The UK tax system is notoriously complex, and it's not just our ‘cash income’ such as salary and bonuses that we pay income tax – we also pay it on any benefits in kind (BIK) or ‘non-cash benefits’ that we receive in employment. You should be aware that they can be deceptively unkind in tax terms, despite their name, watch this episode to discover more.

Your New Year’s Eve celebrations may seem a distant memory, and for many of us when we start a new year we commit to some resolutions; goals that we’d like to accomplish in the following twelve months. However, if you're struggling to complete your financial goals for the year, how can you get back on track?

With interest rates rising and the economy being so uncertain, now more than ever you need to be financially secure. A great way to increase financial security is to repay your debt, but it’s not easy, is it. I use a process that’s different to most others when it comes to getting debt-free, because it focuses on making you feel good as you go along your debt repayment journey. It’s called the Snowball System because your little decisions will build up to make a big difference.

A lot of people are stressed out by a lot of things at the moment - Markets are down, prices are up, and interest rates are rising. So should you be thinking about cashing out your investments, and leaving the stock markets? Watch this podcast to find out more. For more financial planning help please visit www.warrenshute.com

In this podcast episode, discover the secret to a happy retirement and how to plan ahead to help make your retirement the best years of your life. For more financial planning help please visit warrenshute.com/

In recent years we’ve seen a resurgence in property investing brought on partly by the stamp duty holiday. But what should you do when it comes to your money? should you invest it into a property? or should you invest it in the stock market? In this episode, I will detail the reasons why I believe equities make better investments than property. For the article visit: https://warrenshute.com/saving-investing/should-you-invest-in-property-or-shares-why-it-pays-to-back-global-plc/

After touching record highs in early January, many world markets have pulled back from their highs, and investors have been confronted with worrisome headlines in the financial press regarding record inflation and more recently the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Is rising inflation and Russia’s invasion a negative for equity investors? Do large losses in a handful of popular stocks signal a downturn ahead for the broad market? Listen to my podcast to discover whether you should change your investment portfolio based on the current news and events. For my article visit: https://warrenshute.com/financial-news-events/should-i-be-changing-my-portfolio-considering-the-news/ For other financial planning articles about investing, pensions or debt please visit: https://warrenshute.com

With the cost of living increasing and our electricity bills looking more like Elton John’s florist bill, we thought it even more pertinent to tax plan this season and maximise our savings. While tax planning is an important part of financial planning, it is not the only part. It is essential that any tax planning strategy that is being considered also makes commercial sense. In this bumper episode of the money planner, I discuss the tax allowances you can discover in a number of areas, as listed below. 1:24 Working From Home Tax Breaks 4:41 Income Tax Thresholds 8:08 Income Tax Planning 12:07 Marriage Tax Allowance 13:14 Reducing Net Income 16:07 Dividend Allowance 16:48 Capital Gains Tax Planning 21:40 Inheritance Tax Planning 23:47 Gifting Money Allowance 29:17 Savings & Investment 30:41 ISA Tax Allowance 32:26 EIS & VCT Tax Allowance 35:06 Investment Bonds Allowance 36:52 Pension Tax Allowance

Inheritance tax is becoming a concern to more and more people. A simple yet effective way of planning is to use exemptions and reliefs and use of the normal expenditure out of income exemption can be particularly useful. It is a fact that inheritance tax receipts are increasing and the number of families paying inheritance tax is now at a 35 year high. In 2009/10 2.6% of deaths gave rise to IHT. In 2015/16 this was 7.1%. And the expectation is that the tax receipts will increase still further with a prediction of £5.6 billion from tax year 2020/21. Inheritance tax is obviously affecting more estates and will continue to do so. Many people will be keen to take practical action that can reduce the impact of the tax without materially affecting their standard of living or financial security.

How much is enough for you to retire? What’s your number? None of us are getting any younger and time flies faster as we age, so it’s important to plan ahead for retirement, a period of our life that could last 40 years. My wife gets frustrated with me when I spend more time planning our retirement than I do our summer holiday, but it’s a no - brainer... isn’t it?! We all have what I call a wealth window, a limited period of time to create the wealth to see us through our retirement. As this window gets smaller, it’s harder to climb through. If you have 10 years to go before you plan to retire, you have 120 more paydays to secure your retirement. Is that enough?

Many have struggled financially during the pandemic, and they will need to bring their financial house back in line. Others have thrived on working from home and may never return to their offices, many saving thousands each year in travel, food, and new office outfits. At the same time, we’ve all not been able to spend as we would have otherwise done; holidays have been cancelled or postponed, socialising has been put on ice and some have delayed their home improvement plans. But all that spending has not gone away – it has simply been delayed, and it’s beginning to come back. I appreciate we can’t take last year’s holiday along with this year’s (fingers crossed), but we’re all longing for our holidays and seeing the sun, and meeting up with friends and family for drinks and a meal. That’s a lot of pent-up demand for life as we knew it. And in our economic wheel, one person’s spending is another person’s income, so I believe our future purchasing power will help make the next decade the ‘Roaring 20s’. Date of Recording : 27th February 2022

Life is never a straight line; we have highs and lows. Our spending is no different. I was speaking with my children this week and explained that when you have an expensive month, like we did in December, it’s right to reign in the spending a little, to offset, otherwise you could easily find yourself in debt. That’s coming into sharp focus now as December credit card statements arrive in inboxes and on doormats. For some, the statement will reflect Christmas extravagance. Some balances will even include purchases from 2020! Date Recorded: 3rd February 2022

We like to do things in life that we enjoy. We find these things easy to do, they take little effort, and we know we’re going to have a good time doing them. Contrast this to our finances: most of us don’t review our money or what’s happening with it because we think it’s difficult, it can be worrying to look at our situation, or we don’t know how to change things. So to protect ourselves, we shut it out of our mind and avoid it instead. Sound familiar? Find out how you can get on top of your money matters, step-by-step.

How to make the most of your savings is an essential part of getting ahead financially, and it is especially true at a time when inflation is increasing. It can be difficult to maintain the real buying power of your pounds. With having a savings platform, when you open your savings account, you can allocate your savings across several different time periods with differing interest rates. Watch this video to discover more. For more help and guidance on savings & investing visit: https://www.warrenshute.com For more information about Aviva Save please visit: https://www.aviva.co.uk/investments/aviva-save/

Not surprisingly, I’m a big believer in planning. That’s especially true when it comes to the golden years of our retirement. But will those years really be golden, or more like copper?! Discover the secret to a happy retirement and plan ahead to help make your retirement the best years of your life.

It’s essential we use this period to organise our finances. Part of that means supporting local businesses whenever you can, because one person's spending is another person's income, and it could be helping you further down the chain.

If you know your numbers, money isn’t as complicated as you might think. Clarity gives you the enthusiasm to make better decisions and live the life you want to live. I often refer to ALIE as every financial planner's best friend; assets, liabilities, income and expenditure. The last 18 months may have played havoc with your finances, but this period could also be giving you more of something you don’t typically have: time. If you’ve been furloughed, or you’re saving hours in commuting, use the extra time productively to sort your finances out. The hardest step is the first one – so where should you begin?

Life is not a continuum: precious time is running out for us all. Securing your future is essential, but so is enjoying the present moment. So few people ever actually achieve this balance, which I refer to as true wealth. Being rich can be nice, but true wealth – which money can’t buy and death can’t take away – is figuring out what you really want to achieve in life and going for it. It’s in reach for us all… if we just decide what we want.

Family Finances for Father's Day. It’s no surprise that raising kids comes at a cost, but it’s also an opportunity to learn – for children and parents, check out my latest Money Planner Podcast below.

Inflation is normal, we shouldn’t be afraid of it, but when its momentum builds it can get out of control and skyrocket, which typically means things become more expensive. Something that’s overlooked with inflation is the impact on your cash. Why? Because inflation is effectively a constant tax on the value of your money and assets, a tax that we all collectively pay. Inflation is like carbon monoxide to your money: it’s a silent killer of wealth creation, which few people are aware of. So what can you do? watch this video to discover more.