finance
- The Telegraph
The ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees that could damage your career prospects
As universities launch modules on Harry Styles or entire courses on bakery and patisserie technology, the value of these so-called “Mickey Mouse degrees” has come into question once more.
- The Telegraph
While the middle classes may not be able to afford to go net zero, they’ve got little choice
A new net zero plan is upon us. The government has just published Powering Up Britain, 1000 pages of policy tweaks and clearer outlines to show, with improved precision, how the UK will meet its climate change targets. There will be increased investment in renewables and nuclear, with the aim of generating the cheapest electricity in Europe by 2035, and new carbon capture sites built to store CO2 under the North Sea. There will also be an insulation fund for 300,000 of the country's most poorly
- The Telegraph
The little-known tax rule taking £30,000 out of landlords’ pensions
Landlords are missing out on thousands of pounds in pension income thanks to a little-known tax rule over two decades old. Buy-to-let investors can only save £3,600 of their rental income into their pension each year tax-free, thanks to a limit introduced in 2001. If this cap had risen in line with inflation, it would be worth more than £6,000 today – almost twice as much.
- The Telegraph
Two million face more tax on pensions because of Jeremy Hunt’s reforms
Millions of savers will pay more in pension tax because of reforms unveiled by Jeremy Hunt in the Budget.
- The Telegraph
The £134,000 reason pensions are better than Isas
Savers have hardly been spoiled in recent years. Interest rates have been stagnant, stock markets have suffered repeated setbacks and Isa limits have been frozen.
- The Telegraph
What a water meter could do to your bills – and why you may be forced to have one
Water bills cost us hundreds of pounds every year, yet what you are charged is often based solely on estimates conjoured up using the size and location of your property.
The TelegraphPension or buy-to-let: Which is best to fund your retirement?
Property or pension, which is best? Thousands of workers in their 50s and 60s will spend years poring over this question in the run up to their retirement. The right decision could mean the difference between thousands of pounds in income, not to mention a good night’s sleep knowing that your money is safe.
- The Telegraph
This large-cap trust’s 40 years of uninterrupted dividend growth highlights its income appeal
One of the most difficult aspects of investing is maintaining a long-term focus. It is particularly challenging to think many years ahead when the short-term prospects for the stock market are highly uncertain.
- The Telegraph
Why making your home more eco-friendly could inadvertently lose you thousands of pounds
Homeowners spending thousands of pounds to upgrade their properties in an eco-friendly manner could see their energy ratings fall because of the “flawed” way the scheme operates, industry experts have warned.
- The Telegraph
Net zero red tape to create new generation of ‘mortgage prisoners’
Net zero rules for homeowners risk giving birth to a new generation of mortgage prisoners, the heads of some of Britain's biggest lenders have warned.
- The Telegraph
The earnings sweet spot that makes the most of the ultimate inheritance tax loophole
Pension reforms announced in the March Budget have created a valuable inheritance tax loophole – and now fresh analysis has revealed exactly how to maximise its use.
- The Telegraph
Average cash Isa rate passes 2pc for first time since 2009
Cash Isas rates have climbed above 2pc for the first time in 14 years.
- The Telegraph
‘I evicted my tenant after he stopped paying rent – but the council told him not to leave’
Maria Radcliffe, 62, is anxious to sell her buy-to-let property before house prices drop any further.
- The Telegraph
How landlords can hit their new EPC targets – as cheaply as possible
New energy efficiency rules which will require landlords to provide well-insulated homes threaten to cost investors thousands of pounds.
- The Telegraph
‘War on landlords’ continues as buy-to-let investors forced to make eco upgrades by 2028
The clock is ticking for Britain’s beleaguered buy-to-let landlords who now have just five years to cover the cost of energy-efficiency upgrades.
- The Telegraph
‘How I make 6 per cent returns a year – and pay as little tax as possible’
Anthony Roberts faces the same problem as many retirees: boosting his income, while minimising his tax bill.
- The Telegraph
How your Isa can save you from April’s tax trap
Illustration credit: María Jesús Contreras
- The Telegraph
Our property portfolio record is a mixed bag, but this stock may well be something to build on
Since the market’s worries on bank stocks are starting to focus on their exposure to commercial real estate, it would make sense to assess the Questor portfolio’s exposure to property companies.
- The Telegraph
Landlords to get five years to hit net zero targets
Landlords will be blocked from letting properties unless they upgrade them to meet net zero energy efficiency targets within five years.
- The Telegraph
Jeremy Hunt’s ploy to get over-50s back to work is doomed to fail
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s pension reforms will fail to get over-50s who have already retired back to work, experts have warned.
- The Telegraph
Michael Gove faces backlash for ‘fearmongering’ landlord comments
Michael Gove is facing a backlash after labelling landlords increasing rents to keep pace with rising mortgages as “unscrupulous”.
- The Telegraph
Ethical investing: the key to higher returns or ‘woke’ nonsense?
Britain’s savers – big and small – are locked in conflict over whether or not to “go woke” with their investments. The City of London is awash with self-described “ethical” or “green” investment funds promising to grow pension and Isa portfolios, while also making the world a better place. But there are a growing number of high profile critics from within the industry.
- The Telegraph
How you can become an Isa millionaire – and how fast
At the last count, there were 2,000 Isa millionaires in Britain and the top 60 have pots averaging a whopping £6.2m.
- The Telegraph
This bank’s shares appear cheap, but a climate of fear in the sector poses a headache
During this writer’s time as an equity analyst at a major investment bank, one of the best bits of the job was talking to smart clients, even if sometimes the client knew far more about what was going on and offered more value added than the standard slide deck that we used to push around.
- The Telegraph
HMRC claws back £650m with inheritance tax trap
The taxman has clawed back £650m from grieving families in the past three years after they fell foul of complex inheritance gifting rules.
- The Telegraph
‘I gazundered my property seller and got £20,000 off the asking price’
Sally Brockway calls a spade a spade – absolutely not the type you would expect to commit one of the most heinous of all property faux pas.