Category: All Articles

When Trump Tweets, the world trades!

Post author By Iain Robert Sykes
Post date July 26, 2018

When trump tweets, the world trades!

The social-networking platform Twitter has revolutionised the way in which individuals interact with one another. Through the distribution of content via a 280-character micro-blog (known as a “tweet”), users can report news items, advertise their wares or simply poke fun at the controversial issue of the day. In the United States, Twitter has exploded in popularity among political figures. It has become a necessary part of public life, with the sitting president and nearly every member of Congress actively participating. Many attribute its ascent within the political arena to be a product of former President Barack Obama’s groundbreaking use during his administration.

Every time current US president, Donald Trump, tweets, it has an impact on the international market. An untimely tweet or offhand comment may have a large impact upon intraday volatilities facing futures, equities or Forex markets. As a general rule, financial markets are not receptive to surprises and uncertainty – however, Twitter has the ability to supply both, periodically spiking short-term volatilities facing a wide variety of openly traded financial instruments.

Trump’s impact on the market was on full display earlier this year when even powerhouse, Amazon’s shares went down by 5.1% at one point in time. It is because of the jaw-dropping speed at which certain stock moves in response to Trump’s tweets that some sophisticated traders are using an algorithm that instantly captures Trump’s Twitter remarks and then immediately buy or sell the affected stocks. Others have opted to ride it out as the trend seems to be that the market value amost always recovers – often within the trading day.

So the moral of this story is…Beware presidents bearing tweets

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Pension Planning – What are your options?

Post author By Iain Robert Sykes
Post date July 16, 2018

Pension Planning - What are your options?

Pension planning is one of the most important, but forgotten, areas of estate planning.

Pension Planning UK - What are your options?

When someone thinks about planning for the future to ensure their assets pass to their loved ones, the first thing they consider is ensuring they have a Will in place which is up-to-date and meets their wishes.

However, pensions fall outside of your estate and therefore do not pass via your Will meaning this planning doesn’t provide any structure of your intent for who should receive your pension. Often, people’s pensions make up a large part of their total estate, but they are left with no nomination form or trust planning, so the pension provider makes the decision at the time of death as to how it is paid out. Do you really want them to make those important decisions for you? They may not know about your close relationship with your godchild, or the sibling that you don’t get on with and wouldn’t want to receive it. Even if you do have a nomination form in place, from the moment your spouse, child or other loved one takes a lump sum, that full value sits inside their name at risk of the following threats

If your spouse takes a lump sum

Marriage After Death (MAD):

This risk can affect the family in many ways. For example, say you passed away your spouse was to re-marry soon after when grieving and then realise it wasn’t what they wanted. On divorce, half of the funds could be lost. Alternatively, it may be a situation where the survivor meets someone else some time later and remarries. There would still be the risk that upon second death, their estate would pass to the partner (as the funds are now in their estate, and marriage revokes previous Wills). On the new partner’s own death, it’s likely they would leave it to their own children and it may never reach your children.

Care Home Fees:

If your spouse took funds into their name, and then needed to go into care, the funds would be taken into consideration and assessed for care fees.

Inheritance Tax:

Although the funds are Inheritance Tax free on your own death, if your spouse took funds into their name, they could end up paying Inheritance Tax on the funds when they die.

If your children take a lump sum

Divorce:

If either of your children were to get a divorce further down the line, half or more of the funds you left them could be lost to the ex-partner.

Future:

We all hope our chosen beneficiaries will do the right things and are ready to receive funds but when there are large sums involved however, you may wish to stagger the age at which funds become available, rather than the full amount being available to them at 18.

Bankruptcy or Creditors:

Again, assets taken could be lost if your beneficiaries ever got into financial difficulties. Again not always a common thing but in a world where beneficiaries may run their own business etc. it’s a risk that can simply be protected by the use of the Trusts we will recommend.

Inheritance Tax:

Although the funds are Inheritance Tax free on your own death, again if your children took funds into their name, they could end up paying Inheritance Tax on the funds when they die.

Pension Planning is a very complicated area but certainly something that you need to ensure you have thought about.

Please contact us on 01344 851 250 or enquiries@ascotep.com if you would like to discuss this further, or click the button below.

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Tax and Furnished Holiday Lets

Post author By Iain Robert Sykes
Post date July 9, 2018

Tax and Furnished Holiday Lets

With British Summer in full swing, many of us are thinking of our next holiday destination. Statistics show that 1 in 10 of us have a holiday home, often used for rental and family use. From the visitor’s perspective, a holiday home offers you familiarity, comfort and ease; but the owner is likely benefiting from the largely unknown tax benefits associated with Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHLs).

If you own a holiday home in the UK or European Economic Area that is furnished and commercially let, there may be tax advantages you’re not aware of.

Furnished Holiday Lets Advantages

The cost of furnishings can be offset against your pre-tax profit, potentially increasing your rentability (this isn’t an option for long-term rentals).
Any income generated via lettings is relevant earnings for the sake of pension contributions, meaning you could be saving more into a registered UK pension up to the annual income earned from your letting.
Profits can be distributed across all owners in the way you desire, as opposed to having to meet a 50:50 split on Land Registry basis for long term lets.
Selling the property opens up the opportunity of entrepreneur’s relief, roll-over relief and hold-over relief, all of which save you Capital Gains Tax.
Small Business Relief means you can save council tax

In showing the benefits of FHLs, it is important to note the downsides. Importantly losses cannot be offset against other taxable income. It’s not all bad news, and rather losses are just carried against future profits for the next four years. Secondly VAT may apply depending on the level of income.

So, does your property qualify?

If you answer yes to all of the below, you could be saving thousands in Tax

The property is furnished
Intention for profit
The property is available for 30 weeks of the year
Let commercially for 15 of those 30 weeks

Get in touch to find out how FHL regulation could benefit you.

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All you need to know about ISAs

Post author By Colin Reed
Post date July 2, 2018

All you need to know about ISAs (individual savings accounts)

What is an ISA?

An ISA (Individual Savings Account) is a tax-free way to save or invest. If you’re starting to think about saving or investing, ISAs could be a good place to start. On other savings accounts, you may have to pay income tax on the interest you earn. The interest on a cash ISA is free from tax, so all the interest you earn, you keep. In fact, these investments are often referred to as a ‘tax-free wrapper’. The
benefits can be used on a range of investment types, as shown below in the variety options you have access to.

Advantage of ISA

Tax advantages fall into two categories: capital gains tax and income tax benefits.

ISA Income Tax Benefits
In most situations, any income you earn, through wages, interest or dividends, is subject to income tax. However, that is not the case with ISAs. All of the money you earn on these savings vehicles is completely tax-free. Income tax benefits are just part of the equation when you are considering an ISA, however. The other advantage to these accounts is the capital gains tax benefits you can enjoy.
ISA Capital Gains Tax Benefits
Capital gains tax benefits specifically apply to Stocks and Shares ISAs. Most investment products are subject to a capital gains tax if the amount of earnings from your shares in a single year exceeds the set limit. This tax rule is waived for investments in ISAs, making them definitely worthwhile for those who plan to sell or make a a large gain.

Know your options

ISAs have evolved into five different shapes, Cash ISAs, Stocks & Shares ISAs, Innovative Finance ISAs, Lifetime ISAs and Junior ISAs. Clients should consider what their savings goals are before choosing their preferred self-investment vehicle, or by seeking financial advice.

Key facts:

The ISA allowance is £20,000 per annum for the 2018/19 tax year.
HMRC states you cannot contributue into two of the same ISA type in the same tax year.
All income and growth within your ISA is completely tax-free.
ISAs are taxable for inheritance tax unless they invest in qualifying investments for inheritance tax relief.

Types

Cash ISAs

Lets you manage your money like a typical savings account.
They could offer instant access or pay a fixed rate of interest over a few years if you don’t think you’ll need access to your savings.
Designed as low risk, no chance of loss products operating at a defined interest rate.
Interest rates align with the Bank of England base rate, so at present, offer very low interest.
Some ISAs allow you to lock in for a fixed term, thus increasing the interest payments.
Speak to us for the best rates.

Stocks & Shares ISAs

Your money is invested in the stock market.
They’re designed for people who are happy to invest over a long period of time and are looking for potentially higher returns. You need to accept risks that come with investing in the stock market.
The funds AWM would look to invest you in are low cost managed solutions to reduce fees where possible.

Innovative Finance ISA

Designed for sophisticated Peer to Peer lending.
This vehicle has been available since 6th April 2016, allowing investors tax-free gains on the capital invested.
The IFISA is designed for higher risk clients, as their capital is exposed to default risk or missed payments, as opposed to equity or fund based risk.
Due to the new nature of IFISA, we strongly suggest contacting us for more information.

Lifetime ISA

For those saving for a property, the Lifetime ISA (LISA) provides government bonuses for savers to get on the ladder.
Rather than being capped at £20,000, the LISA is capped at £4,000, however, this forms part of your £20,000 overall allowance.
For those who have already bought their first property, the LISA can be used as an additional retirement vehicle, but cannot be withdrawn until 60 years of age without penalties applying.
The LISA has an exit penalty if you’re withdrawing for any reason other than a first time purchase or before 60 years old. The only break of this rule is if one is terminally ill.
For each time you contribue into your LISA, the government will add 25%of your contribution.
A LISA can only be opened up to the age of 40 years old and if you contribute after you are 50 years old you will not receive the government bonus.
The LISA can be invested in either cash or stocks and shares.

Junior ISA

Act as long-term, tax-free savings accounts for children.
Your child must be under 18 and live in the UK.
If the child lives outside the UK, you must either be a Crown servant or the child depends on you for care.
You can’t have a Junior ISA as well as a Child Trust Fund.
The savings limit for Junior ISA for the 2018/2019 tax year is £4,260
You can invest into cash or stocks and shares.
Control of the account will be transferred to the child when they reach 16, but they can’t withdraw the money until they turn 18.

Request a No Obligation Chat with an Advisor

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Win with AWM … 2 X FREE ACCESS PASSES to Foxhills Country Club

Post author By Colin Reed
Post date June 22, 2018

Win with AWM ... 2 X 'FREE' ACCESS PASSES to Foxhills Country Club

SPEND THE DAY AT FOXHILLS COUNTRY CLUB

You can win 2 X FREE ACCESS PASSES to the prestigious Foxhills Country Club.
All you have to do is :
1. LIKE our latest posts on Instagram,
2. FOLLOW us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
3. TAG the person you would like to take with you,

A random draw will take place on 2nd July 2018.

What can I do at Foxhills Country Club for an entire day?

Beauty Salon
Turkish / Steam Bath
Hairdresser
Hiking

Spa/Wellness Centre
Fitness Centre
Tennis Courts
Table Tennis

Swimming Pool
Sauna
Squash Courts
Baby Sitting

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Time for an Indian take away?

Post author By Colin Reed
Post date June 18, 2018

Time For An Indian Take Away?

With India’s share of the world population now standing at a staggering 17.74% (1.354 Billion) , it’s hot on the heels of overtaking the most populated country in the world China, 1.415 Billion (18.54%). In recent weeks the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has re-affirmed that India will be the fastest-growing major economy in 2018 with 7.4%. By contrast, China’s growth is seen slowing to 6.5%.

Some have described India as a sanctuary in the emerging market mayhem. While many emerging-market central banks have sacrificed their growth to protect their currencies, India has enjoyed relative protection from the external shocks. The South Asian nation also provides a better risk-reward compared to other more globally linked emerging markets such as China.

To back up these views, look at the panel below from the funds in our AWM portfolios you can see China and Indian funds are number 2 and 3 respectively in terms of growth over the last year.

In 2008 India was quicker than most to rebound from the global financial crisis, handing investors 70% greater returns than the rest of the developing world. With such an excellent history, it is no wonder investors are flocking to this South Asian country. If you need any more convincing that India is the place to be, keep reading.

One of the main reasons behind their success is the fact that they are currently in a tech start-up boom, attracting over $20 billion in the past three years. Their start-up eco-system is now the world’s third largest and is maturing swiftly.

China’s economic expansion rate has stayed stagnant at 6.8% for the last few quarters, India’s, on the other hand, grew from 5.6% to 7.0% from July 2017 to January 2018 and is still on the rise. With India’s economy still in an early growth stage, there is still plenty of excess resources and opportunity for growth. Other economies, such as China’s, are in an advanced stage and operating close to full capacity.

The outlook on investment opportunities in India remains positive, with the median age still only 27 and the growing middle classes having more spending power. Investment wise India looks very promising.

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No Will…but there is a Way!

Post author By Colin Reed
Post date June 18, 2018

No Will…but there is a Way !

What is deed variation and how can it help reduce inheritance tax?

Amazingly over 60% of people in the UK don’t have a Will in place. Poor estate planning could result in the Government taking a sizable chunk out of the money you leave your loved ones. Estates liable for inheritance tax (IHT) must pay 40% before the remainder can be passed on, leaving many of us with a sour taste in the mouth. There is however, a way to ‘beat the taxman’ from beyond the grave. A deed of variation (DOV) is a legal document that allows the beneficiaries of an estate to make changes to the will, in the name of the deceased, after their death. What this means, is that changes can be made to make it more tax-efficient.

In the case that you are about to inherit a windfall that will take your own estate over £325,000 – the personal allowance above which 40% IHT applies on your death – you can alter the deceased’s will so that money you stand to inherit passes directly to other beneficiaries, reducing or eliminating the amount of tax you would otherwise have to pay later.

So, how does inheritance tax work?

Upon their death, each individual is taxed at a rate of 40% on all their assets above a threshold of £325,000. The following things are subject to the tax:

Cash
Investments
Property
Vehicles
Life insurance payouts

Main residence for “family home allowance” is in the process of being phased in until 2020, applying to a family home going to direct descendants only. Ultimately, this means that married couples will be able to use their combined allowances to pass estates worth up to £1m onto their direct descendants.

What are the rules?

Any deed of variation must be drawn up within 24 months of the death of the deceased, and must be signed by all the executors and beneficiaries of the estate to be valid.
A DOV is separate from a grant of probate – the legal document that allows you to gather up and distribute the assets of the deceased – and can be obtained before or after probate is granted.
There are no formal documents to apply for; you can simply write a letter explaining the changes you wish to make. However, you must ensure the letter meets certain conditions – Her Majesty’s Revenues and Customs provides a checklist.
Provided everyone else involved agrees, you can redirect your inheritance to anyone you wish, even if they are not named in the deceased’s will.
Although you may be the one deciding what changes to make, through a DOV the changes are made in the name of the deceased as if they were making the changes themselves.
If a variation affects anyone under the age of 18, you will need court approval before making any changes.
Extract: The telegraph

The next step…

Contact Ascot Estate Planning to get expert advice on setting up a Will or checking your IHT situation from Ascot Estate Planning Team.

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Lost or hidden pensions… We can help

Post author By Colin Reed
Post date June 18, 2018

Can we help you find your lost or forgotten pensions?

We all lead busy lives and sometimes it’s hard to keep track of everything, especially if it’s not something we deal with on a day-to-day basis. Pensions are just too important to forget about.

If you think you may have ‘forgotten’ pensions from previous employers…or want help and advice tracking these down for possible transfer into your main pot – read below!

There are three billion pounds sitting around in unclaimed pensions in more than a million accounts. Don’t let your hard earned money be part of it.
With each of us now working an average of 11 jobs a lifetime it’s more likely than ever we will build up a number of different pension funds.

Two recent "lost" successes:

First case:
When a 63-year-old client mentioned at their review meeting they had worked as a secretary from 18 -23 she thought she may have paid a small monthly amount into a company pension fund.

Result: Because she had married and moved a few times the pension company had lost contact with her. We did track down the pension scheme and she was entitled to £135 per month back to her 60th birthday.

Second case:
Another client, again after a review meeting, dug out some old paperwork which looked like he had paid into a pension when working for a company 30 years ago. He tried three times himself to get questions answered…every time they inferred that there was no money due. So he passed this over to our AWM Team.

Result: We pursued this and have recovered a £130,000 pension pot.

When trump tweets, the world trades!

So the moral of this story is…Beware presidents bearing tweets

Pension Planning - What are your options?

Pension Planning UK - What are your options?

If your spouse takes a lump sum

Marriage After Death (MAD):

Care Home Fees:

Inheritance Tax:

If your children take a lump sum

Divorce:

Future:

Bankruptcy or Creditors:

Inheritance Tax:

Tax and Furnished Holiday Lets

Furnished Holiday Lets Advantages

So, does your property qualify?

Get in touch to find out how FHL regulation could benefit you.

All you need to know about ISAs (individual savings accounts)

What is an ISA?

Advantage of ISA

Know your options

Types

Request a No Obligation Chat with an Advisor

Win with AWM ... 2 X 'FREE' ACCESS PASSES to Foxhills Country Club

SPEND THE DAY AT FOXHILLS COUNTRY CLUB

Time For An Indian Take Away?

No Will…but there is a Way !

What is deed variation and how can it help reduce inheritance tax?

So, how does inheritance tax work?

What are the rules?

The next step…

Can we help you find your lost or forgotten pensions?

Two recent "lost" successes:

Don't put it off any longer, contact us today!

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