 There are principally three ways that family wealth erodes over time: Spending, Inflation & Taxes Here's what you can do about them.  With interest rates as high as they are currently, it is tempting to simply take the rate on offer from your bank and avoid the riskiness that comes from investing in shares. Additionally, higher and additional rate taxpayers are finding supposed value in buying government bonds directly, which offers a significant tax benefit relative to earning interest from a bank. But the long term investor is still very likely to be better off invested in shares, even after the tax break is considered.  Here are 5 relatively straightforward ideas for reducing your taxes and increasing your after-tax investment returns. In all the examples, there is an element of 'use it or lose it'. In other words, you need to act before the end of the tax year (April 5th) in order to get all of the benefits mentioned.  Most people don’t realise how much tax they can save just by investing in liquid assets like stocks and bonds for the long term. Below is an outline of how £1 million could be invested at what would very likely be an extremely low rate of tax. We’ll call it ‘pretty much tax free’. Not every idea will apply to every person but hopefully the exercise will show that there are lots of ways to invest for the long term in a very low tax way - which, all else equal, will lead to significantly greater wealth creation than routes that incur higher tax (like, say, investment properties...).  In this article we explain to whom Inheritance Tax is likely to apply and outline strategies that can be used to mitigate the tax. It should be useful for anyone who is concerned that their estate may be subject to the 40% inheritance tax. This article is a generalised guide only and it does not constitute tax, legal nor financial advice that is personal to any individual's unique circumstances. We believe the information contained in this article to be accurate as of 11 May 2021 although we cannot guarantee this. Before taking any action concerning potential inheritance tax mitigation, we strongly advise you take regulated financial advice.  In this article we discuss some of the key considerations that should go into the decision of whether to sell or to hold onto shares that an employee has been given by their employer (a.k.a. 'vested equity'). It should be useful for anyone who receives compensation from their employer in the form of shares. It is not intended to be financial advice specific to your unique circumstances.  In this article we outline some ideas for maximising one's pension contribution in the current tax year and discuss why now may be a very good time to do just that. It should be useful for anyone considering increasing their pension contributions - especially those that are subject to a limited 'annual allowance'. It is not intended to be financial advice specific to your unique circumstances.  We outline our fixed-fee financial planning service below. The cost for the service is £2,400 and is targeted at working professionals who have household annual income in excess of £200,000 and who spend less than they earn. Usually, though not always, it is most beneficial for people who already own their primary residence. The article is not intended to be financial advice specific to your unique circumstances although we do, of course, provide such advice to our clients.  This article outlines how Junior ISAs work as well how they can be used for long-term wealth planning. It should be useful for anyone considering gifting money to a child - whether as a Christmas present or otherwise. It is not intended to be financial advice specific to your unique circumstances.  This article outlines some practical steps that virtually everyone should consider regarding their pensions. It will particularly useful for those who are relatively high earners and/or those who are approaching retirement with a sizeable pension pot. It is not intended to be financial advice specific to your unique circumstances. |