Is it time to tidy up your finances this spring?
With spring in the air and the 2021/22 financial year just a month old, there’s no better time to take stock of your financial arrangements and see how they’re working for you. Of course, you can check your direct debits or standing orders and cancel any you no longer use. You can switch energy providers or even share your Netflix account.
Earn returns while making an impact.
Most people invest because they want their money to grow – to prepare for the future, to save up for a major purchase, or to provide a comfortable lifestyle for their family. That might seem at odds with the idea of putting your money towards a good cause, and creating change in the wider world, but it doesn’t have to be. With ethical investing, you can do both.
Guarding against accidental inheritance. Soaring house prices around the UK over the last 20 years mean it’s possible to leave a substantial windfall to the people or causes closest to our hearts.
The Treasury expects inheritance tax receipts to soar by almost £1 billion by 2025/26, following the decision to freeze two key thresholds in last month’s Budget. The nil-rate band will continue at £325,000, while the residence nil-rate band remains at £175,000 until April 2026.
The number of people seeking to divorce their spouses boomed last year, with many couples forced to spend long amounts of time with their partners during various coronavirus restrictions.
Indeed, those googling Citizens’ Advice divorce guidance increased sharply since last April, during the first national lockdown, and rose by 25% year-on-year in September 2020.