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Summary of 2016 Budget

Here as usual is our summary of the main announcements in today’s Budget, with some thoughts and comments to boot.   The build-up to this Budget suggested it could be far-reaching and highly memorable, but in the end it appears that political pressures linked to the EU referendum in June may have got the better of the Chancellor. There was a lot of fluff and not much...

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Why we are programmed to panic

Humans are terrible investors. Our brains are primarily driven by emotion and, in certain situations, it can make us act irrationally. This presents a problem for traditional economics, where there is a presumption that everyone acts rationally.   To demonstrate this, imagine I offer you a game to play. A simple coin-toss: heads or tails. If you win, I will give you £1; if you lose, you...

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“IF… you can keep your head while all around are losing theirs”

2016 has started in spectacularly poor fashion, eerily reminiscent of 2008 – a story that didn’t end well.   In the furore of doom-and-gloom headlines, we prefer to ask a slightly more unorthodox question: How does it make you feel?   If all this uncertainty* makes you feel anxious then you should try to go back to basics and follow these three rules:   1. Understand your risk tolerance: research from...

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An extra £250,000 ISA allowance?

April heralds a number of major changes to tax and pension rules (as outlined in previous editions of this newsletter).   One, that has so far avoided most of the headlines, is the change to the taxation of dividends and the introduction of a new dividend allowance. From April, everyone will be able to receive £5,000 of dividends without incurring any extra income tax.   In the right circumstances,...

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Quarterly Private Client Newsletter: February 2016

Welcome to the latest edition of the Kennedy Black Quarterly Private Client Newsletter.   First off, we are delighted to be able to say that Kennedy Black Wealth Management recently won not one but two prestigious awards: Boutique Wealth Management Firm of the Year and Financial Planning Product of the Year (for our INTELLIGENT WEALTH MAP planning tool).   As well as that announcement, we also cover a few interesting...

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Get your home insurance right

Effective home insurance is an important part of protecting your family’s finances. We often find clients are under-insured, which means any prudent planning could be undone through events beyond their control.   Part of the problem is that online comparison sites primarily focus on price. That means insurers are incentivised to reduce core levels of cover and exclude any extras, in order to keep headline rates low.   But...

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Beware relying on ‘Death-in-Service’ life assurance

A relatively sobering conversation recently highlighted the risk of relying on employer-based life assurance (often referred to as “Death-in-Service”).   Most employers offer life cover as a benefit for employees: often a multiple of salary (3 or 4 times being most common). There are a number of benefits of doing it this way, for employees, employers and insurers.   While some cover is better than none, it is worth...

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Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) at their most effective

As we approach the end of the tax year, Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) and “Seed EIS” (SEIS) will be high up the agenda for a number of our clients.   These are high-risk investment vehicles that attract significant tax benefits because they invest in small businesses. The government has repeatedly asserted its commitment to EIS in recent years. While tax avoidance has become a sensitive issue lately,...

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Autumn Statement 2015

George Osborne announced his half-yearly Budget yesterday. This is, in fact, his third visit to the despatch box this year after the Budget in April and the Summer Budget in July.   The build-up was very much focused on the continuation of Mr Osborne’s austerity measures. There was plenty of that, as well as a few items that our clients are likely to find interesting.   However, given the...

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