The Blincoe Blog
Are Labour coming for your pensions?
Pensions and a Labour government: what we know so far and what might happen
The 60% inheritance tax trap
Certain estates are subject to a marginal 60% inheritance tax once their value exceeds £2m
"...and how to achieve an immediate 20% tax saving”
Five ways to save inheritance tax
A record £7.5bn in IHT was paid in the 2023/24 tax years - here are five options to mitigate a potential charge
VCTs & the 5-year flip
Long-term VCT investors can supercharge returns by ‘recycling’ positions into new VCTs every 5 years.
How much does a 'good' retirement cost?
When planning for retirement, the key question is 'how much do you plan to spend in retirement'? But this can be hard to answer.
Climbing the wall of worry
It's natural to feel cautious about investing. But history has shown that companies and stock markets are highly adaptable, rewarding long-term investors.
"Bears sound clever, but bulls make money"
Politics and investing
Does a change in government signal a change in prospects for the UK Stock Market?
Tax year-end planning
A summary of the main personal tax changes for 2024/25 plus planning opportunities into tax year-end
"8 more sleeps until tax year-end"
Portfolio rebalancing
Why we endorse 'tolerance-based' rather than calendar rebalancing
"Eat. Sleep. Rebalance. Repeat."
Spring Budget preview
The Chancellor is due to unveil his latest Spring Budget on 6th March 2024
The £100k childcare cliff-edge (and how to achieve >100% tax relief)
For parents, crossing the £100k earnings threshold can actually leave you worse-off due to the impact on childcare costs. But this can be offset via pension contribution.
Home bias in investing
Most investors have a home bias when investing, but this can add risk and reduce expected returns
"The average UK investor holds around 80% their portfolios in UK stocks [Interactive Investor]"
Venture Capital Trusts - what, why & how?
VCTs offer exposure to the 'companies of tomorrow' (AI, autonomous driving, e-mobility, health tech, etc.) and come with generous tax perks, but they're not for the faint-hearted...
"Power investing on steroids"
Twisted FIRE starter
Using cashflow modelling to determine the point of financial independence
"Financial independence may be closer than you think”
Buying commercial property via your pension
Small business owners can turbocharge their pension savings by buying their own business premises via a personal pension.
Pension pot for life
Looking at the pros and cons of the Chancellor's plans for a single 'pension pot for life'
"One pot to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them”
The Power Law in investing (and the perils of picking stocks)
The bulk of stockmarket returns come from a surprisingly small cohort of companies.
"Don't look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack."
The humble GIA
GIAs are simple, low cost and probably more tax efficient than you think
"Where you hold your investments can be as important, if not more important, than what you actually invest in”