Publications
Publications
Financial planning and portfolio management
Publications
The knowledge bank contains a wide range of tax and related subjects covering many of the areas that business owners, managers and private investors should find helpful in understanding the impact of the tax system on them.
The aim of these papers is to provide a rapid access resource for our clients. Of course, you depend on us to provide you with good tax and financial advice that is both practical and dependable. But it can also be very helpful to you to develop a working knowledge of some of the key topics that affect you.
You also want to think about your business and personal financial plans and you may find that in some cases, your knowledge of financial subjects will help you make the most of our advice and formulate plans that reflect your aims more effectively.
Financial planning
Financial planning is increasingly important in allowing you to take control of your finances and make your money work for you. Without it, you may be missing out on numerous opportunities to improve your situation. Our PDF guides cover topics including pensions, income tax, self-employment, and inheritance tax. Move a step closer to achieving your financial goals.
Tax
Tax is a complex area, and could be one of your biggest single costs. Effective tax planning can help to reduce your liability. Our PDF guides provide essential information on the taxation of earnings and investments, and cover a wide range of important issues, including income tax, residence and domicile, national insurance contributions and capital gains tax.
Investment
Investment can be an uncertain business – how much are you willing to risk when it comes to investment, and how will your returns be taxed? Investment planning can help you to establish your goals and maximise your returns. Our PDF guides explain the most common investment choices, giving you a complete overview of the structure and tax treatment of each type.
Retirement planning
Preparing for retirement can seem a daunting task, and for most of us building up a pension fund has never been more important. Recent changes to the taxation of pensions aimed to simplify the system, but how do they affect you? Our PDF guides cover the new rules and explain the range of financial options you may face at retirement. Assess your pension arrangements and plan for the future.
Business planning
As a business owner, there are a number of serious issues to consider: how to motivate staff, how to extract profits and minimize taxes, and possible expansion. And what would happen to the company if you retired, fell ill or died? Planning for every eventuality makes good sense, allowing your business to run smoothly, whatever happens. Our PDF guides cover the pitfalls of corporation tax, as well as various share schemes which can help you to incentivise your employees.
Property and mortgages
Whether you are buying a home to occupy or to let, the mortgage finance will be crucial to the success of your purchase. The UK mortgage market is the most sophisticated and innovative in Europe, with a huge range of choices to suit all kinds of needs and circumstances.
Financial planning
The financial planning journey
A good financial planner should be a trusted partner who can help you achieve your financial aspirations and protect those you care for in the event of disaster. Despite the significant value that a financial planner can add, most people don’t really know what financial planners actually do. The aim of this guide is to explain the process in general terms, and what financial planning can achieve for you.
Later life planning
A longer life means your pensions and any other investment income in retirement have to last for longer; maintaining financial planning advice is more vital than ever to ensure you don’t outlive your income; and families may now stretch across more than three generations, making estate planning more of a challenge. In this guide, we introduce some of the main financial planning aspects of longer life. For more information on any of the issues raised, please talk to us.
You and yours – estate planning
Estate planning involves tax, but it encompasses much more. As with most tax planning, the key is to know what you want to achieve – who should benefit after your death and what they should receive, but also who might you want to make gifts to now and in what form. As your circumstances and the tax rules change, it is important to keep your estate planning under review. The earlier that you start planning, the easier it may be to achieve your objectives.
Financial protection for you and your family
Premature death and serious illness are fortunately relatively rare, so much so that insuring against these risks is not expensive – especially if you are reasonably young. But they happen frequently enough for life and health protection to be essential financial products. We can recommend the types of cover that are relevant for you, calculate how much you need and for how long. We can also recommend and arrange cover with the most appropriate providers.
Levels and bases of, and reliefs from, taxation are subject to change and their value depends on individual circumstances.
The value of investments and income from them can go down as well as up, and you may not get back the original amount invested.
This publication is for general information only and is not intended to be advice to any specific person. You are recommended to seek competent professional advice before taking or refraining from taking any action on the basis of the contents of this publication. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not regulate tax advice, so it is outside the investment protection rules of the Financial Services and Markets Act and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. This publication represents our understanding of law and HM Revenue & Customs practice as at 31 January 2019.
Retirement planning
The taxation of pensions drastically changed in April 2006, opening up both opportunities and potential pitfalls. At the time, HM Revenue and Customs described the process of change as ‘simplification’. While this description was correct initially, a steady flow of Budget revisions since – mainly aimed at increasing revenue for the Exchequer – have recreated a labyrinth of complexity.
Eight years on from the ‘simplification’ tax changes, in the 2014 Budget the Chancellor announced a new wave of pension tax reforms, which have once again changed the pension landscape, largely ending the traditional link between pensions and annuities.
In April 2016 a single-tier state pension replaced both the basic state pension and the second state pension, leaving a new structure better suited to integration with another pension reform now being phased in –auto-enrolment in workplace pensions.
The welter of past, present and future changes make this is a good moment to review your pension arrangements and possibly look at alternative methods of retirement provision.
Saving for retirement
Retirement is something most of us look forward to. This guide explores the main type of pension provisions, both public and private, and the factors that you must consider when planning for your retirement. The complexities of today’s pension legislation – which only show signs of growing – mean that you will inevitably need further personal advice in meeting your retirement goals.
Taking an income at retirement
There comes a time when you stop working for your money and put your money to work for you. For most people, that is retirement. The decisions you make then could have repercussions for the rest of your life, and recently there have been some major changes to the choices you can make with your pensions.
Levels and bases of, and reliefs from, taxation are subject to change and their value depends on individual circumstances.
The value of investments and income from them can go down as well as up, and you may not get back the original amount invested.
This publication is for general information only and is not intended to be advice to any specific person. You are recommended to seek competent professional advice before taking or refraining from taking any action on the basis of the contents of this publication. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not regulate tax advice, so it is outside the investment protection rules of the Financial Services and Markets Act and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. This publication represents our understanding of law and HM Revenue & Customs practice as at 31 January 2019.
Business planning
If you are a business owner, you are faced with a range of important issues. Here are just a few:
- How do you extract your profits in the most tax-efficient way?
- What is the most effective way to reward and motivate employees?
- How should you make sure that you can afford to retire?
- To whom will you pass on the business when you retire?
- How will you finance expansion?
- What would happen to the business if you (or your co-owner) were to die or fall seriously ill?
Making the most of fringe benefits
Owning a business can be a very rewarding experience. But what happens if a business owner dies or falls seriously ill? Much will depend on the type of business – sole trader, partnership or limited company – but unless there has been some advance planning, the chances are that what remains may end up in the wrong hands.
Taking an income at retirement
Fringe benefits are often used to provide employees and company owner directors with tax efficient ways of receiving remuneration. The rules taxing fringe benefits have changed over the years and as a result, some perks that were tax efficient in the past are no longer attractive, while others have become worth considering.
Levels and bases of, and reliefs from, taxation are subject to change and their value depends on individual circumstances.
This publication is for general information only and is not intended to be advice to any specific person. You are recommended to seek competent professional advice before taking or refraining from taking any action on the basis of the contents of this publication. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not regulate tax advice, so it is outside the investment protection rules of the Financial Services and Markets Act and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. This publication represents our understanding of law and HM Revenue & Customs practice as at 31 January 2019.
Terms of business
Issued by: Rafter Associates Financial Management Ltd (“RAFM Ltd”) Issue date: 9 December 2025
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