Investments
Latest news in Investments, retirement planning, tax efficiency and Multi Asset Funds.

AIM reaches all time low in IPOs – only nine floats in 12 months vs. 74 last year
London’s AIM market saw only nine new company listings in the past year, a record low for the market and an 88% decrease on the 74 listings in the previous year, says UHY Hacker Young, the national accountancy group.Fewer new listings has led to a 97% fall in funds...
Crowdcube & Octopus join forces to lower the barriers to entry to VCTs
Crowdcube, the world’s largest equity crowdfunding platform, and Octopus Investments, the largest provider of Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) in the UK*, launch a partnership that aims to lower the barriers to entry facing retail investors wishing to invest in VCTs. ...
Labour activity rate crashes: Will higher pension allowances reverse ‘the great retirement’?
The labour force activity rate for the UK adult population has clearly dropped off since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to data from the Office for National Statistics released today. The ONS said the recent fall, illustrated in its graph below, was...
Going for growth with EIS
For professional advisers and paraplanners only. Not to be relied upon by retail investors. When the economic environment gets more challenging, you’d think there would be fewer opportunities to invest in game-changing, innovative companies, right? Now, this might...
Retirement

Expected retirement standards impacted as economic pressures take their toll
Data from financial advice and guidance platform provider, Wealth Wizards, shows that 1 in 3 of individuals previously on track for a ‘Moderate’ retirement lifestyle are now facing a ‘Minimum’ standard, as a result of the economic environment over the past couple of...

Government backs away from controversial plans to accelerate the planned state pension age rise to 68 – AJ Bell
Tom Selby, head of retirement policy at AJ Bell, comments on the government backing away from plans for a pre-election state pension age hike. He said: “Accelerating the planned hike in the state pension age for millions of Brits would have raised billions of pounds...

Aegon : Reprieve for millions in their early 50s as Government believed to have shelved further state pension age increase
Written by Steven Cameron, Pensions Director at Aegon It will be a big relief to many if as reported, the Government has shelved plans to accelerate increases in the state pension age. Having certainty and stability around when your state pension will commence is...

Over half of pension savers feel like they will never be able to retire as 1 in 10 cut contributions
Most current pension savers feel like they’ll never be able to retire, new Living Wage Foundation research reveals. Polling of over 3,000 people who saved into a pension in the last year, by the Living Wage Foundation and Savanta, found that over half (56%) of...

Abolition of LTA could have drastic impacts on HNW divorces according to legal expert
Following the abolishing of the Pensions Lifetime Allowance announced by Jeremy Hunt in his Spring Budget, its removal is big news for high-net-worth pensions especially when it comes to divorce. Matthew Taylor, pensions expert and Partner at Stowe Family...
Multi Asset Funds

Government Statement – UK unveils world leading approach to innovation in first artificial intelligence white paper to turbocharge growth
The UK Government have released a press release announcing the launch of their AI white paper to guide the use of artificial intelligence in the UK. Read the full statement below. White paper sets out new approach to regulating artificial intelligence to build public...

Green finance and green homes: what to watch in UK government’s ‘Green Day’ announcements this week
Later this week, the UK Government is expected to make a number of announcements in relation to the green economy. This may include the following elements: · A revised Net Zero Strategy, after the Government lost a...

‘Bed and ISA’ transactions increase by 387% since Chancellor’s wealth tax raid announced in November
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s wealth tax raid from 6 April has precipitated a near four-fold increase in Bed and ISA transactions since he announced cuts to the CGT and dividend allowances during his Autumn Statement back in November. Between November 2022 and February...

Millions of small shareholders face a tax tsunami from April
An estimated 1.8 million more people will be paying dividend tax by 2024/25, according to figures released by HMRC under a Freedom of Information request made by AJ Bell. At the same time the Capital Gains Tax allowance is being slashed, resulting in 260,000...

Baronsmead VCTs raise £50mn in oversubscribed share offer
Baronsmead Venture Trust plc and Baronsmead Second Venture Trust plc (the Baronsmead VCTs), managed by specialist alternative asset manager Gresham House, have raised a further £50mn, bringing their total net asset value to £438mn. As with previous years, this 2023...
Tax Effiency

GBI 37 | Spring Focus | March 2023
We are delighted to welcome you to the latest issue of GBI Magazine, hot on the heels of a busy couple of months of report writing, culminating in our Annual Tax Efficient Investment Sector Research Report. Feedback has been tremendous and we were pleased to be able...
GB Investments is a campaigning magazine for the financial adviser community, focussing on tax efficient investments such as EIS, Seed EIS, VCT, SITR and BR.
Read the latest issue of GBI Magazine and all the latest news.

What does the latest Bank of England 0.25% rate rise mean for SMEs and Venture Capital? Experts share their views

DSW Ventures launches SEIS fund to back regional start-ups

Guinness Ventures successfully launches new Venture Capital Trust

Why VCTs should be on adviser’s radar in 2023

Estate planning is the big opportunity of 2023
More investment news

LCP launches new approach to responsible investment to focus industry attention on action
LCP has launched a new responsible investment philosophy to help focus industry attention on concrete action to address systemic risks...

What does the latest Bank of England 0.25% rate rise mean for SMEs and Venture Capital? Experts share their views
Today's 0.25% hike by the Bank of England's MPC clearly has implications for SMEs across the UK - especially given yesterday's shock news...

Pensions experts react to the latest Bank of England base rate hike of 0.25%
Following today's 0.25% hike in UK interest rates to 4.25%, the rise clearly has implications for pensions and for pension schemes....

“Billion pound mountain to climb” as DWP ‘grinds away’ at correcting state pension errors – Steve Webb, LCP
New figures published today[1] by DWP show that efforts to correct errors on underpaid state pensions, which started in January 2021, have...

Why we still need to change pensions perceptions, and make retirement planning easier to understand
In this blog for IFA Magazine, Sara Neidle, Director at SEC Newgate, reflects on how and why we all need to work together if we are to...

Aegon: Advisers set out top Consumer Duty ‘foreseeable harms’ for retirement advice
Implementing the new Consumer Duty is probably the biggest regulatory change that advisers face this year. One of the FCA’s key...

Claire Trott comments on the 2021/2022 Pensioners Incomes Series data
Claire Trott, divisional director for retirement and holistic planning at St. James’s Place, comments on the 2021/2022 Pensioners Incomes...

Expected retirement standards impacted as economic pressures take their toll
Data from financial advice and guidance platform provider, Wealth Wizards, shows that 1 in 3 of individuals previously on track for a...

EQ Investors reduces fees on passive sustainable portfolio range
EQ Investors (EQ), the B Corp wealth manager, is reducing the charges on its passive sustainable portfolio range, having celebrated their...

DSW Ventures launches SEIS fund to back regional start-ups
DSW Ventures, the venture capital arm of the Dow Schofield Watts group, is launching its first Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS)...

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Trending articles
Devil in the detail of pension reforms as Finance Bill restricts enhanced protected tax-free cash – AJ Bell
Rachel Vahey, head of policy development at AJ Bell, comments on the Finance Bill. She said: “This Finance Bill is the first piece of legisl...
Taxpayers in London and the South East make up 62% of people avoiding tax through offshore assets
Residents in London and the Southeast made up 62% of UK taxpayers admitting evading tax by hiding assets offshore last year*, says UHY Hacke...
Preparing for the changing regulatory landscape
Written by Clare Beardmore, Director, Legal & General Mortgage Club Since the onset of COVID-19, global financial markets have been in a...
Green finance and green homes: what to watch in UK government’s ‘Green Day’ announcements this week
Later this week, the UK Government is expected to make a number of announcements in relation to the green economy. This may include the foll...
The face of sustainable real estate investments in 2023
The real estate sector contributes around 40% of global greenhouse emissions, making them one of the largest environmental offenders. Of tho...
Lack of personal finance education leaving over a third of students unprepared for life after school
A new report shows that almost half of school students (48%) want to be taught personal finance in school, but the majority feel they are no...
Help to Buy ends: First-time buyers account for 84% of homes bought in England through the scheme
On March 31st, the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme will come to an end. This scheme proved to be particularly beneficial for first-time buyer...
Experts warn of WhatsApp ‘family emergency’ scam targeting Brits across the country
Online safety is increasingly important, even for popular platforms like WhatsApp. With over 2 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp has become...
Door joins forces with FE fundinfo to solve the industry’s Consumer Duty reporting challenge
Business and Development , Consumer Duty
Door, the leading fund research platform, and the data and technology specialist FE fundinfo have created a joint solution to the Financial...
Latest Levelling Up plans could boost house prices by as much as £18,000 in these areas
Analysis by peer to peer real estate investment platform, easyMoney, reveals that Levelling Up projects could add as much as £18,000 to loca...