• In this tax year which runs 6^th April 2011 to 5^th April 2012 you can invest a total of £10,680 into ISAs
• The minimum age is 16 for a cash ISA and 18 for an Investment ISA
• You can only have one Cash ISA provider and one Investment ISA provider for each tax year.
• Up to £5,340 can be paid into a Cash ISA.
• Up to £10,680 can be paid into an Investment ISA
• If you do not use up your full Cash ISA allowance it is now possible to top up any balance to the maximum of £10,680 using an Investment ISA. So £3,000 in a Cash ISA would allow you to invest £7,680 into an Investment ISA. Or you can top up your Cash ISA to £5,340 and pay a further £5,340 to an Investment ISA.
• An investment ISA does not have to be invested in shares/equities or higher risk investments. You can invest in property funds, gilts, corporate bonds and structured investments that may carry less risk than equities and yet provide potentially higher returns than deposits.
• You can transfer cash ISAs into Investment ISAs. When you transfer ISAs you always retain the year of the original deposit/investment.  You cannot transfer Investment ISAs into Cash ISAs

NORTHGATE School Arts College in Northampton was this year’s chosen beneficiary of the annual David Williams IFA charity golf day which raised £3,420.   The money was raised through clients’ donations, which were matched by the firm, and a raffle. Mike Trundley, Deputy Head of Northgate School, attended the dinner in the evening and gave a short presentation on the work and aims of the school.

 Northgate is a Special School and provides a curriculum that is meaningful to its pupils. The curriculum is based on entitlement and the right of every student to participate fully in a variety of learning experiences and activities. Having nominated Northgate as its chosen charity this year, David Williams directors Nick Beal and David Knight visited the school where they met teachers, support staff and pupils. “We were made to feel very welcome by everyone at the school and were impressed by the range of activities,” said David Knight.

Anne Harris - Receptionist

Anne joined David Williams IFA in 2000 and provides a friendly welcome to all our visitors.

Chris Miles – Personal Assistant

Chris joined David Williams IFA in 1998 and is personal assistant to Geoff Howes and Daniel Slack as well as administering mortgages for Claire Reeves.

Caroline Murray – Cert PFS – Technical Assistant

Caroline joined David Williams IFA in February 2011 and is technical assistant to Rob Jaggard and Nick Discombe

Della Barby-Osborne – Cert PFS – Technical Assistant

Della joined David Williams IFA in January 2011 and is technical assistant to Nick Beal.

Most people switch jobs several times during their working life; however, when you change employers, it is worth thinking about the pension pot that you have accrued. You might wish to consider combining your pensions into one pot. It is easier to keep an eye on fund performance if your pensions are all under one umbrella; moreover, a single pension pot will incur less paperwork and administration, and could also generate lower costs and better overall performance. Sounds like a no-brainer? In theory yes, however, there are some important issues to consider before taking the plunge.

 Most occupational pension schemes and private schemes can be transferred, but there are restrictions and potential pitfalls. It is not usually worth transferring final-salary or public-sector pension schemes; the benefits are too good to lose. It is worth noting that the money in your pension can only be transferred from one pension scheme to another (until you have retired), and not every new pension scheme accepts inward transfers. You may have to pay charges when you transfer, and some providers impose harsh penalties if you leave their scheme.

Transferring and aggregating your pension pots might generate significant long-term benefits; however, any decision to do so should be taken for the right reasons. Tread carefully and, above all, take our expert advice before making an irreversible decision.

Hilary Brawn – Administrator

Hilary joined David Williams IFA in 2007 and provides general adminstrative support to our advisory teams.

Robert Jaggard- Dip PFS - Financial Planner

Robert joined David Williams IFA in April 2007 and has been working in the financial services industry for over 25 years. He previously worked for a well known bank-assurer for over 23 years as a Wealth Management Advisor and more recently as an Area Sales Manager looking after a team of financial consultants. Robert has a considerable amount of knowledge and experience which he uses to assist his clients in achieving their financial objectives.

Nick Discombe -Dip PFS - Financial Planner

Nick joined David Williams IFA in January 2008 as a consultant, and has become a valued member of the team with over 12 years experience of the financial services industry.  He advises clients on all aspects of financial planning, and is currently studying hard for his individual Chartered Financial Planner status which he hopes to achieve in the near future.