Finance in the News – w/c 01.03.21

Short summaries of recent articles we think you will find useful from some of the UK’s broadsheets.

FINANCIAL TIMES

“How green is your pension?”
Savers are offered a growing range of sustainable funds, but the choice is tricky.
“Q&A: You bought GameStop, now what?”
Advice for winners and losers as the highly volatile US games retailer’s stock soars again.
“UK ‘tax day’ will signal long-term government policy, experts say”
Treasury’s move to publish consultations on March 23 likely to influence 10-year tax strategy
“Am I legally entitled to a share of the family business?”
We have a written but not legally binding agreement.
“Money Clinic podcast: Financial tips for the self-employed”
From mortgages to pensions, the odds are stacked against those who work for themselves.
“Bond turmoil heralds end of the standard portfolio”
If fixed-income no longer offers stability, look elsewhere for protection from equity volatility.

THE TIMES

“How do I avoid stamp duty on a second home?”
Case study: We live in England and I am approaching retirement and want to buy a second home near the beach for my wife and I. It seems like a good time because we see that the stamp duty holiday is likely to be extended to the end of June from its previous deadline of March 31. That would save us about £14,500 on a £350,000 home. However, there will still be tax to pay. If we were buying our first house we would not have to pay any.
“Money lenders shun the self‑employed for being too complex and too risky”
They earn more than salaried workers, but the self-employed are treated as a bigger risk by lenders.
“Bogus taxman scams hit more than 100,000 victims in a month”
Phone scams by fraudsters pretending to be from HMRC rocketed 200% in a month as criminals targeted people doing their tax returns.

THE TELEGRAPH

“Investors save £120m after switch from overcharging fund contracts”
But just 51% of funds with these expensive contracts have moved customers to cheaper alternatives.
“Money Makeover: ‘Cladding means my flat has no value, can I gift it tax free?‘”
Problems with fire safety means a Times reader’s buy-to-let flat is worthless. But this could open a strange tax loophole.
“Why investors should give fund launches a wide berth”
Almost a quarter of funds launched five years ago have since closed.

THE GUARDIAN / OBSERVER

“Sunak’s budget expected to offer first-time buyers mortgage guarantee”
Treasury says low-deposit mortgages have virtually disappeared since 2008 financial crisis.
“Lockdown savings? Put them in an ISA while you can”
The Covid pandemic has bolstered many people’s balances – here are some tax-efficient places to put your cash.

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