Spring Budget Statement 2024

By | Budget Summary, Latest News

The early trailers in January 2024 for what is probably Chancellor Jeremy’s Hunt’s last ‘fiscal event’ featured Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promising “more to come” on tax cuts.  At the time, Mr Sunak’s bullish viewpoint puzzled some commentators because the Treasury had yet to receive even an initial assessment of the UK’s financial health from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

As Budget Day neared, a mix of OBR computation and the government’s expectation management dampened down the speculation around tax cuts and suggestions emerged about the possibility of counterbalancing tax increases. It began to sound as if the government’s election strategy would rely more on fiscal responsibility and less on the reductions in NICs or income tax demanded by many of its backbenchers.

In the event, the Chancellor delivered both tax cuts and, to a lesser extent, tax rises. The headline 2024/25 tax cut was another two percentage point reduction in the main rates of NICs for employees and the self-employed, with an initial cost of £10 billion. At only about 5% of that outlay, the easing of the thresholds for the HICBC was a welcome (and surprise) reform.

Tax rises included the predicted ‘adopting’ of the Labour party’s plan to abolish non-domicile taxation from April 2025 and, from the same date, the end of the furnished holiday lets regime. Together, these are projected to yield a little under £3 billion by 2028/29.

Nevertheless, the OBR says that Mr Hunt will meet his fiscal rule of debt falling as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2028/29, by which time total borrowing will
exceed £3,000 billion. The margin by which the Chancellor meets the rule is just £9 billion, which the OBR notes is “a tiny fraction of the risks around any forecast”.

Read the full statement here.

Autumn Budget Statement 2023

By | Budget Summary, Latest News, Uncategorized

Jeremy Hunt’s second Autumn Statement was set against a much less financially turbulent background than his first.  However, politics still loomed large with a likely election in the next 12 months prompting calls for tax cuts from within the Conservative party. Until recently the Chancellor had attempted to stall such demands with warnings of “difficult decisions” on the public finances owing to a worsened fiscal outlook since his Spring Budget. One reason that he highlighted for the deterioration was the sharply increased cost of government borrowing.

Nevertheless, the Chancellor, who had argued only two months ago that tax cuts were “virtually impossible”, appears to have had a change of heart. Echoing the Prime Minister, Mr Hunt suggested that the achievement of halving inflation in 2023 marked an economic inflexion point that permitted a new policy approach.

The outcome was an Autumn Statement that had been initially trailed as focusing on longer-term issues, but which prioritised short-term tax cuts over maintaining expenditure in later years.
On the long term front, the Chancellor confirmed as expected that ‘full expensing’ of corporate investment in plant and machinery would be made permanent at a cost of £10.7 billion a year by 2027/28.  The most headline-grabbing moves were cuts to national insurance.

Some of the rumours, such as IHT reform, did not come to fruition, but there is still a chance – the Spring Budget is now less than four months away.

Read the full statement here

Planning ahead to reduce Inheritance Tax receipts

By | Financial Planning, Latest News

Figures released for April 2023, showed that the HMRC collected £597 million in inheritance tax (IHT) receipts, an increase of £90 million when comparing the same period, a year earlier.

More and more of us who own our own homes will find our estates will be eligible to pay IHT as the value of property increases and the threshold at which IHT is payable continues to stagnate. This is one of the reasons why NLP Financial Management were asked to give a presentation recently to the employees of Goldman Sachs, a company we have worked with for many years now, providing group presentations and one-to-one consultations with their staff.

This one hour webinar presentation was part of Goldman Sachs’ Financial Wellness quarterly series, comprising 5 sessions that covered various topics, all designed to provide practical, financial education and “highlight quality services and solutions to staff.”

Unsurprisingly, with the widening knowledge and media headlines of tax freezes, we welcomed over 125 participants on the call with over 20 questions put to us afterwards, asking for further information and ways in which IHT can be planned for as early as possible.  Getting ahead really is key to mitigating potential costs that loved ones may need to find at a later date.

If you would like to discuss any Inheritance Tax Planning issues or invite us into your organisation to deliver a similar presentation then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Spring Budget 2023

By | Budget Summary, Investment News, Latest News, Uncategorized

The first Budget since October 2021 was widely expected to be an uneventful affair. Five months ago, the then new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, presented an Autumn Statement that was more of a Budget than many formal Budgets. Not only did his Autumn Statement result in a greater increase in the tax burden than most Budgets – £55 billion by 2027/28 – it was also accompanied by a Finance Bill.

With an election likely in autumn 2024, Mr Hunt’s ‘Budget for growth’ looked set to be a steady-as-you-go fiscal non-event.  Yet it turns out that over the next three tax years, Mr Hunt will hand back about £65 billion of the extra tax that he had planned to raise last November.  Although by 2027/28, he will still be about £40 billion a year better off.

The largest element of his three-year giveaway is the introduction of temporary full expensing for corporate investment in new plant and machinery. This goes some way to counter the impact of the corporation tax rate increase to 25% due in April 2023.  The aim behind this relief – stimulating economic growth – drove his extension of free childcare. It also provided justification for the surprise abolition of the pension lifetime allowance (LTA) and increases to the annual allowance. However, the benefits of the pension reforms to high earners have been tempered by a new cap on tax-free cash.

Whether the Chancellor succeeds in his growth agenda will not be clear until well after the next election. As Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies, said: “Once again Jeremy Hunt can be grateful that the Office for Budget Responsibility is more optimistic than the Bank of England. It handed him some room for manoeuvre.”

Read the full article here

NLPFM shortlisted for 9 consecutive years and named as one of the best firms to work for!

By | Financial Planning, Latest News

The Professional Adviser Awards, now in their 17th year, are designed as a platform for adviser businesses to showcase their knowledge, skills and commitment to their clients and client relationships throughout the United Kingdom.

At the recent Black Tie awards ceremony in London, which we were finally able to attend in person, NLP Financial Management were shortlisted for the 9th consecutive year in the “Best Adviser Firm of the Year (London)” category, alongside only 8 other companies in the capital who also received this accolade.

In the category “Best Financial Advisers to Work For”, which is currently in its 4th year running, we were thrilled to collect our Award Trophy alongside a selection of only 19 other financial firms, bearing in mind there are approximately 5,300+ financial advice companies currently operating within the UK. *

We are extremely proud to be the only firm in London to be both shortlisted in the Best Adviser Firm category for such a long period of time as well as being recognised for the last 4 years as a company of choice for our employees, especially considering the tumultuous times that we have recently experienced.   One of our core values is to put our clients at the centre of everything we do and this unwavering commitment has undoubtedly contributed to our success in these awards.

It continues to be a challenging and volatile environment in which we work and we are exceptionally proud of our team who have consistently dedicated themselves to delivering our high levels of customer care and service.

Adam Katten, Managing Director said “Our entire team are highly deserving of these achievements and I can only thank everyone who has helped us to achieve these results.  We will relentlessly continue to drive future improvements throughout the NLPFM business so we can announce our 10th year of recognition in 2023.”

*https://www.ibisworld.com/united-kingdom/market-research-reports/financial-advisers-industry/

We’re finalists for the 9th year in a row!

By | Financial Planning, Latest News

Professional Adviser (an information service for UK-based regulated financial advisers) have recently announced the financial firms shortlisted for its “regional adviser firm of the year” awards.  We are delighted that for the 9th consecutive year, NLP Financial Management are listed as one of the finalists in the London category!

Our consistent recognition demonstrates the high levels of customer service we pride ourselves on, which despite a global pandemic and ongoing market volatility, has not been in any way adversely impacted.  Our dedication to our clients’ ongoing financial wellbeing and the wellbeing of our team has meant that we have continued to put our clients at the heart of everything we do.

Appearing in a shortlist of only nine finalists for London Financial firms, we do not believe that any other London financial services company has received this level of achievement year on year for such a prolonged period of time.  We are very much looking forward to the Awards Ceremony, which will be held in person, on April 26th at The Brewery in London.

With these awards now in their 17th year, more than 250 advisers, firms and providers were taken into consideration during the selection process.  Regardless of the result, we remain incredibly proud of our team for helping us perpetuate our drive to remain a leading firm of financial planners and ensure our clients’ finances are held in safe hands.

Our White Paper has been published!

By | Financial Planning, Investment News, Latest News

We’re delighted that a White Paper written by our Chief Investment Analyst (and Assistant Professor in Finance) Jacob H Schmidt and Investment Analyst Charlie McCann has recently been published in the Journal of Applied Finance & Banking 2022, Volume 12, Issue 1.

The paper entitled – “ESG Challenges in the Construction of UK Balanced Portfolios for Private Investors: An Analysis of the Availability and performance of ESG Funds Across Various Asset Classes” focuses on the increasing popularity of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investing within the UK.

The number of ESG and sustainable funds available for use by UK retail and high net worth investors is steadily growing from somewhat humble beginnings and this paper explores both risk and supply, notably illustrating which funds are consistently underdeveloped, such as property and alternative asset classes.  The paper demonstrates that investors who are choosing ESG objectives are now receiving better, risk adjusted returns on a longer term basis which are finally challenging the returns from the previously more traditional funds.   The authors also predict that although portfolio construction is currently limited, the availability of more funds in the alternative classes will expand as demand grows.

The White Paper can be downloaded here

At NLP Financial Management we are delighted to offer a range of Sustainable Models to our clients and for any interested readers, please do get in touch.

The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the amount invested.

We’ve been selected once again!

By | Financial Planning, Investment News, Latest News

The Professional Adviser Awards, currently celebrating their 17th year, provide adviser businesses the platform to showcase their knowledge, skills and commitment to their clients and client relationships across the length and breadth of the UK.

With the awards taking place on 26th April at The Brewery in London, back in person after last year’s virtual ceremony, we have just received confirmation that we have once again been selected as one of the “Best Advisers to work for” for the 4th year in a row!

We are extremely proud to be consistently shortlisted, especially taking into account the changes we had to introduce at the start of the global pandemic almost 2 years ago.  We have taken great care to ensure our staff have been supported in both working from home and transitioning back to office life where conditions have allowed.  Our team of people have been consistently dedicated to continuing our high levels of client care and service as culturally we always put our clients at the centre of everything we do.

This award requires a survey to be completed by all staff, so it underlines the fact that our people continue to enjoy working here, developing their chosen careers in an environment that allows them to thrive despite the challenges we have all faced.

We are extremely proud of our team, our company ethos and values and are committed to being an employer of choice that attracts, retains and nurtures exceptional talent within the financial services industry.

Year End Financial Planning

By | Financial Planning, Investment News, Latest News

Make the most of your Reliefs and Allowances

With tax levels set to rise to their “highest sustained levels in peacetime” according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, it is more important than ever to make the most of the tax allowances and reliefs available to you in case they are not there in future.  This guide provides you with an insight into the core opportunities you should consider.  With ideas covering income and investment, couples, company directors and employees, there is something for everyone.  We also provide some essential tips for those wanting to reduce their inheritance tax liability.

The guidance included here forms the base of a good financial plan as the old tax year comes to an end and the new one starts.  If you would like personalised advice on any of these topics, please get in touch.

 

NLPFM named as one of the top 100 UK Financial Advisers 2021!

By | Financial Planning, Investment News, Latest News

FT Adviser have named their top UK financial adviser firms for 2021 and we are delighted to announce that NLP Financial Management have made the list!

The context behind this list is consistently flexible; as a whole the majority of firms are sustaining strong levels of business, but the global pandemic continues to retain a strong grip on the UK economy and firms are still having to adapt to and adopt new ways of working in both face to face advice and online/digital services in order to strike a balance which suits their clients.

The list is compiled from data provided by “London based Financial Clarity”, part of ISS Market Intelligence, and helps determine those companies who are focused on putting their clients’ needs first, ensuring they uphold high standards and the use of best practice throughout their day-to-day activities.

The key metrics used to assess firms include the level of Assets Under Management (AUM), the rate of company growth, asset retention and professional qualifications of advisers.  The amount of experience firms have in managing funds within differing economic environments are also taken into consideration as are the level of investments managed with some of the largest British fund houses.  Incorporated within a firm’s experience is also the ability to continue to support their clients throughout their financial journey, from managing immediate finances in the here and now, through to growing their clients’ financial wellbeing as they enter later life, so client retention is also a key indicator used when assembling this list.

We are extremely proud to have been recognised in this way which continues to reinforce our ongoing commitment to putting our clients at the centre of everything we do, especially in the face of what has been an extremely challenging 18 months, not just for the UK but for the entire globe.

Adam Katten, Managing Director said “I would like to personally thank everyone who has contributed to us achieving this valued recognition and we will continue to do our utmost to grow and seek further improvements throughout the NLPFM business.”