No one likes to pay more tax than they have to but one of the challenges of wealth is the high taxation it attracts. With real-terms tax increases the prospect for the foreseeable future the pressure is on to make the most of every available tax-planning opportunity.
The Family Financial Tree report from Standard Life looked at the family money tree over four generations and makes some surprising findings. It reveals how families collectively manage and have talked about their personal finances.
Yields have dropped across the asset classes, except
for equities
He may only have been in the job for just over six months, but Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, has already signalled his intention to do things differently and this is most noticeable in his concept of ‘forward guidance’.
If you are making high levels of pension contributions you will need to obtain professional financial advice to make sure that you know whether you will be affected by the impending new lifetime allowance (LTA) limit changes. Thousands of pension savers could be impacted by the forthcoming changes unless they act swiftly.
Retirement may seem a long way off for you at the moment but that doesn’t mean you should forget about it. Consider our tips, which could help you increase your retirement income – no matter what your current stage of life – and pursue the retirement you envision.
Sooner or later we will retire, and the decisions we make today are the ones that will determine the standard of living we will enjoy in the future. If you are approaching your retirement there are some very important choices you need to make that will determine how much income you live on once retired.
If appropriate to your particular situation, a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) could be another option to consider if you require the flexibility to choose where your pension money is invested. SIPPs are now also open to people of lower incomes – not just those with commercial property.
A workplace pension is a way of saving for your retirement that’s arranged by your employer. Some workplace pensions are called ‘occupational’, ‘works’, ‘company’ or ‘work-based’ pensions.
As your wealth grows, it is inevitable that your estate becomes more complex. Money saved via a pension can be passed on to a loved one, usually outside their estate and free of any death tax, provided the pension fund has not been touched and they die before age 75. People fortunate enough not to need immediate access to their personal pension may therefore decide not to touch those savings for as long as possible.
If you decide that you’re not ready to convert your pension fund into retirement income by buying a lifetime annuity, but you do need funds, you have a few options. These are often known as ‘income drawdown options’.