Keep going well…? Shell’s historic dividend cut
When a 75-year run is broken, something significant has probably happened. If you are of a certain age, ‘Keep going well…’ could have you…
Missing in inaction: calculating inflation under lockdown
The Covid-19 pandemic has created problems for the statisticians who calculate the rate of inflation. Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI),…
Deferring July’s income tax payment after Covid-19
The imminent payment on account does not have to be paid. The last Friday in July is the due date for the second 2019/20…
Should you review your pension fund withdrawals?
The fall in world stock markets has cut the value of many pension pots. Which would you choose as investment performance, assuming a £10,000…
Don’t be so negative…
Could UK interest rates head into negative figures? Source: Bank of England The Bank of England’s chief economist, Andy Haldane, suggested in mid-May that…
Covid-19 measures: 29 May 2020 Update
On Friday 29 May the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, presented further details of how several key schemes will develop over the coming weeks and months.…
Covid-19 measures: 22 May 2020 Update
Following the range of updates over the last several weeks, we have now rounded up the latest information from the government on specific schemes…
Crisis lessons – spotlight falls on social security net
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted many aspects of life which had previously gone unnoticed or ignored and found the holes. The full extent to…
All the zeros: five-fold government borrowing expectations
The government could end up borrowing five times as much as it expected on Budget day. In the Budget on 11 March, the Office…
Rise in lockdown will writing highlights forward planning needs
One perhaps unsurprising side-effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has been an upsurge of interest in wills and estate planning. However, the lockdown is constraining…
The uses of investment losses…
The Covid-19 pandemic has seen the values of many investments fall. But lower values can have a useful upside. ‘It’s an ill wind that…
Out with the old and a boost for the new for children’s savings
2020 sees an old plan mature and its replacement given a boost. Be prepared to feel just a little old: the first Child Trust…
The inheritance tax dog that didn’t bark…
One of the few surprises in March’s Budget was that the Chancellor never mentioned inheritance tax (IHT) or expected simplification measures. Before 11 March…
A change to the annual allowance taper
One of the more controversial pension tax rules – the annual allowance taper – was slightly reformed in the Budget. The annual allowance effectively…
Base rate – the last cut is the deepest…
The Bank of England’s two unscheduled base rate changes in March took interest rates to a new all-time low. The Bank of England’s 0.5%…
The quarter of the unexpected – the markets’ story
The first quarter of 2020 was a traumatic one for investors. 2020 started off well enough. Until the middle of February, most global share…
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