Many employees and employers need to prepare for a significant increase the cost of automatic enrolment minimum pension contributions. For example, based upon the Average Weekly Earnings, seasonally adjusted, for a private sector worker (£503 pw as of July 2017), the employee’s minimum monthly contribution will increase by £33.80 per month, and the minimum employer’s increase will be £16.90 per […]
We know you want to make the most of your retirement. Whether it’s spending precious time with your friends and family, travelling to far?flung destinations, or pursuing a new and exciting hobby, your pension is a key piece of the puzzle.
And with so much changing over the last year, it can be hard to keep track of everything pension?related.
New freedom […]
Good financial planning is all about thinking ahead. And planning for the future means making conscious decisions now, rather than getting bogged down in the minutiae of day-to-day events. So, it’s important to take a step back to look the bigger picture occasionally and to ask yourself a few key questions: how are my finances doing? Am I meeting my […]
Over-50s changing the way they work in later life
If you are approaching your 50s, you may be considering your retirement options. Perhaps you want to work flexible hours and work when it suits you. You might want to be ‘your own boss’ and set up a business or become self-employed. Or you may want to know what your options are for […]
In Scotland as throughout Europe, most workers now face a significantly longer life in employment than their parents or grandparents. Across 48 years of working[1] a typical individual entering the workforce today might expect to have nine full or part time jobs – and on average at least one major career change! Research from LV= shows a sharp shift from […]
Pensions auto-enrolment is one of the most important developments for employers currently coming into effect. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees must implement the process from 1 June 2015. As a consequence, employers will be looking to maximise tax reliefs, while employees will also seek to join the scheme in the most cost-efficient manner possible. A salary sacrifice arrangement will […]
31 January 2015Tax returns – don’t leave it too late!
The deadline for filing your 2014 self assessment tax return online is 31 January 2015. Returns not filed by this date will result in a £100 penalty. Where the return has still not been submitted after three months, daily penalties of £10 will accrue, continuing […]
The most radical reforms this century
In Budget 2014, Chancellor George Osborne promised greater pension freedom from April next year. People will be able to access as much or as little of their defined contribution pension as they want and pass on their hard-earned pensions to their families tax-free.
For some people, an annuity may still be the right option, whereas others […]
Retirement is a time that most people look forward to, and with a solid financial plan in place for retirement planning, you can too.
While many individuals have looked to parallel investments for retirement in the current climate – such as gold, second homes or buy-to-let – it is important to take advantage of tax reliefs and (tax-deductible) employer contributions to […]
Are You Meeting The Pension Fund Requirements?
With the announcement by The Pension Regulator that they have opened 89 cases of potential Auto Enrolment Non-Compliance and issued their first fine, the time is now to start looking at the legal requirements on your business. With large businesses already through their staging dates and small and medium sized businesses getting within 6 […]