Read the latest news and articles from the Gem & Co team
‘We are living in a material world, and I am a material girl’. So sang Madonna in her famous pop ode to owning things in 1984. But just as Madge’s song is now well over thirty years old (yes, really), so is the sentiment that you need to fill your life with stuff in order
Read moreAnother year seems to have flown by in the space of about five months. December, in particular, seemed to go past in a blur. It was, however, the month when some progress was – finally – made in the Brexit negotiations. It was also the month when Scotland used its tax-raising powers to increase income
Read moreIf you’re saving for a home through a Help To Buy ISA or know someone who is, it’s worth being aware of a planning opportunity which could boost your savings by an additional £1,100. But anyone hoping to take advantage of this opportunity needs to be quick, as it will only be available for just
Read moreThe start of a new year brings with it many things, not least the tradition of setting resolutions in order to start the next twelve months off as you mean to go on. But as many people who’ve made new year’s resolutions will know, the intention of resolving to do or not do something is
Read moreIf you’re an investor, it’s likely that you’ll have heard discussions or read reports around the arrival of Mifid II. It’s just as likely that you won’t have had much idea of what Mifid II is or how it might affect you and your investments. ‘Mifid’ is an acronym for the Markets in Financial Instruments
Read moreThe Autumn Budget delivered at the end of November included changes to how gains are calculated, including the freezing of ‘indexation’ from January 2018. Indexation is a tax relief which means that gains are currently reduced based on the duration of ownership. Due to the severe measures imposed by the government in the last few
Read moreSlade and Wizzard on loop in every high street shop, the arrival of the John Lewis advert and the weather turning decidedly nippy – yes, Christmas has definitely taken hold at this point. If you’re looking for a way to get yourself into the festive mood whilst picking up some presents for friends and family,
Read moreIn order to comply with EU regulations and to come in line with the financial sector’s current agenda for transparency, an online trusts register was introduced by HMRC in June following the general election result. This non-public register will record all trusts both within and outside the UK – including occupational pension trusts, employee ownership
Read moreNovember was a relatively disappointing month for world stock markets, with the majority of the markets we cover in this commentary losing ground in the month: however, the largest fall was just 3% so there were no real disasters. Pride of place went to the Dow Jones index in the US, which was up by
Read more“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.” Winston Churchill Remembering the past As we remember and commemorate, one century on, the
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