Stocks in London closed mostly higher on Thursday as investors awaited the outcome of the UK general election.Pollsters currently have Labour waking up to a majority, marking the first time that the party has been in power since 2010.The FTSE 100 index closed up 70.14 points, or 0.9%, at 8,241.26. The FTSE 250 ended up 80.92 points, or 0.4%, at 20,610.34, while the AIM All-Share closed fractionall

The freeze on income tax thresholds is dragging millions more people into higher rates of tax, as their wages rise but the tax thresholds don't increase alongside them. The OBR estimates that by 2028-29 the deep freeze on tax thresholds will see almost four million extra taxpayers, 2.7 million more moved to the higher rate of income tax, and another 600,000 paying the additional rate. As a result

Investment trust Smithson (SSON) has work to do to repair its relationship with shareholders after recent controversy over a continuation vote at the stablemate of Terry Smith?s Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7).Smithson, which looks to apply Smith?s ?buy good companies, don?t overpay, do nothing? approach to small- and mid-cap companies, had said to investors at its inception it would consider holding a

Capital preservation funds are positioned to help investors avoid large losses while growing their wealth too, albeit more slowly than more risk-tolerant funds. In the investment trusts patch, the three main wealth preservers are Ruffer Investment Company (RICA), Capital Gearing Trust (CGT) and Personal Assets Trust (PNL), while RIT Capital Partners (RCP) also has a capital preservation bent.Durin

The new tax year often brings a raft of changes that impact people?s pay, investments and savings ? and this year is no different. Here we list the big changes affecting people?s finances from next month.1. Capital Gains Tax breaks cut again?From April the tax-free allowance for capital gains tax (CGT) will be cut in half, from the current £6,000 down to just £3,000. It means the tax-free amount

More than a quarter of a million more people and trusts will be paying capital gains tax for the first time, according to HMRC figures, thanks to the Government crackdown on gains. From April the tax-free allowance for CGT (capital gains tax) will be less than a quarter of what it was just a year ago, dragging more people into paying tax and filing a tax return.The CGT allowance was cut from £12,

In 2023 we saw a wave of corporate activity in the investment trust sector, dominated by mergers and closures. Eight companies closed their doors, while four mergers took place, with a further four announced that are due to take place this year, according to the Association of Investment Companies.WHY INVESTMENT TRUSTS MERGE OR CLOSEInvestment trusts might close or merge for a number of reasons. I

Lots of people think of giving cash or gift vouchers as Christmas presents, but other financial gifts are often overlooked. People can give cash into savings accounts, contributions to investment accounts or even gift shares directly. We'll look at some gifting options and how they stack up.1. Premium bondsThere's a lot going for premium bonds: you can save as little as £25; they are government-b

According to data from the AIC, the average investment trust discount to net asset value has widened from 12.2% at the end of 2022 to 14.5% as of 8 September 2023, while sector averages have generally widened. The exception is private equity, which narrowed from 25.1% to 4.5%, skewed by 3i's (III) dramatic swing from discount to premium.While this presents an opportunity to buy into parts of the m

Investors often fall into two camps. Some look to build wealth for the long term, while others want to protect wealth they have already accumulated, and this latter objective is what capital preservation funds are primarily designed for.There are three main investment trusts in the capital preservation space, namely Capital Gearing Trust (CGT), Ruffer Investment Company (RICA) and Personal Assets

The best time to look at a capital preservation fund is not when a market sell-off is already underway but when stocks are still holding up reasonably well.In this context a 10% year-to-date share price reverse at investment trust Ruffer Investment Company (RICA) looks an attractive entry opportunity for investors worried by the prospect of stock market reversals ahead.Ruffer tends to shine during

I'm trying to oversee my mum's finances. Over the last 25 years she has inherited a range of investments from two sources. She has never sold any, and with some investments she also chose to do dividend reinvestment so the number of shares she owns now is not what she inherited. None of the investments are in a tax wrapper, so if she needed to sell any, they would all be liable for capital gains t

It's that time of year when people rush to make the most of their annual ISA allowance before the tax year ends on 5 April.Many people leave this task right until to the last minute. After all, there's nothing like a deadline to stimulate action. However, a rarer breed of investors will be limbering up too, in anticipation not of the end of the tax year, but of the start of a new one.Some investor

Every sensible portfolio should ideally consist of a bedrock of investments which provide diversified access to steady growth, capital protection and income.This is relevant not just during challenging periods but most of the time. Just as solid foundations are essential for a safe building,they are also needed for an investment portfolio alongside patience.This article highlights five investment

It has been a tricky couple of weeks for investors. The higher or lower speculation over interest rates, particularly in the US, has changed so rapidly it can make you feel like a contestant on Bruce Forsyth's Play Your Cards Right.The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and New York-based Signature Bank in quick succession, and more recently, a UBS (UBS:SWX) rescue for Swiss banking giant Credit Suis

- Bank crisis sends markets tumbling- Capital preservation funds back in focus- Technology shares surge as bond yields fallIt has been a brutal week for banks amid fears of contagion risk from the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and rescue of Credit Suisse (CSGN:SWX) with knock-on effects across stock markets.The FTSE 100 has lost 4% while the domestically focused FTSE 250 is down around 3%. The ba

With tuition fees in England currently standing at £27,500 for a three-year course, or £9,250 a year, your children might need a financial leg-up when they go to university. Fear not, as we have a plan.It's easy to see why students graduate with significant debts, particularly as there are rent and grocery costs to consider on top of tuition fees. However, with some sensible planning and a reaso

Capital gains tax is about to become a big headache for many more investors. Under current rules, individuals have a relatively generous £12,300 of investment gains which they can realise each tax year without being subject to tax.However, the Chancellor has announced that from April 2023, this allowance will fall to £6,000, and then from April 2024, it will be cut to just £3,000 a year. Any ga

Optimism that the UK economy may not be as weak as once feared has lifted numerous UK stocks so far in 2023. Yet many investment trusts continue to trade at wide discounts to their net asset values - both relating to UK stocks and overseas ones. It means their share prices are worth less than the value of the investments in their portfolios.According to Winterflood data, the average investment tru

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt launched a crackdown on wealth taxes in his Autumn Statement on 17 November. It means that from next year many people with investments outside an ISA or pension will face higher taxes, and from 2024 that tax hit will increase again. Here's how to beat them.WHAT'S CHANGING WITH DIVIDEND TAX?Jeremy Hunt revealed that from April 2023 the tax-free allowance for dividends will be