Someone, somewhere probably knows all about you. Supermarket loyalty schemes, marketing lists, surveys and the use of debit and credit cards all generate records of how and where we spend our money, says Helen Monks …
How to avoid credit card fraud
Category: Personal Finance
What to do with your child trust fund voucher
Open a child trust fund – or the Government will do it for you. HM Revenue & Customs has issued more than two million vouchers worth at least £250 each to families with children born …
Women: if you don’t ask, you don’t get
Thirty years after the introduction of the Equal Pay Act, women’s pay is still nearly a fifth lower than men’s, even though it was trimmed last year from 17.8% to 17.2%. The gap is partly …
Tax dodge of the week: A final opportunity to “wedge in” extra pension cash
If you don’t want to lose a tax break on pensions, you need to act, says Rebecca O’Connor in The Times. On 31 January, the tax break known as ‘carry back’ – which allows savers …
Tax dodge of the week: avoiding the new tax on art
If you are about to sell a work of art from your collection, beware the latest EU tax to hit these shores, an art tax known as ‘droit de suite’. The levy will apply to …
Tax dodge of the week: Buying annuities not such a bad idea after all
One of the much-heralded changes to the pension rules on A-Day next year is that pensioners will no longer be compelled to buy an annuity, says James Brooke, financial architect at Anand Associates (Anandassociates.co.uk). However, …
Equity release is a last resort
Equity release schemes, which allow elderly homeowners to release some, or all, of the value tied up in their homes, may have become increasingly popular in recent years, but there are as many reasons to …
How to minimise your tax bill in 2006
We all moan about our tax bills, yet willingly hand over thousands more than we need to each year. According to a new report from AXA, the average British household will pay £603,697 tax in …
Corporate giving is easier than you think
The New Year is traditionally a time of good resolutions, but instead of thinking about ourselves – how to lose weight, how to save money – why not think about how your company could benefit …
A drop of wine could protect your portfolio from IHT
The government is doing nicely out of inheritance tax (IHT), says Paula Hawkins in The Times: Revenue & Customs raked in nearly £3bn in 2004-5, up 16% on the previous year. In the search for …