grew faster in May than had been predicted, while survey evidence points to a more recent post-election pick-up in business activity. The latest gross domestic product (GDP) statistics revealed that economic output rose by 0.4% in […]
Bank of England hints at imminent rate cuts amid economic shifts
Economic Review June 2024 – the prospect of a rate cut moves closer While last month once again saw the Bank of England (BoE) leave interest rates unchanged at a 16-year high, the minutes of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting signalled a notable change in tone. Economists now view a rate cut as […]
Election Debrief: 5 July 2024
Following weeks of intense campaigning, the electorate has delivered its verdict. As widely expected, the Labour Party has secured a historic landslide victory, soaring past the magic 326 seat mark in the early hours of Friday morning. With the party now occupying over 400 seats, Sir Keir Starmer’s promise of “change” has certainly struck a […]
Economic Review May 2024
UK growth rate at a two-year high Last month’s release of first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) statistics confirmed that the UK economy has exited the shallow recession it entered during the latter half of last year. Survey evidence suggests private sector output has expanded over the past two months. The latest GDP data published by […]
Low-income trusts and estates
The Spring Budget 2023 laid out several changes to income taxation for low-income trusts and estates. Read on to learn how this may affect you. Overview of changes Low-income trusts and estates are those in which income is treated as exempt if it is below the low-income threshold. The Spring Budget 2023 proposed several changes […]
Spring budget 2024 – key points
On 6 March, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt delivered his Spring Budget to the House of Commons declaring it was “a Budget for long-term growth.” The fiscal update included a number of new policy measures, such as a widely-anticipated reduction in National Insurance, abolition of the non-dom tax status and new savings products designed […]
How can I start investing ethically?
Here are a few suggestions to get you started: Know your values Take time to think about which ethical approaches matter most to you. There are so many different ethical and sustainability issues that it may be hard to find one option that fits everything. Being clear what matters most to you, will help you […]
Saving for school or university fees
It’s often said that the value of a good education is priceless, but in today’s money that means on average, for a university student, you’ll be looking at around £20,340 a year, including tuition fees. When it comes to school fees, according to School Fees Checker, fees increased by 5.1% in September 2022, with an average […]
ISAs 101: your guide to Individual Savings Accounts
ISA stands for individual savings account and is an investment vehicle that has great tax breaks. It allows you to earn interest on cash savings or dividends from investments without paying income tax or capital gains tax. To ensure this tax break is not exploited, there is a restriction placed on how much you can […]
Why Choose SIPPs? The Advantages of Personal Pensions
If you want a flexible and straightforward way to save for your retirement that puts you in the driving seat, a self-invested personal pension, or SIPP, might be appropriate. Here, we explain how a SIPP works so that you can consider whether it could be the right pension plan for you. What is a SIPP? […]
Pension planning during times of uncertainty
There have been various difficulties in recent years, affecting the UK economy that have had an impact on pension savers. These include Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as well as political instability in Westminster. These events have caused turbulence in the markets, leading to a decline in share prices and […]
Investing for the long term – lessons from the past
The emergence of COVID-19 brought a rapid end to the drawn-out recovery of major stock markets from the share price lows associated with the financial crisis a decade ago. When the scale of the threat to lives and livelihoods became apparent, market analysts and investors reassessed the global economic outlook and corporate prospects; they didn’t […]
