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From bonds and trusts to ISAs, read our latest technical insight to help your clients maximise their savings.
Rising taxes, tougher choices: How bonds and collectives compare
06/05/2026
For investors looking to save outside of pensions and ISAs, collectives (such as open-ended investment companies & unit trusts) and bonds (both onshore & offshore) are popular choices.
Trustee investments in onshore bonds
14/01/2026
A single premium, whole of life investment bond is a particularly attractive investment for a trust. This is due to the tax advantages and simplicity it offers
Dividends and savings tax increases and impact on bonds
12/12/2025
On 26 November, the Government announced £26bn of tax rises in the budget, many of which impacted savings and investments.
Read 'Dividends and savings tax increases and impact on bonds'
How pension contributions can boost your clients’ top slicing relief
12/11/2025
As an investment gain will often have been generated over many years, it would be unfair to add the whole gain as taxable income in the tax year the gain is realised. Top-slicing relief is therefore available.
Read How pension contributions can boost your clients’ top slicing relief
Inheritance Tax: What is the 14-year rule and when does it apply?
10/09/2025
When using trusts and making Chargeable Lifetime Transfers, the 14-year rule for inheritance tax can be one of the more complicated tax considerations in estate planning. In this article, we shall cover how this works in practice.
IHT Planning: Order of Gifts for Maximum Efficiency
09/07/2025
Many individuals use gifts and trusts to help family members and carry out estate planning. However, the order that gifts are made can have serious tax consequences, especially when using trusts.
Means tested benefits
07/05/2025
Means tested benefits are based on the principle that people should meet their needs from their own resources before getting help from the state.
Further IHT planning with loan trusts
19/03/2025
Strong investment returns, frozen allowances and further rises to Inheritance Tax (IHT) has meant some individuals now wish to revisit past estate planning.
IHT planning for wealthier individuals
05/02/2025
We previously highlighted that steep future rises to inheritance tax (IHT) announced in last October’s budget will bring many more estates into its scope. However, some of the people facing the highest tax increases are those already expecting large tax bills on their estates.
Encashing a bond
14/08/2024
Bonds are often considered as an investment choice after pension and ISA allowances have been used.
Top slicing relief
23/07/2024
Top-slicing relief helps taxpayers who have become subject to a higher rate of tax, due to a chargeable gain being included in their income.
Onshore and offshore bonds
02/10/2024
The main difference between an onshore or offshore bond is taxation.
Withdrawal from an onshore bond
20/09/2023
One advantage of an investment bond is that withdrawals of 5% of the original premium can be taken each year (for up to 20 years) without incurring an immediate tax liability.
Loan trusts
18/06/2024
The inheritance tax (IHT) nil-rate band of £325,000 has been frozen since 6 April 2009. Since that time, the tax it raises has more than tripled (to over £7.5bn in 2023/24).
Individual savings accounts
21/02/2024
ISAs provide a wrapper in which an individual can save and invest in a tax-sheltered environment. Alongside pensions and property, ISAs are one of the most popular ways for people in the UK to hold wealth.
Why use bonds
26/04/2023
Following steep reductions in both the dividend and capital gains tax (CGT) allowances, much has been made of the additional tax burden when investing in a collective (open ended investment company or unit trust) investment through a platform.
Discounted gift schemes
07/06/2023
There has been a recent change in the interest rate used by discounted gift schemes. This change may reduce the attractiveness of discounted gift schemes for inheritance tax planning.
Trusts
19/05/2023
A trust is a legal arrangement for managing assets. Trusts can come into creation as an ‘implied trust’ (generally not deliberately created and typically arising by operation of law) or as an ‘express trust’ (deliberately created) – in most instances, a trust will be an express trust.
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