Arranging suitable wills is an important part of financial planning and one that is too often overlooked or not addressed as it seems complicated – but can be much easier to organise than you might think.
Wills are important and if you don’t have one this is something you need to address.
Here are 15 reasons why you need a will:
With the spread of COVID-19 around the world, it is no surprise that people have queries about their existing life policies and that we have seen an uplift in applications in recent weeks. People have also been asking specific questions. Is it still possible to get life cover? Will my existing policy cover COVID-19? Will my premiums increase?
In this article I want to give you answers to many of the common questions I am being asked at this time.
Breaking news.
It has been announced that the UK Government will shortly be issuing a new consultation document in which it will propose that the rate of Stamp Duty, the tax payable on purchase of a property, will increase further for non-residents who buy in England and Northern Ireland.
The UK has a progressive tax system and so the rate of tax payable increases as income increases. All UK residents have a Personal Allowance which means that the first part of their income is free from UK income tax. For the tax year 2020/21 this is £12,500 but you need to be aware of a change in the system.
The Personal Allowance is also available to people who are not resident in the UK provided they are a citizen of a European Economic Area (EEA) country, which includes all British passport-holders. It also applies to anyone who has worked for the UK government at any time during the relevant tax year.
There is however a change in the way that non-residents, expatriates, claim this allowance which has not been widely publicised so if you are UK non-resident for tax purposes and have income arising in the UK, such as rental income, you need to read on.
No matter what is happening in the rest of the world, interest in the UK housing market remains strong with many people looking to buy a property as part of their portfolio of investments, or as a future home.
For expats, it is harder to obtain a UK mortgage but I work with an excellent mortgage broker with the largest panel of lenders of any broker working with GCC clients
This article is a guide to what you need to know when buying property in the UK and there will shortly be two companion pieces, one about buying in Dubai and another about the tax issues to bear in mind in respect of UK property ownership.