The role of trustee is not to be undertaken lightly, especially as trustees are personally liable should a beneficiary claim some form of negligence. Trusts are often created as a result of an instruction in a will, especially when someone wants to leave...

On 19 March 2014 in the Government’s 2014 Budget the Chancellor, George Osborne, surprised the Financial Services industry by announcing major changes to the Individual Savings Account (ISA) rules.  It was announced that ISAs would be reformed...

Mike Cracknell from Birkett Long examines how you can make the most of tax efficient financial planning opportunities before the current tax year ends on 5 April 2012 and the new year commences 6 April 2012. 1. Make the most of Individual Savings Accounts...

One of the negatives for pension savers is the new annual £50,000 limit on contributions, and this is already causing high earners to look for alternative forms of tax-efficient investment, such as Enterprise Investment Schemes (‘EIS’),...

For individuals with a "relevant income" of £130,000 or more (i.e. effected by the "anti-forestalling rules") for the 2010/2011 tax year, to make gross pension contributions to the value of £20,000 or £30,000, as...

The Government has announced that the annual ISA investment limit will be increased from £10,200 to £10,680 with effect from 6 April 2011. For a couple, this means that £21,360 can be invested with no tax on dividends or interest, no...

Interest in Venture Capital Trusts ('VCTs') has been subdued for the past couple of years. Investors have fretted about the global economy and managers have preferred to sit on cash, the return on which has usually been lower than their costs. However,...

The current 2008/09 tax year will be remembered for an unprecedented series of financial and economic events. With Bank solvencies, cash flow and in some instances merely financial survival in the foremost thoughts of many, it is more important than ever to...