magazine archive
magazine archive
Personal Finance
How to readjust your ISA allocations without making fresh contributions
Thursday 24 Apr 2025The start of the new tax year was quickly upstaged this month by the arrival of tariff policies that sent equity and bond markets into a flurry. Before Trump took over the headlines, investors faced the usual deadline to max out their ISA contributions before the year was up, to take advantage of...
How to spring clean your portfolio
Thursday 17 Apr 2025Spring is upon us and many of us will be tempted to rejuvenate our houses with a little elbow grease, and maybe even venture out into the garden to get a head start on the annual plant lifecycle. Not everybody will spare a thought for their investments this spring though, but they probably should...
Why investing in an ISA early could make you more than £19,000 richer
Thursday 10 Apr 2025There’s nothing like a deadline to spur us into action. It’s why so many investors find themselves opening ISAs in the final days of each tax year, just before the 5 April cut-off date. But there are also investors who do things a bit differently, opening their ISAs in the first few days of each...
How much extra you’re paying HMRC thanks to frozen income tax bands
Thursday 03 Apr 2025The chancellor’s Spring Statement has thrown a spotlight on a growing problem for workers: higher taxes. According to new figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), we’re looking at the highest tax take relative to the economy since World War II. The Government’s own numbers show that...
ISA savers pocket billions in tax relief
Thursday 27 Mar 2025ISA savers have hit the jackpot when it comes to tax savings, as new data from HMRC reveals a sharp increase in the value of tax relief provided to both cash and stocks and shares ISA holders over the last few years. Figures obtained by AJ Bell through a freedom of information (FOI) request show...
How to become a family of millionaires
Thursday 20 Mar 2025For many families, the thought of becoming millionaires might feel like a pipe dream. However, with smart investing and a bit of discipline, it’s possible for a family of four to have reached the coveted £1 million mark in as little as 10 years. A family of four who has diligently maxed out their...
The loophole that gives your child a £36,000 tax-free allowance this year
Thursday 06 Mar 2025A quirk of the system means that families can pay £36,000 into a tax-free account for their child in one year – far exceeding the usual £9,000 annual Junior ISA limit. A clash between how the rules differ between Child Trust Funds and Junior ISAs, plus the generous £9,000 annual allowance per child...
Why making your second ISA million is 2.5 times easier than your first
Thursday 27 Feb 2025Have you ever idly wondered how much you need to save to build up a million pounds in an ISA over 25 years? In case you have, the answer is £1,433 per month, assuming you get 6% growth on your investments. That’s clearly a pretty punchy amount to be able to stash away from your monthly income, but...
Discover 10 ways to cut your tax bill before April
Thursday 20 Feb 2025There are less than two months left until the tax year ends, on 5 April. That leaves plenty of time to organise your finances to reduce your tax bill and maximise your allowances. Here’s the list of actions you can take to get shipshape before the new tax year. 1. Maximise your free money There are...
What higher bond yields mean for your personal finances
Thursday 30 Jan 2025If you picked up a newspaper in the last few weeks you probably read about the mini-meltdown in the bond market. Gilt yields, which move in the opposite direction to prices, started to rise all of a sudden, and it looked like things might spiral out of control. These yields dictate the rate of...