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Insight Financial Associates

Budget

Budget Summary March 2020

Introduction So was it the Coronavirus Budget, or the Infrastructure Budget? Or was it, as the Chancellor declared at the end of his speech, the ‘people’s Budget from a people’s government?’ It was certainly a Budget that was high on spending commitments and one that the Chancellor declared would ‘get things done.’ Now where have …

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What’s happening to the tapered annual allowance?

What’s happening to the tapered annual allowance?

There has been much talk in the financial press recently of proposed changes to the threshold for the tapered annual allowance from £110,000 to £150,000. The taper was introduced in 2016 and gradually reduces the annual allowance for those on high incomes. For every £2 of adjusted income above £150,000 a year, £1 of annual …

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What are the proposed changes to IHT for siblings

What are the proposed changes to IHT for siblings?

At the moment, only those who are married or who are registered civil partners are exempt from paying inheritance tax (IHT) on money or property left to them by their spouse. This was expanded to include heterosexual civil partnerships at the end of 2019. But the law does not cover siblings who are cohabiting. They …

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The link between human behaviour and investing

The link between human behaviour and investing

Financial planning… Isn’t that based on cold, hard facts and scientific reasoning? Surely feelings and emotions don’t have much to do with investing?         We think they do. And here’s why. A little thing called human behaviour gets involved, you see. Only it’s not so little. Human beings are highly complex systems, motivated by many different factors …

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February market commentary

February Market Commentary

China grabbed the headlines again in January, but this time not for trade. On 31st December, the Chinese authorities had notified the World Health Organisation of an outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan City, Hubei Province. Today the country is in lockdown, the death toll is rising fast, the number of infected is rising faster.  The …

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New approach to your finances

New year, new decade, new approach to your finances?

You may have already made some New Year’s resolutions regarding healthy eating and exercise but could your finances do with slimming down too? The start of a new year, not to mention a new decade, is a great time to review your financial situation, examine your budget in detail and make plans for the future. …

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Accountant

Do you need an accountant?

If you’re reading this as one of our clients, we’re obviously pleased with the decision you’ve made (and hopefully you are too!) but we thought it would be helpful to outline some of the considerations. So, if you’ve set up a limited company, must you have an accountant? By law, no, you don’t require one. …

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January Market Commentary

January Market Commentary

The end of the decade saw the US/China trade dispute continue to make plenty of headlines. However with Donald Trump signing a long-awaited ‘phase one’ agreement on 15th January, it appears 2020 could see tensions ease. Trump is currently due to travel to China later in the year, where ‘phase two’ of the deal will …

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Christmas Shopping

4 savvy tips when Christmas shopping

Christmas seems to come round earlier and earlier each year. Retailers start tempting ‘early gifters’ as soon as the Back to School stock has disappeared. And competitive Christmas light displays begin appearing in some neighbourhoods from as early as November.  While this may run the risk of detracting from the main event, some preparation is …

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