By Ruth Heap | HM Legal What is a lifetime trust? A lifetime trust is a vehicle that allows you to transfer your assets into a trust whilst you are alive. You set up the trust straight away and the idea is that it protects your assets potentially from care home fees or other claims on your estate, such as marriage breakdowns. These are sometimes called Asset Protection Trusts or Family Protection Trusts. Pitfalls of Read more…
Welcome to our latest edition. Are you fed up with your nine-to-five? There are many factors that can influence when someone decides to retire. For some, it may be based on health reasons, while others may want to take advantage of government benefits or simply enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle. However, one of the most common factors that determines when people choose to retire is their age. On page 10 we look at what is Read more…
Many people underestimate the damaging effects of low interest and high inflation on their cash savings. A continued period of low interest rates on cash savings and rising inflation could pose a real risk to savers in 2022, even if the Bank of England (BoE) moves to increase interest rates further in the coming months. Savers with large amounts of money sitting in cash should not be lulled into a false sense of security if Read more…
Welcome to our March/April 2022 magazine. Inside, we look at why now is the time to make sure you protect your wealth. The word ‘inflation’ had barely featured in the market’s vocabulary in the last three decades until it suddenly started to come back with a vengeance in 2021. As higher inflation looks set to persist throughout 2022, on page 09 we consider why finding ways to generate a return on investments greater than inflation Read more…
With the shocking and sad news that Russia has invaded the sovereign country of Ukraine, investors are experiencing a time of market uncertainty and volatility. Negative shocks are a part of long-term investing, and it is worth remembering that taking some risk has historically been the only way to beat the effect of inflation. Reasonably, investors may consider in times of uncertainty what action is being taken by the investment managers of their portfolios and Read more…
Welcome to our latest edition. Inside, we look at New Year’s tax saving resolutions to make sure you are fully utilising your relevant tax planning opportunities. With the tax year end (5 April) on the horizon, taking action now may give you the opportunity to take advantage of any remaining reliefs, allowances and exemptions. On page 08 we have provided some key tax and financial planning tips to consider prior to the end of the Read more…