Articles addressing a wide variety of pertinent financial issues from inheritance tax mitigation to investment management are provided below. Articles and papers are written on a regular basis so please revisit this section to receive up-to-date and informative information. If you would like to discuss the content of any article or how you own situation could be affected please feel free to contact Christian Ward on 020 7073 2956 or via email at christian.ward@collinsward.com.

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26th March, 2009

A flexible friend

How to utilise a Flexible Reversionary Trust to mitigate inheritance tax. This article was originally published in Taxation magazine on 19th March 2009.
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30th January, 2009

Avoiding the marketeer's siren call

Venture Capital Trusts offer excellent tax benefits. The downside is that the investment risk is generally very high, meaning that the net returns can be disappointing. Triple Point TP5 is a unique lower risk VCT which offers an excellent risk/reward profile to investors in these challenging economic times.
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8th December, 2008

Inheritance Tax planning in the Credit Crunch

The financial impact of the Credit Crunch has been widely felt. Once again we have learned the lesson of avoiding inflexible or aggressive financial solutions. However, current conditions should not dissuade you from undertaking sound planning. This article highlights an inheritance tax planning solution that is flexible and should not compromise your future financial security.
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14 September, 2008

Accumulation and Maintenance bond

The fundamental changes to trust taxation in 2006 removed the benefits of the exceedingly popular A & M trust. The Accumulation & Maintenance bond provides a replacement structure for grandparents and parents wanting to provide for their descendants.
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11 September, 2008

Pessimistic views, enduring realities

Commenting on recent stock market events and offering an opinion on the short term direction of the market is not particularly useful. We're in agreement with the economist JK Galbraith when he said "There are two types of forecasters in economics, those who don't know and those who don't know that they don't know." This article considers the current pessimistic economic outlook and which factors investors should consider at this time.
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23rd May, 2008

How effective are discounted gift trusts for inheritance tax planning

Most financial advisers recommend Discounted Gift Trusts to clients wishing to minimise inheritance tax. However, this paper shows that Reversionary Interest Trusts and Tax-efficient Discounted Gift Trusts are superior in most instances, as they offer greater flexibility and tax-efficiency. It is imperative that specialist independent advice is sought for access to these highly specialised schemes.
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26th February, 2008

Pensions 40% tax relief not enough does 400% sound more tempting?

It is common knowledge that higher rate taxpayers can receive tax relief at 40% on pension contributions. Less commonly known is that it’s possible to receive effective tax relief of well over 100%, and sometimes as high as 400%. In the right circumstances this can be achieved with straightforward and uncontroversial planning.
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10th January, 2008

The Human Brain – are we programmed for investment success?

Looks at why the natural behavioural biases of humans predispose us to make poor investment decisions. Highlights the most common mistakes that investors make, and reveals the substantial long-term loss to investors caused by these repeated mistakes. Required reading for all would be investors.

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Where are the Customers' Yachts?

5th September, 2007

“This article reviews the scale of high charges prevalent in the UK Investment industry, and warns of the dangers of only taking into account disclosed costs.”

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The Loser's Game

5th May, 2007

“This seminal paper, although unconventional and controversial when it was first published in 1975, has proved to be one of the most pragmatic and interesting pieces ever written. It’s easy to understand language belies the wisdom of the content, which remains as valid in today’s investment markets as it did in the 1970’s.”

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Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

25th April, 2007

Outlines how using a Lifetime Cashflow Analysis provides a sound basis for establishing a personalised framework to achieve your financial objectives, and why you should not make any investment before undertaking such an analysis.

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Investment Philosophy

19th April, 2007

Investing is an extremely complex business and the investment world abounds with a multitude of varying philosophies, concepts and structures. However, myths abound, at Collins Ward we ask you to take a look from a fresh perspective.

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