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We offer all clients access to a the full range of financial services. If you have a need for mortgage loans, protection, savings, investments or pensions advice we can offer help to both personal and corporate clients in all these areas. Initially please contact Mr. Gareth Jones at these offices for a confidential discussion to see how we can help. The investment topics covered below are - Individual
Savings Accounts (ISA) Please scroll through to a subject of your choice but remember to read the Budget page of this site for changes. INDIVIDUAL
SAVINGS ACCOUNTS ISA plans, TAX FREE in the hands of the investor, can accept periodic investments (e.g. monthly) or one-off, single lump sum, payments. When started the life of this particular investment was ten years from 1999/2000. Individual Savings Accounts are reviewed by the government regularly to evaluate what is to happen to them in the future. Children aged 16 and 17 can use the "cash only" ISA investment limited to £3,000 p.a. The value of an investment is not guaranteed. It can go up and down dependent on performance. Read on to find out a little more on how ISA plans work. The maximum total investment is £7000 in the tax year 2007/08. This limit operates differently depending on whether investment is made into a "Maxi" or "Mini" Individual Savings Account. Maxi plan - for 2007/08 this plan allows investment into stocks/shares/unit trusts/OEICs and can accept the full maximum £7000. The opportunity exists to invest in many different fields and the extensive range of funds should provide something for everyone. Mini plan - this plan allows up to three different types of investment (stocks/shares/unit trusts and/or cash and/or life assurance) to be made with up to three different plan managers. Each manager must allow maximum investments of either £3000 into stocks/shares/unit trusts and/or £3000 in cash and/or £1000 in life assurance. [Plans taken out between April 1999 and April 2004 benefited from a further 10% "tax credit" on dividends from UK equities. This was not extended in any recent Budget speech so "equity ISA plans" will loses out a little because of this.] Changes in 2002/03 mean that PEP and ISA plans can now invest in wider ranges of investment. It may be wise to consider switching existing PEP investments to less restrictive fund ranges. Investment bonds have many benefits for the person with a lump sum to be used. Of particular interest are the many tax planning advantages available. Not only can these bonds save income tax and capital gains tax but can also be used as part of simple inheritance tax reduction plans.
The
Income Distribution bond is designed to meet the needs of the investor
wanting a mix of both "regular income" and capital growth but keeping the
flexibility to alter the arrangements as circumstances change.The "regular
income" can be taken in a variety of ways, as you choose, Investment Portfolio bonds can be aimed at the lump sum investor who wants an extensive range of investment funds. This bond can often have no "bid/offer spread", a choice of ready-made portfolios to meet different investment needs and options to create your own portfolio from a wide range of funds including a With Profits, Fund of Funds, Tracking fund and ethical funds. Investment can sometimes be made by using a share exchange facility, to cut down on the costs of buying and selling, and the bond can be enhanced by additional investments in the future. Such further investments may benefit from the allocation rate applicable to the whole investment. Increased allocation rates can be available for larger investments and often fund switches a year are available free of charge. The Investment
Portfolio bond can be used as an ideal tax reduction vehicle. "Clustering"
is available to reduce the impact of income tax on full or partial
encashment and incorporating the bond into a Discretionary Will Trust or
Loan Trust scheme can be effective in reducing inheritance
These are "collective" investments. Individual investors, such as you, pool their money into funds looked after by professional managers. Investment can be either by lump sum payments or regular. Periodic amounts. There are many unit trusts & OEIC designed for the personal investor to tailor plans and meet specific individual needs. There is a
wide variety of choice - many funds offer growth or income through UK and
overseas markets, some offer a spread of investment via international unit
trusts in Portfolio Trusts and others provide Ethical investment trusts.
Where a trust
invests overseas its value, and any income from it, can go up and down
simply because of changes in currency exchange rates. Other
plans are available to save a monthly amount, with peace of mind, to build
your money into a sizeable cash sum after a period of time (typically 10
years). You can usually start from very Some plans offer flexibility, for example, in better days you can increase the monthly savings but, in leaner times, investment can be reduced, suspended or even put on a "contribution holiday" without damaging the prospects of returns on the money already saved. After certain breaks contributions can be re-started. Single/lump
sum investments are also usually permitted (subject to a minimum
amount). Your money is invested in a funds of your choice and, as the investment company pays the taxes on its funds, you are able to receive the lump sum, at the end of the term, tax free. You can choose from many options - the amount you wish to save, whether to save monthly or annually and the term of the plan, to name just a few. Plans can be on "level"/fixed investment, increasing investment levels and can be arranged for children. These plans have been with us for many years and are often considered to be the more "traditional" route to build a lump sum through regular, disciplined savings. Despite adverse press coverage generally, many endowment plans have continued to work successfully for clients and meet a variety of needs.
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