I am 67 and currently have a SIPP worth approximately £500,000. Because the favourable IHT regime is now ending I am now considering whether to reduce the amount in my SIPP and look at alternatives.My understanding is that I can take 25% tax free from my SIPP at any point and then the remaining pot is taxed on withdrawal at marginal rates. We do not need the cash immediately as we have other reso

Let's not beat around the bush, January is an awful month. You've just spent a packet on Christmas, your favourite clothes are inexplicably tight, and your efforts to work off a little holiday weight in the gym are hampered by everyone else trying to do exactly the same thing.It's against this backdrop of seasonal wretchedness that HMRC stations its deadline for filling in a tax return, just in ca

UK takeovers moved up a gear in 2024 as predators targeted bigger companies. The average value of deals was £1.07 billion, nearly three times higher than the £390 million average in 2023. In total, there were £49 billion worth of recommended bids versus £17.2 billion last year.A bounty of unloved or underappreciated companies were swept off their feet, signalling the UK market as being 'on sal

Investment trusts have experienced challenges this year, with discounts remaining wide across various sectors and some consolidation occurring. However, certain trusts have performed well compared to both the wider market and their peer group. This article highlights the top performers across four of the Association of Investment Companies' most widely followed equity-facing sectors.GLOBALAn inves

Next year should prove a sweet one for Treatt (TET) and its shareholders. The extracts-to-ingredients supplier has the recipe for long-term growth and many of the hallmarks of a high-quality company including an unwavering focus on innovation, strong cash generation and double-digit returns on both equity and capital employed.Well-placed to profit as its end-markets recover from an unhelpful spell

We live in a world of seemingly endless data. Parsing and analysing this information is crucial across a range of industries and that is something GlobalData (DATA:AIM) really excels at.We think the company will make a compelling investment for the year ahead due to a renewed focus on growth. The company is committed to developing its artificial intelligence offering and has a strong balance sheet

Strange as it may sound, the pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the auction industry as it forced firms to join the 21st century and offer an online service.Whereas previously many small auction houses were limited to the number of buyers they could accommodate due to lack of physical space, today they can not only tap into their local market but a whole army of online punters at

Alcoholic drinks outfit Diageo (DGE) has endured a rough period of late, partly thanks to problems of its own making. We think that has put the valuation in a place where, if there are signs the business is getting its act together, the shares can deliver significant upside for investors in 2025.Unless there is evidence of improved performance soon then activist investors could be tempted to join

Stocks in Europe were mostly higher at midday Wednesday, with UK inflation reaching an eight-month high but not forcing 'shares in interest rate-sensitive sectors' to retreat.In UK and European news, the UK consumer prices index rose by 2.6% in the year to November, picking up pace from a 2.3% rise in year to October and in line with FXStreet-cited market consensus. The closely watched CPI service

UK indices were down at the close on Tuesday, as Bunzl warned deflation will have a impact on profitability.The FTSE 100 index closed down 66.85 points, 0.8%, at 8,195.20. The FTSE 250 ended 270.17 points lower, 1.3%, at 20,542.86, and the AIM All-Share gave back 7.45 points, 1.0%, at 722.04.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.7% at 823.10, the Cboe UK 250 fell 1.4% at 18,067.65, and the Cboe Small Compa

Record revenue and profitNew year started positivelyLong runway of growthThe UK and Canada's largest tenpin bowling operator Hollywood Bowl (BOWL) reported record revenue and profit for the year to 30 September despite tough prior year comparatives and said the new financial year had started positively.Despite the positive progress investors were not bowled over and took the opportunity to take so

Australian anti-money laundering investigationEntain could face 'material' penaltyNot an isolated eventGambling and sports betting group Entain (ENT) was rooted at the bottom of the FTSE on Monday (16 Dec) with the shares falling as much a 7% on news the Australian anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulator has commenced civil proceedings for alleged contraventions.Having rall

Notable win for London marketFloat to 'unleash potential'Analysts see £5 billion valuationAfter what has been a poor year for UK listings, the London Stock Exchange celebrated this morning with the float of French media group Canal Plus (CAN) which debuted with a market value of around £2.5 billion.Although the shares are listed in London, they don't qualify for inclusion in the FTSE 250 index a

UK indices were down at Friday's close as Resolute Mining announced a temporary change in its senior management, with Chief Executive Terry Holohan taking a leave of absence.In UK news, ministers will be given new powers to drive forward clean power energy projects as part of a major action plan to reach 95% clean energy in the UK by 2030.Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Miliband confirmed that minister

Stock prices in London opened mostly in the green on Friday, while the UK economy remained in the doldrums in October, hurtling to a surprise decline.The FTSE 100 index traded up 10.61 points, 0.1%, at 8,322.37. The FTSE 250 was up 55.00 points, 0.3%, at 21,004.04, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.74 of a point, 0.1%, at 736.82.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.1% higher at 835.63, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2%

Lots of parents and grandparents default to cash when saving for their children or grandchildren, but most have a very long time until they will give the money to the children, meaning investing can be a great option. If we look at someone saving £1,000 a year from birth of the child until the age of 18, they'd hand them almost £8,000 more if they invested the money and earned 5% return a year a

It's ingrained in us as investors that the best way to get superior, risk-adjusted long-term returns is to distance ourselves from the crowd and seek out value.That approach has always needed courage and patience, and 2024 has proved to be a particularly fierce test of this discipline for the simple reason that what worked last year worked well again this year.It did so because the consensus macro

The UK stock market has performed robustly over the past year, with several companies standing out significantly. In this article, we will examine the top-performing large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap stocks of 2024, dissected across four different market valuation categories.£5 BILLION+ MARKET CAPAfter a stellar 2023, aeronautical engineer Rolls-Royce (RR.) has once again rallied hard during 2024

Dividends are a key component of successful investing whether taken as an income to support retirement or reinvested to compound future total returns.With interest rates set to fall as inflation is gradually brought back under control dividend yields will become more competitive as a source of income compared with income from cash and bonds.In this article we scour the FTSE 350 for the companies w

Predicting what will happen to the global economy and markets over the next 12 months is hard enough at the best of times, but with Trump's election victory on 5 November that job has become even more difficult.As Deutsche Bank's head of global economics and thematics Jim Reid put it, the outlook is no longer 'business as usual' which opens up a much wider range of potential outcomes for the globa