The Government may not have called Friday’s ‘fiscal event’ a Budget, but it certainly packed more of a punch than many Budgets put together. In just over 25 minutes on his feet, new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng took the biggest economic and political gamble in 50 years – the last time there was a tax cutting […]
In any other week, the Government’s much trailed announcement on energy prices would have dominated the news headlines. However, for entirely understandable reasons, Prime Minister Liz Truss’s package of measures – which could cost up to £150billion – almost slipped under the radar. A typical household energy bill will be capped at £2,500 annually until […]
The sooner the Conservative leadership race is concluded, the better. In the current economic climate, the last thing the UK needs is a caretaker Prime Minister managing the shop, and with no authority to take decisions on the pressing issues of the day, most notably the continuing cost of living and energy crisis. We now […]
Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week and one of our clients, Lee Mooney, has recently taken on a Trustee role at a local mental health charity. One in four people will experience a mental health problem in the UK every year. We all deserve support when in need, but we know how difficult it […]
It has been an interesting few days for followers of the cryptocurrency market with panic selling as the market took a battering. At one point, the Bitcoin digital currency had fallen below $26,000 from a peak of more than $69,000. Meanwhile, the Terra [LUNA] cryptocurrency fell by more than 99%, wiping out the fortunes of […]
You could be forgiven for thinking that the issue of rising inflation and interest rates had come out of nowhere given the frenzied doom and gloom among some sections of the media. But, as regular readers of this newsletter will know, the onset of tougher financial conditions was something that had long been anticipated. The […]
We are delighted to announce that Helen Brown has been included in a prestigious guide of the UK’s top financial advisers. Helen, a Chartered Financial Planner at Phillip Bates & Co Financial Services, features in the newly published ‘VouchedFor’s 2022 Top Rated Financial Adviser Guide’, produced in conjunction with The Times newspaper. Helen was one […]
We continue to be shocked and concerned at the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and the senseless loss of life. I have had a few questions from clients asking how the conflict and the sanctions being imposed on the Russian regime may affect portfolios. The reassuring answer I can give you is that our clients’ […]
The Chancellor’s Spring Statement did not make for easy listening last week. Rishi Sunak’s announcements on the raising of the National Insurance threshold by £3,000 and the 5p a litre cut in fuel duty were welcome. Likewise, the promise that he would reduce the basic rate of income tax from 20p to 19p in 2024 […]
This month will see Jan Jones, one of our colleagues at Phillip Bates & Co, raising money for children’s hospice Claire House, by trekking in the Himalayas. Jan, part of our accountancy team, will be travelling to Nepal to trek to Everest Base Camp, a trek of over 80 miles at high altitude and temperatures […]
