Quarterly update - Spring 2018

Hello and, above all, welcome to 2018. I hope the new year has started off well for each one of you. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best for the coming months, and I hope like me you’re looking forward to an exciting year of achievement and development.

As you are all probably familiar with by now, one of the most exciting developments for our business was confirmed at the end of last year when we merged with Bellpenny, and as of January we rolled out the Ascot Lloyd branding across the wider company. I’m really pleased and as one integrated organisation we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our clients remain at the forefront of our priorities.

I want to highlight to you a critical point in the financial calendar that is fast approaching and if you haven’t already, requires your attention; the end of tax year.

The current ISA allowance for 2017/18 is £20,000 and the deadline is 5th April 2018. There’s not long to go, but it’s still not too late to make the most of your tax-free allowance. I would advise you to get in touch with your adviser if you haven’t already done so and they can guide you through every step of the process.

On the topic of the end of tax year, our tax and trust expert provides an insight into utilising allowances and the Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) following the death of a spouse or civil partner. 

IHT planning is a sensitive topic for some, but forewarned is really forearmed, and planning early can help your loved ones when you’re no longer here. Take a look at our article Protecting Your Investments Using An AIM Inheritance Tax ISA and Planning with the Inheritable ISA allowance for more detail.

Lifetime planning is important for all individuals of all ages – but how many of us really give our pension and retirement the attention it probably deserves.

Our Glasgow based financial adviser James Peer explores the Government reforms which were announced nearly three years ago in his latest article Reviewing the Changes to Pension Freedom Withdrawals.