A new tax year, a new start for your finances

Welcome to our latest edition. As we enter another new phase in the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, each UK nation has set out a roadmap out of lockdown, a positive sign that we can hopefully start to get back on track both financially and emotionally.

It’s always a good time to consider financial planning, but even more so at the start of a new tax year, when you have a fresh set of annual allowances to take advantage of. Tax rules and regulations continually change so it’s important to stay up-to-date. On page 06, we look at why now is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of these and align them with your goals.

The government has confirmed that it plans to increase the minimum pension age at which benefits under registered pension schemes can generally be accessed, without a tax penalty, from age 55 to age

57 from 6 April 2028. On page 13 we explain why this announcement may, in particular, have an impact on the timing for taking your pension benefits.

With all of us leading longer lives, you might be considering how you can help your grandchildren when it matters most. On page 09, find out how sharing your wealth during your lifetime can make a big difference and bring you a lot of joy, particularly when helping younger generations who are dealing with rising house prices and university fees.

If you’ve been diligently saving into a pension throughout your working life, you should be entitled to feel confident about your retirement. But, unfortunately, the best savers sometimes find themselves inadvertently breaching their pension lifetime allowance and being charged an additional tax that erodes their savings. Turn to page 32 to find out more.

A full list of the articles featured in this issue appears opposite and on page 03.