“Our mission to grow the economy” Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, delivered the Labour government’s first Budget on 30 October with a promise to “restore economic stability” and “invest, invest, invest” to promote growth. In her statement, she outlined a number of new tax and spending measures that she said would create “an economy […]
Author archives: matthew
Uptick in IHT receipts – what lies ahead?
Data1 has shown that Inheritance Tax (IHT) receipts have continued their ascent, with £2.8bn received in the April to July period this year. This figure is a substantial £0.2bn increase on the same period in the previous tax year (2023/24). Frozen thresholds continue to take their toll as IHT, once a tax reserved purely for […]
In the news
Money worries outweigh study concerns for almost half of students Have you got a child at university? If so, it’s likely, according to a new study1, that they’ll be more worried about the cost of living (a top-rated concern for 47% of students), than their academic studies (26%). Other main concerns of university students in […]
Navigating a multi-retirement reality
Over the years, a number of notable trends, such as increased longevity and individuals taking on greater responsibility for their pension provision, have clearly altered the retirement landscape significantly. Now, new trends look set to further change the face of retirement, adding complexity to the retirement planning process and making early planning ever more essential. […]
Residential Property Review – October 2024
Improving conditions in the residential market Activity in the residential property market is picking up as house prices continue to show modest growth, according to Savills. In August, mortgage approvals were only 3% below pre-pandemic levels. In September, sales agreed and new instructions were 8% and 9% above their respective 2017-2019 averages, highlighting that supply […]
Commercial Property Market Review – October 2024
Commercial market update UK commercial real estate continues to perform well, according to BNP Paribas Real Estate. Investor sentiment has improved, with sterling continuing to strengthen, reaching its highest level against the dollar and the euro in over two years. This helps to attract overseas investors and boost UK weightings in global real estate allocations. […]
Women take the lead opening JISAs
Have you opened a Junior Individual Savings Account (JISA) for your child? If so, it’s a great financial priority to support long-term savings goals for the children in your family. Research has highlighted that women have led the way on opening JISAs every year since 2019, when the data was first analysed. Despite the gender […]
Proportion of cash homebuyers reaches 10-year high
The proportion of homebuyers choosing to pay in cash has hit a 10-year high1, analysis has found. In 2023, cash buyers were responsible for a third (34.5%) of all property transactions – the highest percentage seen since data became available in 2013. This trend carried on into this year, as 32.8% of market activity was […]
Steady growth in an uncertain world
Reassuringly for investors, the latest batch of projections from economic soothsayers continues to predict a period of steady, if unspectacular, global growth. The forecasts also highlight a number of economic concerns including ‘sticky’ inflation, large budget deficits and geopolitical uncertainties, which could inevitably create some investment challenges. Growth rates beat expectations Economic growth figures released […]
Autumn housing market outlook
The summer was largely positive for the housing market due to a boost in confidence following the General Election and the reduction to Bank Rate. So, where are we now and what does the autumn have in store? Lenders and buyers alike were already showing signs of confidence before the election, as mortgage approvals steadily […]
