Buying Back State Pension Years  When we are building a client’s lifetime cash flow plan, we always ask any clients who are under the State Pension age to do a State Pension forecast. This enables us to see whether clients have built up sufficient year’s contributions to be eligible for a full state pension. If they haven’t and it is unlikely they will work enough years to get the full quota, we look at the feasibility of buying som e additional years. You can pay voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill gaps in your record and increase your State Pension. You can check your National Insurance record to see if there are any gaps. There is an important deadline of April 2025 coming up as detailed below meaning that for some, immediate action could be wise. In most (but not all) cases, it is worth buying back any missing years - especially if they are partly funded years to maximise entitlement to the full state pension. Steps to consider ........ Check if you qualify for the full State Pension Consider if there are other ways to increase your State Pension for free Decide if the cost of voluntary contributions is worth it Pay voluntary contributions before the deadline Eligibility and deadlines ......... You can pay voluntary contributions to fill gaps between April 2006 and April 2016 if you're eligible The deadline to pay for gaps between April 2006 and April 2016 is April 5, 2025 After April 5, 2025, you can only pay for voluntary contributions for the past 6 years How to check your record......... You can apply for a National Insurance statement from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) You can check your National Insurance record on GOV.UK Due to the number of years you can ‘gap fill’ changing, some people may need to take quick action before April 2025.

Charitable Donations As the tax year end is approaching, most individuals concentrate on the common ways of reducing their tax bills like making personal pension contributions or gifting unused personal income tax allowance to a spouse. One that often gets ‘forgotten’ is the tax implications of charitable donations and remembering to make a note of them over the course of a financial year to then input on a tax return. Understanding the tax implications of charitable gifts is important for both the donor and the charity. Here's a breakdown of key points that aren’t just limited to income tax benefits…... Gift Aid: * This scheme allows charities to reclaim basic rate tax on your donation, effectively increasing the value of your gift. * If you're a higher-rate taxpayer, you can also claim back the difference between the basic rate and the higher rate. Capital Gains Tax (CGT): * If you donate certain assets, like shares or property, to a charity, you're generally exempt from CGT on the gain. Inheritance Tax (IHT): * Gifts to charities are typically exempt from IHT. * Leaving a charitable gift in your will can also reduce the overall IHT payable on your estate. * There are also rules that if you leave 10% or more of your net estate to charity, then the inheritance tax rate on the rest of your estate is reduced. Donating Shares or Property: * Donating qualifying shares, securities, or land can provide income tax relief. * This allows you to deduct the market value of the asset from your taxable income. Company Donations: * Companies can deduct charitable donations from their pre-tax profits, reducing their corporation tax liability. Important Notes: * It's crucial to ensure that the charity you're donating to is a registered charity to qualify for these tax benefits. * Tax laws can be complex, so seeking professional financial advice is recommended, especially for large or complex donations. In essence, charitable giving in the UK is encouraged through various tax reliefs, benefiting both the charities and the donors.

Taking Benefits from Final Salary Pensions At Belmore we are seeing a few similar cases with our clients about taking benefits from Final Salary Pension schemes The History Individuals who are now in their late 50’s/early 60’s are caught in the period of time where final salary pension schemes have become less common (particularly in the private sector) and historic schemes are caught with differing retirement ages depending on when the member was employed and when the scheme changed its rules/legislation for retirement ages. The Implications Gone are the days where someone reaches a particular age and all their pensions became payable at once - that would too easy! This means that many people have relatively small pension schemes relating to previous employment that they can start receiving - most commonly at ages 60, 65, 67 - yet they are still working and either cannot afford to fully retire or don’t want to. The Options As a general rule, a member will receive a pack detailing their options a few months before they reach the scheme retirement age. This will outline the options available including whether to take tax-free cash and the impact (if any) it has on the income. When choosing the best option there are a few important things to consider…….. Should I take the tax-free cash? This decision depends on individual circumstances. Some people need tax-free cash to clear debt, others use it to provide an emergency fund if their cash reserves are lower than is comfortable. It also depends on the implication it has on the income being offered, the need for secure income and what other sources of income there will be available in retirement. Should I defer taking my income? As a rule of thumb the answer to this is normally ‘no’ as the income you would miss out on in the deferment will take a considerable number of years to ‘catch up’ on to break even in your bank account. With the majority of schemes, the benefits once in payment will increase by RPI or CPI or similar. It is important to remember that aside from a spouse's pension (often half the income or lower of the member’s income) these schemes die with you so the object of the exercise is to maximise what you get out. Does taking final salary pension income affect my ability to make personal pension contributions? No, taking benefits from a final salary scheme does not affect your ability to make contributions into a personal pension. Will I need to do a tax return? No, the final salary scheme will deduct tax at source. What if pension income puts me into higher rate? If individuals don’t need the additional income and it puts them into higher rate tax when added to their PAYE income then there is an opportunity to make higher personal pension contributions to claim back the higher rate tax.

Bonds When governments or companies need long-term financing (2 to 30 years), they issue Bonds in the capital market. Government Bonds are called Gilts, while company Bonds are known as Corporate Bonds. Both are collectively referred to as Fixed-Interest Securities, as they pay interest either at a fixed rate (Conventional Gilts / Bonds) or the interest they pay is Index-linked.* Bonds may also be called Debentures, Loan Notes, or Loan Stock. *Some Bonds, known as Zero Coupon Bonds, don't pay regular interest but are sold at a discount, with the full face value repaid at maturity. Bonds can be bought directly from issuers or through collective investments like Unit Trusts, OEICs, and Personal Pensions. Essentially, buying a Bond means lending money to the issuer in exchange for regular interest payments (typically every six months) and the return of your capital at maturity. Corporate Bonds tend to offer higher interest rates than bank savings accounts due to the higher risk of default. The risk is reflected in the issuer's credit rating, which influences the coupon rate—the lower the credit rating, the higher the risk and coupon. Bond prices in the secondary market fluctuate with interest rates. When rates fall, Bond prices rise as coupons become more attractive compared to bank savings. Conversely, when rates rise, Bond prices fall as bank savings become more competitive. The Government provides tax incentives for buying Gilts and qualifying Corporate Bonds. The yield on Bonds represents the return relative to the price paid, with the fixed coupon amount remaining constant while the Bond price may vary. Sources: https://nextgenplanners.mn.co/posts/investments-r02-j10-day-2-learning-outcome-1-part-2

Client Explainer - Equities (Shares) Buying shares means owning part of a company, granting you shareholder rights, often including voting on key issues. Shares can be purchased directly via the stock market or as part of pooled investments (this is the most common as part of a pension or investment portfolio). They may be new shares from an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or existing ones traded publicly. Investments can range from small (Private Equity) to large (FTSE-listed) companies, with the AIM market somewhere in the middle. The goal is for the share value to grow with the company’s profitability. Dividends may be paid, typically higher from larger companies, while smaller companies may offer more potential for capital growth. However, company performance isn't guaranteed, and some may reinvest profits without growing. In simple terms, shares are an investment in companies that produce real goods and services. The prices of these goods and services will increase with inflation, as will the profits (hopefully), providing investors with a return over inflation.

Investment Bonds An Investment Bond offers medium to long-term growth (5-10+ years) and access to a wide variety of funds. As with all investments, its value can fluctuate, and you may not recover the full amount invested. Investment Bonds are structured as single-premium 'Life Insurance' policies, with a portion paid out upon death, though they function as investment products. These typically require a minimum investment of £5,000 to £10,000, and may have term restrictions and varying charges. You can withdraw up to 5% per year tax-deferred until the Bond is fully cashed in. This makes Investment Bonds attractive for tax-efficient income or wealth transfer. UK Investment Bonds are taxed under UK Life Fund rules, with the basic rate of Income Tax considered paid, meaning no additional Capital Gains or basic rate tax liability on gains. If you're a higher or additional rate taxpayer now but expect to become a basic rate taxpayer (e.g. in retirement), deferring withdrawals beyond the 5% limit could reduce your tax liability. Chargeable events triggering Income Tax liability include withdrawing over the 5% allowance, full surrender, death of the policyholder, or maturity of a Bond. Assignment, or transferring ownership, allows tax planning between spouses or civil partners, with the gift exempt from Inheritance Tax and no Capital Gains Tax on the transfer. Assignments must be unconditional and outright. Special rules apply for Trustee-held Bonds. If you would like some further information on Bonds, please do get in touch. Sources:https://www.mandg.com/pru/customer/en-gb/our-products/investment-products/investment-Bonds, https://techzone.abrdn.com/anon/public/investment/Taxation-of-Bonds, https://chasebuchanan.com/assignment-of-an-investment-Bond-2/#:~:text=An%20assignment%20refers%20to%20the,called%20a%20deed%20of%20assignment., https://www.mandg.com/wealth/adviser-services/tech-matters/investments-and-taxation/planning/tax-planning-uk-Bonds#:~:text=This%20planning%20is%20often%20used,must%20be%20outright%20and%20unconditional .

What is the Budget going to contain?....... We are more regularly than normal being asked by clients what we think the forthcoming budget on 30th October will contain. The honest answer is - we don’t know! And neither does anyone else at the moment…… Since the announcement of the cut to the Winter Fuel Allowance, there has been a lot of speculation about what may or may not be included in the budget and there have been clear warnings from the government that it's not necessarily going to be something to celebrate. Whilst we would like to say that the public has been told that increases to the rates of Income Tax, National Insurance and VAT have already been ruled out, we would not like to be completely certain until the budget is announced, as experience tells us that U-turns in policy cannot be ruled out. If this is the case though, and judging by what the Prime Minister has said about tax rises being necessary, it seems that the general consensus is that Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax or a Wealth Tax, VAT and Pensions may be targeted. We would like to have a crystal ball so that any pre-budget work can be done, but in reality, we just don’t know what it might contain and would just be guessing. Therefore at Belmore, we are treating everything as ‘business as usual’ and dealing with the tax rules that are in place at the current time. We will of course be looking closely at the budget (probably along with most of the nation) on 30th October with interest, and translate what is said in parliament to everyday situations as soon as possible for our clients.

Markets Over the Previous Couple of Weeks Whilst a large majority of the public have been enjoying their summer holidays, the markets decided to take a leaf out of the Paris Olympics book and do their own form of gymnastics. It started with a market correction in Asia where the Japanese stock market plummeted by 12.4% which represented the sharpest sell-off since ‘Black Monday’ back in 1987. This was then added to by the VIX index (a measure of market volatility often referred to as Wall Street’s ‘fear gauge’) surging more than 40 points from its average level that was largely caused by a fear that the US market might slip into recession (despite major analysts thinking this scenario is unlikely). By the time this had all happened, markets worldwide felt the impact of the shock and although not to the same degree, Chinese, Indian and Australian markets showed modest declines. Whilst the FTSE 100 went down by 2-3% this was relatively stable compared to other world markets. Since this episode, markets have bounced back - as an example, the Japanese market closed on 27th August being within 200 points to where it opened a month previous, before the downturn.

Political Impact With less than a week to go until the General Election, some clients are asking about what financial impact there might be going forward. Whilst it is impossible to predict what legislation changes may come in (although the manifestos make promises, nothing is set in stone until it goes through parliament), one thing that history has shown us is that the markets will still grow no matter who is at number 10.