magazine archive
magazine archive
Money Matters
Do I need to bother with property funds if I’m a homeowner?
Thursday 24 Sep 2020It’s a commonly held view that homeowners don’t need any other type of exposure to the property sector to be well diversified in investment terms. But does owning a residential property in which you live provide enough exposure to that asset class? Or do you need exposure in another way? Let’s...
Your options as mortgage holidays come to an end
Thursday 10 Sep 2020Millions of homeowners have taken a break from paying their mortgage, but as the Covid-19 scheme of mortgage payment holidays comes to an end, what are your options? In order to help households who might be struggling with their finances during lockdown and the current pandemic, the regulator told...
What’s the cheapest way to borrow money now?
Thursday 03 Sep 2020With the pandemic putting people’s finances under pressure, many of us are paying down debt to get into a more stable financial position. Data from UK Finance reveals the annual growth rate of outstanding credit card balances fell 12.6% during the final month of lockdown, as consumers rushed to...
As redundancy soars, what are you entitled to and how do you claim?
Thursday 03 Sep 2020One unfortunate effect of the pandemic is that lots of people have lost their job, with thousands being made redundant in recent months. The latest jobs figures show that 730,000 fewer people were on company payrolls compared to the start of the Covid-19 crisis. Despite this, the official...
Next steps for 18-year-olds as their child trust funds mature
Thursday 27 Aug 2020This September marks the 18th anniversary of the first child trust funds being issued, which means that the first recipients will be able to get their hands on the money. With lots of people unaware they even have one, let alone how to manage it, what should they be doing with the money? Here we...
Joining the kids savings boom
Thursday 20 Aug 2020Parents and grandparents have put away more money for their children during the current coronavirus pandemic, as they’ve saved money on their usual outgoings and funnelled that into Junior ISAs. Lots of people have found they’ve saved money during lockdown, whether that’s not paying for commuting...
Born in the 80s? You’re set for the biggest inheritance yet
Thursday 13 Aug 2020People are expected to inherit increasing sums as their parents have more wealth and they have fewer siblings, new research shows. And with more Millennials in line for a big windfall we use this article to look at ways of reducing the tax bill associated with an inheritance. GOOD NEWS FOR CHILDREN...
Six ways to teach your children about money
Thursday 06 Aug 2020With the summer holidays now in full swing, many parents will be wondering how to keep their kids entertained over the coming weeks. Finance lessons may not be the first thing that pops to mind but new research has found that kids enjoy learning about money when its mixed with games, jokes and real...
How do I use my pension in retirement?
Thursday 30 Jul 2020People spend most of their lifetime with their savings goals focused on building up their pension pots, but what about when it comes to drawing down that money in retirement? What changes do you need to make to your investment strategy and how do you manage the withdrawals? After 30, 40 or even 50...
How to beat the potential capital gains tax hike
Thursday 23 Jul 2020Chancellor Rishi Sunak has signalled he is looking to shake up how capital gains tax ( CGT ) is paid, which could leave taxpayers with a higher tax bill. Sunak has asked the Office for Tax Simplification to look at how CGT is structured, whether the tax can be simplified and if more help can be...