Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced an astonishing £40 billion of tax rises in her maiden budget, and yet, despite that, there will be relief in some quarters that things didn't turn out worse.Capital gains tax is one of the areas where the Reeves' raid was not as bad as feared, as there had been speculation she would bring capital gains tax rates into line with income tax, with the top rate risin

Personal thresholds to rise from 2028Capital gains and carried interest tax to riseEmployers' NI bill to rise significantlyIn terms of lowering expectations among the business community, the Labour party did a good job heading into today's autumn statement by letting slip potentially negative information such as the intention to raise employers' NI (National Insurance) contributions and a hike in

The list of company directors selling more than £1 million worth of shares since Labour got into power three months ago is growing. It's as if they can see the writing on the wall with a potential hike to capital gains tax in the Budget on 30 October.By crystalising value from their investments now they can avoid handing over more of their wealth to the taxman should we see substantial changes to

Prime minister Keir Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves have made no bones about making 'painful' decisions in order to stabilise public finances and grow the economy, so investors are right to be nervous over what might be included in the Labour party's first Budget since 2009 at the end of this month.Top of the list of investor concerns is that rather than raising income tax, national insurance

Many retirees rely on income from a mix of pensions, investments, and property. While retirement may bring lifestyle changes, the tax rules remain the same as if you were employed. This means income from investments or pensions is taxed just like any other earnings.If your total income exceeds £125,140, you'll pay tax at the additional rate of 45%, whether that's from a salary, dividends, or rent

Funds can often be in vogue with investors thanks to a big-name manager or a past reputation, but just how well-earned is the popularity of the UK's most popular funds and investment trusts?In this article we've taken a look at the performance of a select group of funds which regularly feature among the most bought and most widely-held in the market to judge whether they are truly delivering the g

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