It’s easy to feel bombarded by the constant cycle of negative news headlines or ‘noise’, which can add to your anxiety about how your investments are doing and uncertainty as to whether your investment strategy is on the right course. It’s important to try and block out this noise which could influence you to make hasty or erratic investment decisions.

Set and revisit

If you received a large windfall suddenly or unexpectedly, you’d likely expect to feel happy and excited for the opportunities it presents. Whether you’re a successful entrepreneur, perhaps selling your business or inheriting, sudden wealth can feel overwhelming.

Far from being a happy event for some, coming into a large sum of money can prove a massive emotional shock.

According to Bloomberg Intelligence*, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) assets are forecast to exceed £36.5trn ($50trn) – over a third of projected global assets – by 2025. The analysis comes as environmental, social and governance factors are becoming increasingly important to investors across the globe.

“The pandemic and the global race to net zero carbon

In late July, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) published its annual statistics on Inheritance Tax (IHT). These revealed that IHT payments received by HMRC in the 2020-21 tax year totalled £5.4bn, up about £0.2bn (almost 4%) on 2019–20, when receipts were slightly lower than 2018–19. Typically, more than 20,000 deaths per year result in an IHT charge.

The stats show that recent

Although the strength and speed of the global recovery over the first half of this year exceeded most expectations, the economic outlook inevitably remains uncertain. However, while future growth prospects are likely to stay closely linked to the future path of the virus, as we journey through autumn there do appear to be grounds for optimism.

Stronger recovery predicted

This week is Financial Planning Week, an initiative set up by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) to raise awareness of the importance of financial planning and to help people nationwide organise their finances to achieve their future financial goals. We thought it fitting to share 5 steps on how you can improve your own finances:-

1. Calculate your

"I am working with a client who is looking to sell their home and move into rented retirement accommodation. They need their two residential nil rate bands (RNRBs) to reduce the value of their estate so that they do not have an inheritance tax (IHT) liability. So, they asked me if they can still get the RNRB if they sell their home?

In addition to the standard nil rate

As part of our regular catch-ups with clients, we check if they have a will in place and if it is still up to date. This is really important, if you don't have a will then your estate will be shared out in a standard way set out by law (Intestacy), which might not be what you would have wanted.

Writing a will is especially important if:

• You have dependent children -