Independent Wealth Advice

End of Year Tax Tips

2009-01-26T04:46:00.002-08:00

Planning for the end of a Tax Year can often be overlooked during periods of extreme volatility in stock markets, but this should not be the case.

A Pound for a Euro

2009-01-26T04:46:00.001-08:00

As well as the collapse of investment markets, the value of the Pound against the Euro also plummeted, to the extent that we are now at virtual parity, making all of our forthcoming European holidays very much more expensive.

House prices and interest rate cuts where are we now

2009-01-26T04:45:00.001-08:00

Two of the most often asked questions from clients are...

Pensions Are they still worth it

2009-01-26T04:44:00.000-08:00

As the great economist John Maynard Keynes once observed; ‘the way out of recession is to spend your way out of it’ (Enter Gordon Brown); but, we are all battening down the hatches and saving more, which is bad for a recovery in the economy, but good for our pensions and future income in retirement requirements.

Market Report January 2009

2009-01-26T04:43:00.000-08:00

Not only did 2008 bring us abysmal investment market performance, it also brought us Banking failures (Lehman Brothers and others); corporate failures (Woolworths, Adams and others); and to cap it all, it bought the World’s biggest fraud, when the Bernard Madoff scam was unearthed in the United States, with an alleged $50 Billion price tag.

No New Year Resolutions

2009-01-26T04:42:00.000-08:00

Back in October we identified two possible scenarios for the global economy as we entered the new year.

January 2009 Market Update - Commodities

2009-01-19T06:44:00.001-08:00

It will come of little surprise to readers to hear that commodity prices have retreated markedly since their peaks in the summer of 2008.

January 2009 Market Update - Fixed Interest Markets

2009-01-19T06:43:00.001-08:00

Most fixed interest markets, other than the US government bond market, had a difficult time in 2008.

January 2009 Market Update - Equity Markets

2009-01-19T06:42:00.000-08:00

As I have already reported, shares had a dismal year in 2008. However, as I have also commented, many shares may have been sold off regardless of their real worth.

January 2009 Market Update - The importance of liquidity

2009-01-19T06:41:00.000-08:00

The above economic problems are not new. We have experienced many recessions and stock market falls since the 1930s, and the reactions have not been as violent. So what was different this time?

Why use the Ifunds Cash Management Service

2009-01-05T06:02:00.002-08:00

What advantages does iFunds Cash Management Service offer, other than increased safety and diversification?

Pre-Budget Summary

2009-01-05T06:02:00.001-08:00

Profligacy with a purpose

2009-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of a prudent bonfire, Alistair Darling delivered a truly traditional left wing labour Pre-Budget Report, as he sought to follow his predecessors and tax the rich "till the pips squeak", by raising the higher rate of Income Tax and National Insurance from 2011.

Paying Your Bills On Time

2008-12-22T05:56:00.000-08:00

Like just about everyone else, I hate to pay my bills. They wind up in a heap on my desk. It is such a chore to sift through the paperwork and it is an unpleasant task to write out cheque after cheque.

Enduring Powers Of Attorney

2008-12-22T05:55:00.000-08:00

There is little public awareness about enduring powers of attorney and how useful they can be to adults in all walks of life. This article attempts to explain in simple terms what an enduring power of attorney is and how it can prove to be an extremely useful document.

Case Study on Capital Gains Tax

2008-12-22T05:54:00.000-08:00

Annie Giddens is 65 years old and has recently retired. She has decided to sell the flat she used in Birmingham as a pied-à-terre and realises that the sale will trigger a capital gains tax (CGT) liability.