Podcasts about hmrc

This week on the AJ Bell Money & Markets podcast, Charlene Young and Danni Hewson unpack the latest developments in global markets, from oil price volatility and the Strait of Hormuz to US inflation, bank earnings and what it all means for interest rates. They also assess Rachel Reeves' latest Mansion House speech and the outlook for UK economic growth. Tom Sieber joins the show for a busy week of company news, with easyJet, Marks & Spencer, TikTok Shop, IBM, Barratt Redrow, PageGroup, Hays all making headlines. Plus, Charlene explores the fastest fall in mortgage rates for almost two years, reveals what the latest HMRC figures tell us about Britain's growing tax burden, and looks at where holidaymakers will get the most value from their spending money this summer.   Topics covered [00:08] Introduction & market roundup [02:09] Strait of Hormuz, oil prices and global trade [10:41] US inflation, bank earnings and interest rates [13:41] Rachel Reeves' Mansion House speech [15:50] easyJet update [17:23] Marks & Spencer and TikTok Shop [23:14] Buy Now, Pay Later regulation changes [25:26] Shares magazine highlights with Tom Sieber [27:33] IBM results and tech spending trends [30:07] PayPal takeover approach [32:28] Barratt Redrow update and shareholder returns [35:23] Recruitment sector outlook: PageGroup & Hays [38:01] Paramount-Warner Bros deal challenges [40:10] Mortgage rates fall sharply [42:00] HMRC tax data and fiscal drag [46:43] Holiday spending money: where the pound goes furthest

Today's blockchain and crypto news Bitcoin is up slightly at $62,773 Ethereum is down slightly at $1,795 BNB is down slightly at $569 ROAD to Housing Act becomes law Analysts like Strategy's recent cash play HMRC will introduce “no gain, no loss” treatment for some crypto lending Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Toon is joined by Alastair Barlow and Vipul Sheth of Advancetrack for the accounting tech and fintech news that actually matters. They open on Cortea, the Berlin audit AI startup that has raised over £10m from Dawn Capital, with Larry Bradley, the former global head of audit at KPMG, in as an angel investor. It sells Audit Quality Agents that check reports, disclosure notes and financial statements before sign-off. John is not convinced that is where audits actually fail, and reckons any time saved gets sold straight back out as more audit work. Alastair makes the point that sets up the whole episode: vendors are taking more and more of the workflow, but nobody is taking the liability. You do 99.9% of the checks this month, then 99.9% of that next month, and one day you look up and you are barely checking anything. Then HMRC's timely payments consultation, which would move income tax self assessment towards in-year collection through payroll from April 2029. John thinks the outrage is misplaced, on the grounds that the money was never the client's to spend. Alastair counters that a real working capital squeeze is coming for businesses that have grown used to holding the cash. Vipul settles it with a story about a Range Rover on the drive. Six banks and UK Finance are working on a voluntary digital verification service, letting customers prove their name, age and address from inside their banking app. It could take a lot of friction out of client onboarding, if the regulators get behind it. It also raises the liability question again, because somebody has to carry the can when the bank has your client's old address. On e-invoicing, 2029 is looking crowded. MTD, e-invoicing, timely payments and Companies House reform are all landing in the same window, and John wants VAT simplification to come as part of the deal. He also asks the question nobody has answered: when you receive an e-invoice and it is wrong, what actually happens next? Also covered: Digits deepens its partnerships with Ignition, Karbon and Reach Reporting, which Alastair reads as a signal it wants to work with firms rather than around them. Croner Intelligence goes on general release, built only on Croner's own decades of guidance, which opens up a good argument about what a moat even is now the barrier to building software has collapsed. AccountsIQ and GoCardless launch a native integration. Socket adds Forms. And the ICAEW rounds up AI agents behaving badly, including the coding agent that deleted a car rental firm's entire database and put them out of action for a week. Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:00 A word from Fishbowl 04:07 Cortea raises £10m to point AI at audit quality 11:26 HMRC wants your clients' tax collected at payday 17:08 Six banks and UK Finance on a digital verification service 21:53 Peppol confirmed as the UK's e-invoicing network from April 2029 25:32 Digits partners with Ignition, Karbon and Reach Reporting 30:00 Croner Intelligence launches 37:46 AccountsIQ and GoCardless launch a native integration 39:30 Socket adds Forms 42:19 ICAEW on AI agents behaving badly 46:14 Outro

Welcome to episode 266 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, global developments in sanctions enforcement, regulatory compliance, enforcement actions, and cyber security policy. On sanctions, OFAC provides clarification on Russian sanctions, and starts the process to lift Syria's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. In the UK, HMRC reports recovering over £4.2 billion from tax fraud and trade sanctions breaches in its latest annual notes. Under regulatory developments, the Financial Action Task Force has published a global review on the successes and barriers in anti-money laundering coalitions, while MONEYVAL has urged Armenia to strengthen its money laundering prosecutions. In fraud enforcement, a former Puerto Rico private equity fund manager has been indicted for alleged embezzlement, and INTERPOL makes arrests and intercepts millions in illicit assets. On market abuse, the FCA has intensified its crackdown on market abuse and social media "finfluencers". While on bribery and corruption, the OECD warns on Türkiye's persistent anti-bribery failures, alongside warnings from anti-corruption analysts on the proposed revival of the UK's investor visa scheme. Finally, a UK Treasury study challenges corporate boards to reframe cyber resilience.A transcript of this podcast, with links to the stories, will be available at www.crimes.financial. The photograph on the podcast cover art is by Sora Shimazaki at Pexels, and the stinger sample between each news section is ‘Ben Logo 1' by BenKirb from Pixabay.

Special Offer: Get 15% OFF your first FIGS order with code FIGSUK at checkout.Shop now at https://www.wearfigs.com/———————————————————————UK Dentists: Collect your verifiable CPD for this episode here >>> https://courses.dentistswhoinvest.com/smart-money-members-club———————————————————————That shiny new surgery, refit, extension, or “we had to do it for compliance” upgrade might be doing more for HMRC than it's doing for you. We're joined by Chris Lonergan, a tax consultancy director with deep construction and quantity surveying experience, to unpack how UK dental principals can be far more tax-efficient with property spend, legally, using capital allowances that HMRC expects to see claimed.We talk through why dental practice premises are often a huge slice of personal and business wealth, and why missed relief hits cash flow at exactly the moment you need it for financing, recruitment, equipment, and growth. Chris explains capital allowances in plain language, the difference between plant and machinery allowances and structures and buildings allowance, and the types of “integral features” that are frequently overlooked, from electrical systems and HVAC to fitted cabinetry, security, and access equipment.You'll also hear why timing matters: what to do before you complete a property purchase, when to bring in specialist support during a build or refurbishment, and how delayed claims can reduce how quickly you can use the relief. If you've spent serious money on a fit-out in the last few years, or you're planning one now, this conversation gives you a practical framework to ask better questions and protect your returns.———————————————————————Disclaimer: All content on this channel is for education purposes only and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice. For that, you should speak to a regulated, independent professional. The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. The views expressed on this channel may no longer be current. The information provided is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and all tax rules may change in the future. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment, you should speak to a regulated, independent professional. Investment figures quoted refer to simulated past performance and that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results/performance.Send us Fan Mail

In this Meaningful Money Q&A episode, Pete Matthew and Roger Weeks answer listener questions on key UK personal finance topics, including long mortgage terms, pension contributions, ISAs, investing property sale proceeds and planning for retirement with confidence. They explore flexible ISAs, SIPPs, Junior SIPPs, Gift Aid, money market funds and the £100k tax trap, with practical guidance for UK savers and investors. The episode also looks at financial literacy, how to teach money skills, and how to balance pensions, ISAs and accessible savings when building long-term financial security.   Shownotes: https://meaningfulmoney.tv/QA54    01:23  Question 1 Hi Pete & Roger, I'm a chartered management accountant so maybe I should know this but clearly not. I'm wondering is there a financial disadvantage of just taking the longest mortgage deal you can (i.e. 40yrs for example) & then each time it's up for renewal don't worry too much about reducing the term. As long as the mortgage interest rate is lower than the average long term return you'd expect on the stock market (say min 6%), is it not just best to pay lower monthly mortgage payments each month and keep the spare money invested? On a pound vs pound basis aren't you better off? I understand the stock market can go up and down but over the long term I'm struggling to see what the disadvantage is of this strategy, apart from the apparent freedom of being mortgage free. Thanks Jamie   06:45  Question 2 Hi, Why are these things not widely known or discussed? Flexible ISA's. SIPP contributions when retired. £2880+ Rebate. Junior SIPP when worried about Junior ISA end date. I have heard that Parents/Family/Grand parents don't want to pay in to an ISA when you don't know how the child will react to suddenly having control of this ISA money at 18. A SIPP may be a better option. Also one to watch, if you are retired and contributing to charities and tick "Gift Aid" then HMRC may back charge you if you are not paying tax. Emergency fund in Money Market Fund. Regards, Gary   13:00  Question 3 Dear Butch and Sundance   Long time listener, first time caller. Thanks for all you do, filling in the gaps in our financial education that should (but doesn't) start in school.   I'm 56 and looking at my later career options, something that contributes back and can supplement my (early) retirement income. I enjoyed the episodes you did on becoming a financial planner and if I were younger I may well have gone down that route. Instead I would like to help educate people on basic financial good practice. I'm particularly thinking about schools and young people. What options exist in this space, and if they don't exist and I want to create them, what sort of financial qualification would give me a good grounding so that I am not just an enthusiastic amateur.   I'm writing this in February, so if it makes it on to the podcast Merry Christmas everyone! Keep doing what you're doing, it's working. Nick   18:40 Question 4 Hello guys I have been an avid listener for many years, really enjoy the content. I finally have a question of my own. I am about to sell a property which I own outright and would like some advice on where to invest the money going forward, ie bonds, etf's, pensions, ive even considered premium bonds... I would rather spread the money into different pots rather than one product. I understand a pension would be the most tax efficient and I plan to put a small portion into my sipp and max out my s&s Isa however I'd rather be invested in something more flexible I don't intend to utilise the money anytime soon so I want to maximise its potential. I already have been investing in index funds for many years and built up a nice portfolio through s&s isa's. Any advice would be great appreciated Thanks, Paul   22:09 Question 5 Hello Peter and Roger! Thank you for the excellent videos. I listen to them on my daily walks and while cooking, and I always come away having learned something new—so thank you for all the insight you share! I have a question about planning my finances using the Die With Zero approach, especially as I have no children or spouse. I'm 52 this year and hope to hand in my notice in October 2026. I've always been a saver (largely out of insecurity!), so I'd really appreciate your thoughts on whether I have "enough," and—if so—how I can become a more confident spender in the next stage of my life. Here's a brief summary of my situation: I have around £300k across my ISA, general investment account, Premium bonds and cash savings. The allocation is roughly 20% equities / 60% UK gilts / 20% cash. This pot is intended to bridge the gap until my DB pension starts at 60. My DB pension is currently valued at about £18k per year (today's terms) and is inflation‑linked. I also have a SIPP worth around £500k, invested 85% in equities and 15% in money market funds. I have no debts. A small investment property brings in about £1000 a month. My spending target in retirement is about £2,500 per month after tax. ChatGPT has told me that I likely have enough to retire, but I still worry about worst‑case scenarios—war, high inflation, very low future returns for the next 20-30 years (e.g., below 3%), or needing long‑term care since I don't have family support. I value your thoughts before I finally hand in my notice lol. Thanks again for all the work you do. Abi   32:20  Question 6 Hi Pete and Roger, I'm a long time and regular listener and can even remember the time BR (Before Roger) although the modern era partnership has been some of the most entertaining content on the channel. THE CONTEXT I'm 41, married with kids (all out of nursery so no childcare free hours), we have a house with a mortgage. I'm employed full time, putting 19% of salary into my DC pension. I maxed my employer contribution of 8% (with 6% from me) back in 2019 and have steadily increased my contribution each year up to the current 11% (19% total). Currently the pot is worth ~£140k with monthly contributions of ~ £1,550. I'm in the very fortunate position that my salary growth has outpaced inflation and I am now teetering on the edge of the £100k mark. We also receive a variable annual bonus which is targeted at 10%. Pre Covid, we started a stocks and shares ISA, contributing £300/mo but when my wife was furloughed and subsequently made redundant, we had to stop those contributions. Still, that ISA pot has grown to ~£17k. I'd like to build up the ISA to give us flexibility on draw down in retirement but struggling to find the spare cash. Also mindful of creeping over the £100k threshold and reducing my tax free allowance so considering options like sacrificing part of my bonus this year into pension. THE QUESTION So the question, is it worth continuing to increase my pension contribution to 20% and beyond at this stage or start to focus more on building up ISA contributions. Congrats on the success of the Meaningful Money podcast, it is always top of my weekly listening queue and continues to educate and inspire me. Best wishes, Ben

Are you winging your accounts and hoping everything is in the right box? Do you know whether you should be a sole trader, limited company, or something else entirely? And could one bad finance decision quietly cost your pet business thousands? In this episode, I'm joined by Vicky Clark, founder of The Pet Accountant and Pet Pro Expo. Vicky works exclusively with pet businesses across the UK, helping groomers, walkers, trainers, boarders, daycare owners, and other pet professionals get their finances, bookkeeping, tax, and business structure properly sorted. We talk about the biggest accounting mistakes pet business owners make, why DIY finances can quickly go wrong, and why copying advice from random Facebook comments is usually a terrible idea. Vicky also shares how The Pet Accountant started almost by accident, why choosing the right business structure matters, and how one client nearly overpaid HMRC by more than £13,000 because her tax return had been completed incorrectly. We also dig into Pet Pro Expo, why Vicky created the event, and why UK pet business owners need more proper business education if they want to stand out, charge more, and build something sustainable. In this episode, you'll discover: •    Why DIY Accounting Can Cost You – How getting figures wrong can lead to huge tax mistakes and missed savings. •    The Sole Trader vs Limited Company Question – Why choosing the wrong structure can create expensive problems later. •    Why Facebook Isn't Your Accountant – How bad advice from random groups can leave pet business owners exposed. •    The Value of Proper Business Support – Why working with people who understand the pet industry makes a real difference. •    Inside Pet Pro Expo – How Vicky's business conference is helping UK pet business owners improve pricing, mindset, marketing, finance, and growth. If you want to find out more about The Pet Accountant, head to: petaccountant.co.uk And if you want to grab one of the remaining tickets for Pet Pro Expo, go to: petproexpo.co.uk Thanks to our amazing show sponsor Pawpal. Find out how Pawpal can make your life easier by going to www.pawpal.uk If you want to join Dom's Dog Daycare Success Academy got to www.petbusinessmarketing.com click here now

Tom Bickle and Robyn Milstead from Accountants Therapy join Aaron Patrick on the Ask the Accountant Pitstop Podcast, live from Accountex London 2026. They discuss building one of the accounting profession's fastest-growing communities, tackling practitioner isolation, fostering collaboration over competition, and creating a supportive space where accountants and bookkeepers can share challenges, ideas, and solutions.They also explore Making Tax Digital, working with HMRC and professional bodies, the value of industry events, and why community-driven feedback is helping shape the future of the profession.An insightful and entertaining conversation packed with practical advice for accountants, bookkeepers, and firm owners looking to build stronger businesses and stronger professional networks.

The Institute for Government was pleased to welcome Dan Tomlinson MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, to share his experiences as the sole departmental minister for His Majesty's Revenue and Customs – and set out his vision for transforming the department. What will the shift to “digital by default” mean for HMRC's performance, culture and operating model? How can digital transformation improve customer service? And what have the minister's 10 months in the role taught him about the way HMRC works and how it can be reformed? Following his keynote speech, Dan Tomlinson was in conversation with IfG Chief Economist Thomas Pope and took part in an audience Q&A. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Toon is joined by guest presenters Billie McLoughlin and Kendrick Hair to work through the month's accounting tech and fintech news, with plenty of disagreement along the way. The headline story is Digits, which published a benchmark claiming its bookkeeping agent hit 97.8% accuracy against 79.1% for outsourced human accountants. Billie is quick to raise an eyebrow at a vendor grading its own homework, while John questions whether firms even have a way to measure their own staff's accuracy. Kendrick reframes it as a capacity and delivery story rather than an AI one, and warns it could be dangerous for the app partners that sit around the ledger. Adfin's new customer agents move payment chasing and collections onto autopilot, though Billie flags the educational gap for firms that are not ready to use them. Starling gets a going over too, after the bank added an accountant partner portal following criticism of its "make bookkeeping a breeze" pitch and Lucy Cohen's response. On the tools that quietly help, Kendrick makes the case for Vinyl's email integration, which drafts client follow-ups straight after a meeting and solves a workflow problem rather than an intelligence one. Billie walks through SuiteFiles' new Outlook add-in, which files emails and attachments to the right client folder without leaving the inbox. Profit and loss filing is back on the agenda for small companies and micro-entities from April 2028, with an opt-out from publishing on the public register. John, a big supporter of the original plan, argues the opt-out defeats the point, while Billie hears small business owners worried about handing rivals their trade secrets. The episode closes on HMRC's move to stop firms sharing sign-in details and using screen-scraping and automation tools to reach agent services accounts. John, who sits on an HMRC advisory panel, calls it a bit of a mess and warns practices relying on these tools for July payment-on-account reminders are first in the firing line. Also covered: Inflo and HubSync's partnership linking digital audit data into tax workflows, Penfold's place in Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 EMEA, and Employment Hero research showing UK full-time employment costs up 10% in a year and the shift towards contractors. This episode is sponsored by Advancetrack, which provides outsourced accounting and tax resourcing for firms, giving practices access to trained teams that integrate with their own workflow. advancetrack.com Chapters 00:00 Intro: The Loop, the Early Adopters Hub and what's new 04:40 Digits says its AI now books better than humans 14:52 Adfin's customer agents for payments and collections 17:52 Starling adds an accountant partner portal 22:50 Vinyl drafts client follow-ups minutes after meetings 25:48 P&L filing returns for small companies in 2028 29:12 SuiteFiles launches an Outlook add-in 32:01 Inflo and HubSync partner on digital audit and tax 33:51 Penfold makes Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 EMEA 36:00 Employment costs up 10% and the contractor shift 39:53 HMRC clamps down on shared logins and screen-scraping 48:47 Wrap-up

King Charles has paid a £12.9 million tax bill, but is the royal tax system really fair? In this episode of Mark and Pete, we examine the King's personal tax payment, royal finances, the Duchy of Lancaster, the Sovereign Grant and the rather peculiar constitutional arrangement whereby the monarch pays tax voluntarily, rather than because HMRC has sent a brown envelope marked, in effect, “Your Majesty, kindly cough up.”King Charles reportedly paid £12.9 million in personal tax for 2024–25, up from £11.7 million the previous year, placing him among Britain's largest individual taxpayers. On the face of it, that is an enormous contribution. Most of us would consider it a fairly robust tax bill, possibly requiring a sit-down and a restorative biscuit. Yet the monarch is not legally required to pay income tax or capital gains tax. The payment is voluntary, following arrangements introduced by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993.So is this admirable royal transparency, or does it merely expose how unusual the monarchy's financial privileges remain?We look at the Duchy of Lancaster, the historic estate that provides the King with private income, and ask how royal earnings differ from the publicly funded Sovereign Grant. We also examine the cost of maintaining royal palaces, the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, royal engagements, official duties and the argument that the monarchy provides Britain with tourism, diplomacy, continuity and national identity.But there are awkward questions. The published tax figure does not reveal King Charles's entire income, total wealth or effective tax rate. Nor does it show exactly what deductions were made for official expenditure. We know the size of the cheque, then, but not the whole calculation behind it. Transparency has opened the curtains, though perhaps not yet the windows.Should the King be taxed under exactly the same laws as every other citizen? Is voluntary taxation sufficient in a modern democracy? Does the monarchy cost Britain too much, or does it deliver value that cannot be measured simply in pounds and pence?Mark and Pete discuss King Charles's £12.9 million tax bill, royal wealth, constitutional privilege, public funding, fairness and whether the Crown has genuinely rendered unto Caesar, despite being Caesar's nearest surviving British relative.

The PCS union is calling for Capita to lose its contract to administer the Civil Service Pensions scheme six months after it took over. It follows problems which have seen thousands of retired civil servants waiting months for pension payments. The Union says it would like the contract to be managed by the government instead. Capita says it is making progress on getting things 'back to normal levels' and that it's got extra trained staff working on the backlog.Why is the take-up of child benefit, which is worth at least £1,400 per year, at its lowest level for more than twenty years? HMRC says it works with 'many partners' to promote take-up and provide information to new parents in hospitals across the UK. But what else can be done?A debt advice provider calls for a new social energy tariff to give cheaper gas and electricity to those on lower incomes, ahead of price rises in July.And, the new rare bank note to celebrate Scotland qualifying for the World Cup for first time in more than 25 years.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Hannah Mullane and Jo Krasner Researcher: Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 30th May 2026)

Making Tax Digital might not be the most exciting topic in the world, but for flooring business owners, it is one that cannot be ignored.In this episode of The UK Flooring Podcast, Sarah takes over the show to break down Making Tax Digital in plain English. No jargon, no panic, and no overcomplicated explanations. Just a practical look at what it means, who it affects, and why it could actually help flooring businesses get a better grip on their numbers.Sarah explains why Making Tax Digital is not just another HMRC headache, but a reminder that many businesses need better habits around bookkeeping, cash flow, margins and financial visibility.Rather than leaving everything until January, stuffing receipts in drawers, or handing a carrier bag of paperwork to the accountant once a year, this episode encourages business owners to get organised, use the right software, and start reviewing their numbers regularly.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhat Making Tax Digital means in simple terms.Why HMRC wants businesses and self-employed people to keep digital records.How quarterly updates differ from a traditional annual tax return.Why some flooring businesses are panicking about the change.How software like Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, Hubdoc and Dext can help.Why bookkeeping should be seen as a management tool, not just a tax chore.The importance of understanding your margins, profit, cash flow and liabilities.Why relying only on your bank balance can give you a false picture of your business.How better financial habits can lead to better business decisions.Why getting organised now is far better than leaving it until the deadline.Memorable Quote“Making Tax Digital isn't really about tax. It's about visibility, accountability, better habits, better decisions and ultimately, a better business.”Speaker InformationThis episode is hosted by Sarah from Cockerill & Co, who works closely with flooring businesses to help them understand their numbers, improve their processes and build stronger, more sustainable businesses.Where to Find The UK Flooring PodcastWatch or listen to The UK Flooring Podcast for honest conversations, practical advice and real-world insight for flooring retailers, fitters, contractors and business owners across the industry.Find the podcast on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Claire breaks down a court case that sounds like a joke but has serious implications for any business that sells products or services as part of a bundle. The KFC sauce pot VAT case has opened the door for businesses across food, retail, and beyond to look again at how they are charging VAT, and possibly claim some of it back. If you run a business that bundles products or services together for one price, this episode is worth ten minutes of your time. Key Topics Covered: The Queens Court Limited versus HMRC case and what it actually decided Why bundling products together can mean you are charging the wrong rate of VAT How HMRC can approve a VAT claim and then challenge a bigger one for the exact same issue Real examples of businesses that have found thousands of pounds in unclaimed VAT simply by having someone look properly Which types of businesses are most likely to be affected (hint: it is not just fast food) Why "no win no fee" VAT claim companies are not the answer ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book   VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years' experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn't working and where your opportunities lie. Claire's mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions.    *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

In this Meaningful Money Q&A episode, Pete Matthew and Roger Weeks answer six listener questions on UK personal finance - from gifting money to children using the 'normal expenditure out of income' rules to whether ISA withdrawals can support one-off big spends. They also cover pension consolidation and FSCS protection, investing while living abroad, how DB pension accrual affects SIPP annual allowance, and how to bridge the gap to State Pension without over-relying on AVCs. Finally, they tackle the practical steps to opening a Stocks and Shares ISA - and how to get started with confidence. Practical, jargon-free guidance for UK savers and investors navigating pensions, ISAs, tax and retirement planning. Shownotes: https://meaningfulmoney.tv/QA53  02:35  Question 1 Hi Pete and Roger, I have followed meaningful money for around 6 years now and it has been an invaluable source of sensible advice which I have followed. This has left my wife and I in a very good situation for retirement as you will see below. You deserve an MBE at least!. Love the double act with Roger as well. I am 62 and my wife is 60 years young. Our total pensions will be around 35K a year which is all we need for our basic living cost and general going out etc. We have a house worth £750K with no mortgage and no debts. I have a DC pension around £920K and my wife around £650K and our two boys have just moved out of our house and so we are now retiring and relearning life B.C. (Before Children). I have begun looking into gifting them money out of excess income. I like the idea of giving with warm hands - and strangely so do my boys! Putting our scenario into google gemini, using UFPLS with regular drawdowns and keeping within the current 20% tax band we could each have around 50K income after tax over the next 30 years. Really cannot see us spending more than 40K/year travelling and this will certainly reduce in time as we get older and so will give the increasing excess to our kids. To keep HMRC documentation simple (hmm) we plan to use our joint account to give gifts to the boys but I am guessing that we will need to prove to HMRC that we have equal income to do this? So my wife will take 8.5K less from her DC pension than I from mine. I hope this all makes sense. I presume if our incomes were not balanced we would have to pay out from our individual accounts and document both for HMRC purposes? In addition I have 200K and my wife around £150K in ISAs and savings . I know we can each gift 3000/year from the ISA as well as using excess income from our pension. Again, I asked google gemini about this and apparently I can use the ISA for certain capital payments. Eg a) to buy a new car b) redo bathroom/bedroom c) a large holiday  Not sure what would be the position if we said our largest holiday each year is paid from an ISA and any other holidays are from our pension income and we still gift excess to the kids? - seems a very grey area. I am sure in time HMRC will look closer into this area. So I think it will be sensible to still use the ISA in the next few years and not take everything from the pension and possibly change to funds from accumulation to income as well? One last thought as all this is based on the current tax rates. The IHT rate NRB has not changed since 2009 and would be worth around £530K today and I am presuming there will be increasing pressure to raise this given house price growth and especially after 2027 when pensions are included in the estate for IHT? Best Regards, Bill   09:37  Question 2 Dear Pete and Roger, I can't thank you enough for the excellent free content you put out into the world. I recently got diagnosed with a degenerative condition which will affect me and my family down the line. Your podcast has inspired me to take control of my finances including putting the right protections (insurances) in place and using investing to help navigate a more uncertain future - THANK YOU! The information is accessible and you guys make me chuckle as I go about my day! My question... I am keen to make my life easy when it comes to managing my finances but I have hit a wrinkle in my plan. My preference would be to consolidate my pension into as few pension accounts and underlying funds as possible.  To me the levels of protection available through the FSCS seem too low to be compatible with keeping a pension all with one provider. Am I missing something? How do you think about balancing this risk, without ending up with lots of pension accounts with different providers? Additionally, I have been selecting the same low cost All-World tracker ETF across my family's ISAs and SIPPs, is this inherently risky too and should I aim to use different fund providers (perhaps that aim to achieve the same investment objective). Anyway, I may be being overcautious here or be misunderstanding the level risk but any reassurance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again Andy   18:24  Question 3 Hi Roger and Pete, I'm 32 and I've been listening the podcast for a few years and the advice (particularly about investing) has helped me immensely. I have a question about investment portfolios when moving abroad. I moved away from the UK 2.5 years ago, at which point I stopped investing into Vanguard and moved to Interactive Brokers. I still have a decent amount invested in Vanguard, but I'm not sure whether it makes sense to consolidate everything into one platform or keep it split over two. I don't have any immediate plans to return to the UK, although I imagine I will eventually. Do you think it makes any difference in how the investments are split, or am I worrying about nothing? Thanks for sharing any of your *thoughts* and perhaps clearing this up for me. Keep up the amazing podcast, Michael (originally from Cornwall!)   21:23 Question 4 Hi Pete and Roger I recently discovered your podcast and am working my way though the back catalogue! I am finding it extremely informative and it is helping me demystify a subject I have found confusing for a long time, so thank you. My question is how do I calculate the amount I can contribute annually to my SIPP whilst also contributing to a DB pension and AVCs (£200/month)? My annual gross salary is £25744. I opened the SIPP to give me flexibility to retire earlier than 67 when I intend to access my DB pensions (as well as my current local government DB pension I have a deferred University DB pension from previous employment), ideally between 60-62, and access the SIPP along with my S&S ISA to bridge the gap. Thanks, Melanie   27:28 Question 5 Hello Pete & Roger, I'm a long time listener and as a result in far better financial shape than I was for many years, thank you. In work I am often akin to the Shawshank Redemption character Andy Dufresne as I find myself offering financial or pension scheme advice to colleagues. This advice ends with recommending your good selves and the knowledge repository that is the Meaningful Money archive and books! I am 56 and just over 4 years from my planned early retirement at 61,  when I will have 36 years contributing into a company DB pension. I plan on taking this in a stepped format (with PCLS) to offer a higher initial payment until my state pension starts 6 years later at 67. To maintain basic rate income tax, I am paying my maximum matched pension contributions plus AVC's through salary sacrifice (until 2029) to keep just under the 40% tax limits. My wife will be solely reliant on her (full) State Pension having not contributed to a personal pension, she will receive this when I am 64, meaning our combined funding danger zone will be around 3 years during which we may need funds to top up our income either from the PCLS pot or ISA savings to this final combined total, "our figure". So my question: You repeatedly talk about retiring with options such as having pensions, ISA's and savings etc. but I am concerned my pension and AVC fund will be totally concentrated with little else. After maximising the pension and AVC contributions it looks likely I will not contribute enough to fund a savings pot that could comfortably cover the 3 year danger zone. Will this pension / AVC concentration matter? Should I continue paying the AVC's to avoid higher rate tax on my income and recovering tax rebate into the AVC pot? To me this makes sense, but would funding a savings pot give us flexibility to fund our pension gap somehow that I am missing, and do I need to target an ISA or other savings pot in my remaining working years. This prospect would feel like not living for today, but retirement is in touching distance so might it be worthwhile? Many thanks & best regards, Tim   34:52  Question 6 To the Bruce Springsteen and Little Steven of the financial world! Hi guys my name is Cam, I'd just like to say you guys are absolutely fantastic at what you do, the knowledge you provide is genuinely incredible and immensely helpful. I think I speak for all your listeners when I say without your podcast there would be a lot of people struggling with personal finance! Keep up the good work Pete and Rog! I am 27 years old, 17 months ago I quit my 9-5 and started my own dog walking business, I have since trained to become a dog trainer too. My business has gone from strength to strength and I'm very proud. However the change from going from a wage structure to a varied income per month has been a tough adjustment especially when saving and wanting to invest and so on. I contribute to my pension each month, I pay into a LISA each month (for a first time home) the only thing I don't do is pay into a stocks and shares ISA. Firstly how do I open one? I have listened to your podcast for well over 2 years now and have listened to the majority of the back catalogue, I feel like I know what to do but it's a genuine fear that's stopping me from opening one. I don't know how to explain it - it's almost like my head is telling me 'don't open one you'll mess it up.' Is it literally as simple as sign up to a provider, open an account, add money in each month? I feel stupid saying I'm fearful of opening one but I genuinely am! The last part of my question is simply is there anything else I should be doing that I'm currently not?  Insurance wise I have income protection and the necessary insurances for my business. Thanks once again you absolute legends! Cam Boring Money ISA Comparison: https://www.boringmoney.co.uk/compare/stocks-and-shares-isas/ 

A dispute over the taxation of profits landed one of Britain's richest men before the Supreme Court. uklawweekly.substack.com/subscribe Music from bensound.com

In this UK personal finance Q&A, Pete and Roger tackle six listener questions covering pensions, investing, tax and money mindset. We discuss whether high earners should ever consider opting out of the NHS pension due to annual allowance tax, how to handle family gifts during divorce, and what to do about ERI on accumulating ETFs in a GIA. You'll also hear guidance on rebalancing after strong fund gains, rebuilding finances after an IVA, and investing a £350k inheritance with ISAs, SIPPs and premium bonds. Shownotes: https://meaningfulmoney.tv/QA52    01:34  Question 1 Dear Pete and Roger, Could you provide an opinion on if and when it would be worth at least considering leaving the NHS pension scheme due to tax reasons?  I can sense immediate puckering and this is not something I ask on a whim - I am aware of the comparative value of public sector DB pensions versus other retirement savings methods and indeed encourage the staff I work with to pay in.  I am a senior doctor in my 40s with high NHS earnings and rental income on top. I am one of those affected by Annual Allowance tapering and have significant AA tax bills every year with no end in sight. My projections are that I will have an annual AA tax charge of ~£30k every year going forwards as my income is pretty stable. The annual AA tax charge is up to 40% of the annual capital benefits accrued in any year (i.e. LTA calc of 20 times pension plus 3 times lump sum).  I pay this via scheme pays but the scheme pays loan docked from benefits at retirement is inflated at CPI+1.7% against pension benefits growth of CPI+1.5% from my own research. I don't expect much sympathy as a high earner but no-one wants to pay more tax than they have to and I never hear my situation talked about other than snippets in the depths of Reddit forums.  My plan is to keep ploughing on and engage a full-scale planning review when I turn 50 leaving up to 10 years to consider aversive action once my wife and I have 'enough' pension. Many thanks for your thoughts. David. 09:23  Question 2 Dear Pete and Roger, I want to say a big thank you for all of the guidance you provide, there really is nothing else like it and has been hugely beneficial in organising my finances. My question for you is how to structure gifts to someone who is going through the early stages of a divorce. My sibling is sadly in this situation and our mother is looking to make a sizeable gift to us following the death of our father. How should we be thinking about this and are there any vehicles or structures such as trusts that we could be using to avoid my siblings spouse from being entitled to half of the gift? Grateful for any guidance you can provide in this matter. Best regards, Alfred 13:12  Question 3 Hi, I have held several GIA accounts for many years and I hold accumulating ETFs within the GIAs. Occasionally, I have had to pay CGT through my self assessment when I have sold these ETFs. Mostly, I have always been a basic rate tax payer. I have recently discovered that HMRC requires Excess Reportable Income (ERI) to be declared on accumulating ETFs. In the case of ETFs which receive company dividends, this means I need to take note of the Reporting date of each ETF and add up all notional dividends as if they were paid on the distribution date (6 months later) and if over £500, I should have paid dividend tax on the excess. Also, in the case of some MMF ETFs I hold, these may have an ERI notional interest payment and this would count as being potentially subject to income tax. Since I have sold many of these ETFs and I have not subtracted the ERI amounts from my total gain, I have probably overpaid tax (CGT) rather than underpaid as a basic rate tax payer. However, if I was a higher rate tax payer, I would probably have been underpaying tax if I have not accounted for ERI. This is because the higher rate dividend tax is much higher than the CGT rate. I now understand that to avoid having to calculate ERI on accumulating ETFs each year and keep a running total for each one, most people simply buy distributing ETFs inside a GIA rather than accumulating ETFs and I am in the process of ensuring all my ETFs are the distributing kind inside my GIAs. Should I be concerned about ERI on my accumulating ETFs? Do accountants calculate ERI for their clients on all the accumulating ETFs they hold? If so, how do they do it as there does not seem to be any easy way? Do HMRC ever check that the ERI on accumulating ETFs has been declared (my guess is that they would only bother for high rate taxpayers with large ETF holdings)? How would HMRC even know that you hold large amounts of accumulating ETFs on which you should be declaring ERI? Why is it that hardly anyone seems to know about ERI on accumulating ETFs? 19:14 Question 4 Good morning both, I would like to start by thanking you for all your hard work over the past decade or so. I am a mid 40's year old woman who had no financial knowledge until about 2 years ago. I had a cancer diagnosis which led me to leave a very time consuming and stressful job and take over the family finances which had been neglected for the best part of 20 years. We are now in a much better position; we have filled our ISA's and that of our children, put more money into SIPP's (and opened one in my case) and opened junior SIPP's for the kids. Our mortgage is paid off too. I have listened to all your back catalogue and in some cases relistened to episodes which have been especially useful to our situation! Thank you. My question relates to funds that have done particularly well and what is best to do with them. Some of my earlier fund choices are showing gains of around 50%. This seems extraordinary to me and I am very happy with the return. My Dad (much more experienced who has been doing this for 50 odd years) tells me the best thing to do with these funds is to take out 50% of the gain and reinvest in a different fund. What would your advice be? Take out the whole lot and re-invest? Take out 50% and re-invest that as recommended by my Dad or leave the whole lot in and hope it continues to grow? For background, I am very happy with the gains but we are very much on a catchup programme as we have started so late. The sums involved are still quite small! The ultimate aim is for my husband to retire early. I hope to work again too at some point once all treatment is finished but only part time. I am so grateful for everything you have done and always wait eagerly for the next episode to drop. With very best wishes, Agnes 26:02 Question 5 Hi, Hope you are well and can help a Cornish lass! I am 35 and have never been able to budget or manage finances. In fact I have always buried my head in the sand.  Unfortunately, when lockdown and maternity leave hit at the same time, we could not afford our debt repayments (we had purchased a house in January of 2020 too). We had no choice but to take out an IVA. We are now in the 6th year of this as it was extended as we couldn't release equity from our home. This is due to end in November of this year and I have been doing my best to learn about budgeting and managing finances ready for when this ends.  I have started a spreadsheet to start tracking expenses and aim to start an emergency fund plus a pot for putting some money away for Christmas/birthdays. I have been discussing this with my husband and he thinks we should get an overdraft as soon as the IVA finishes to start building our credit rating, whereas I think we should get a small credit card that we pay off each time we use it. What do you think we should do as our first few steps coming out of the IVA to build more security for our future?  Thank you in advance. Kindest regards Lisa 33:12  Question 6 Salutations, Roger, Pete, My question is on what to do with a lump sum inheritance-y thing as a younger guy. My parents have been very financially successful in business and incredibly generous to my brother and I, and gifted us each an apartment a few years ago, to make use of the "first property" exemptions and the 7 year gift rule. Now that I'm mature enough to understand the opportunity, I've taken control of the management of mine. While I understand it's an incredible income generating asset, I'm not a fan of real estate, and am much more comfortable selling the property and investing in index funds within the variety of wrappers available in the UK. After fees and taxes, should I go through with the sale, I will net approx £350k. My plan is as follows: - £47k into premium bonds (I currently have £3k) - £40k into my SIPP (limited by current salary) - £40k held in cash, to be invested into my SIPP in tax year 2, potentially up to £52k as my salary rises - Remainder into GIA - All invested in Vanguard index tracking funds I'm 26, working as an Officer in the military, so I have an incredibly low cost of living (subsidised accommodation and no utilities), and a non contributory DB pension plan, so no need to allocate money there, and am able to max out my S&S ISA yearly just with my salary. I know these steps are good, but having the best part of £220k in a GIA, paying CGT on the other end of that makes me a little unhappy, especially if I hold it for multiple decades. I'm aware this is a real champagne problem but do either of you have any recommendations on improvements to my plan and mindset, or are you able to poke any holes in my approach? Should I hold more in cash to later invest into my SIPP? Bed and ISA/ SIPP over time? Spend some of it, even? I know it's an aggressive approach, but I'm sort of an "all or nothing" sort of guy, even with investing as is referenced in my 70+% savings rate, but balance has always been hard for me to find. My goal is to be Financially Independent by 36. I'll likely keep working but I like the security of that idea, and the saltily coined term "F-you money". Whatever you both think, I will deeply ponder over and analyse for many hours. Thank you both for the many episodes of top tier information. I would apologise for the lack of brevity, but I know you love it really. Thanks guys, you're both rockstars! Nick

Mark Morton breaks down the latest HMRC update on payrolling benefits, highlighting delays, phased rollouts, and growing complexity for businesses. With uncertainty around timelines, compliance, and reporting, the episode explores why the system may become even more confusing before it improves.For more information on this topic and more, please visit www.mercia-group.com for further details.

Special Offer: Get 15% OFF your first FIGS order with code FIGSUK at checkout.Shop now at https://www.wearfigs.com/———————————————————————UK Dentists: Collect your verifiable CPD for this episode here >>> https://courses.dentistswhoinvest.com/smart-money-members-club———————————————————————Your accountant should not be a once-a-year tax return machine and your fee should not feel like dead money. We sit down with specialist dental accountant Alliah Hamid to get practical about what “good value” actually looks like for UK dentists, from associates doing self-assessment to principals running a growing dental practice. If you have ever wondered whether you are overpaying tax, missing allowable expenses, or simply not getting answers when you need them, this is a clear route map for the conversation you should be having.We unpack the mindset shift from cost to investment, then make a sharp distinction between a compliance accountant and an advisory accountant. Alia explains how advisory support works in real life: understanding your goals, spotting changes in your income, keeping up with HMRC changes like Making Tax Digital (MTD), and helping you stay tax efficient without stepping outside the rules. We also talk through why dental-specific knowledge matters, including common associate costs, travel to non-permanent workplaces, education and study, and when working-from-home claims may apply.Finally, we get blunt about red flags: accountants who hide behind jargon, fail to ask intelligent questions, or stay vague about what is included in their fee. You will leave with a short list of questions to ask your accountant on Monday, plus a clearer idea of what support you should expect as you move from sole trader associate to limited company considerations and ultimately to practice ownership.———————————————————————Disclaimer: All content on this channel is for education purposes only and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice. For that, you should speak to a regulated, independent professional. The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. The views expressed on this channel may no longer be current. The information provided is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and all tax rules may change in the future. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment, you should speak to a regulated, independent professional. Investment figures quoted refer to simulated past performance and that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results/performance.Send us Fan Mail

This week I am joined by International Visibility Strategist and Web Designer, Regina Martin. In this episode we hear Regina talk about her journey to entrepreneurship - starting in the charity sector for National Debtline and discovering her talent for web design, to working with soem of the top companies - Barclays, HMRC, Radio 4. She also opens up about the darker side of her world, the racism, the abuse she gets and the lack of inclusivety for marginalised communities that she passionately fights to support.   Follow Matt Hall at: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthallofficial/   Follow Regina Martin at: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_regina_martin/   This episode is sponsored by Jo Simpson and Financial Growth Academy. For over 24 years Jo has been running a successful accountancy and book keeping practice, supporting ambitious business owners across the UK. Her specialist accounting team work primarily with onlone, retail and service providers, so they truly understand how modern day entrepreneurs operate, including things like digital launches through to creating reccuring revenue in your business. She also helps business owners think like CEO's so that they can increase profitability, smooth-out cash flow and have a business that actually pays them well.  To connect with Jo and find out more about making your finances grow, click the link below and start making your money work for you. CLICK HERE TO GRAB THE "PROFIT FIRST MANAGER FOR FREE - ENTER THE CODE "SUCCESSSCHOOL" AT CHECKOUT Follow Jo Simpson here     This episode is also sponsored by Rebecca Whitney. Rebecca is an A.I expert who removes the barriers around learning how to use A.I. Having formed part of a company that went from 12M to 100M in 4 years - part of which was by creating a patented product for a healthcare company that helped find patients using specific data - all with the useof A.I  - Rebecca now uses her years of knowledge and experience to help you! Her understanding of A.I has enabled her to simplify complicated jargon and break it down into bite-size chunks so that it's easier to grasp, helping you to utilise A.I in your business in a way that you can truly scale. Follow Rebecca to demistify your knowledge around A.I JOIN HER MEMBERSHIP FOR FREE FOR 30 DAYS HERE.  Follow Rebecca Whitney online here  

Also, PSNI move in to take down racist banner from Moygashel playpark.

FOLLOW UP: MOTABILITY PAUSES BLACK BOX USEMotability has announced that it will be pausing the ‘Drive Smart' scheme that included fitting a black box to cars owned by those under the age of 30 leasing a car from them. Unfortunately they are not cancelling it but will amend it and try again. This discriminates against disabled drivers rather than helping them be more independent and live as active a life as possible. Click this article link here, from Disability News Service, for more.FOLLOW UP: THE TREASURY REJECTED MINISTERIAL CALL TO DROP PUBLIC CHARGING VAT RATEThe Treasury Department stood firm in the face of calls, by ministers, to drop the VAT rate for public EV chargers to 5%. HMRC is appealing the tax tribunal that agreed it should be cut due to their own criterial making it clear it should not be charged at 20%. To read more, click this article link from Europe Says.GOVERNMENT EXTENDS FUEL DUTY CUTLast week the Government announced that it will be extending the fuel duty cut to the end of the year, thanks to the idiocy in the Middle East. Whilst this sounds like it should help people, there are lots of evidence that shows those who need such help the most are disproportionately affected in times like these meaning they stop driving. For personal car usage this helps only the wealthy, however in the wider transportation ecosystem this will help to keep some costs down and not add to the impact the crisis is already having. For more on the news item, click this article link from Transport News.STELLANTIS AND DONGFENG SIGN EUROPEAN DEALStellantis and Dongfeng have signed another deal, this time for the Chinese firm to build their cars in European factories with spare capacity. You can read more, by clicking this Autocar article link here.There is also a link to a Top Gear article here, that goes into detail about if Stellantis's new plan is in fact new, that we think you might find interesting.HAS KIA AND NISSAN FIXED THEIR VULNERABILITIES IN 2 YEARSTwo years ago, security researcher Neiko Rivera, found some shocking API vulnerabilities in Kia and Nissan apps that allows easy access to vehicles he did not own. He has now followed that up, to see if improvements have been made, some have but mostly not and there's new ones that are easily exploited and should wake the industry up (especially if combined with last week's story about the MyAudi app). Click this YouTube link to his talk explaining what he has done and found.On Thursday 4 June at 20:00 BST, we will be going live with a Q&A on our YouTube channel. We need your help though, send us your automotive and motoring related question you would like to hear us answer. To send one in use our Contact Page, linked to here, and put “Q&A” in the Subject Line so it does not get lost in all the spam, or any other way you can send a question to us.NEW NEW CAR NEWS -Ferrari LuceThe internet erupted this week following Ferrari revealing their first EV, the Luce. Designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson, the finished product has caused quite the stir. The chaps discuss this and wonder what about it makes it a Ferrari. Click this EVO article link to read more.Mercedes-AMG GTLast week Mercedes-AMG revealed their electric four door car, which also garnered a lot of attention, most of it negative. There is some impressive sounding tech dotted around the car, but that does require one to want to see beyond the looks, which is a big ask. Click this Autocar article link here, to read more.Skoda EpiqNow for something more reflective of what people want at a price that can be afforded, the Skoda Epiq. From £24,090, this is the smallest electric SUV the brand offers. Expect typically VW Group interior with Skoda touches and decent exterior looks. Click this Motoring Research article link to read more.LUNCHTIME READ: IN DEFENCE OF LIGHTNESSFriend of the show, Nir Kahn, has written an interesting piece on predominately defence vehicles but the trap many fall into with fixating on one aspect and ignoring others meaning opportunities go begging to make a better product. To read more, click this LinkedIn article link here.LIST OF THE WEEK: 21 CHARMING ROVER SALOONSThis week Andrew takes a major psychological step forward and agrees to have a list that covers Rover. He has refrained for all this time because the worst car he has ever owned was a Rover and it has left deep, deep scars. Check out the Classic & Sports Car article link and see which you would have.AND FINALLY: ARTIST JAMES STEVENSJames takes classic and iconic moments in motorsport and others, but removes the background giving that moment even more pop and power. Check out this Classic & Sports Car article link to see more, including a link to his website. Wonderful work.

Special Offer: Get 15% OFF your first FIGS order with code FIGSUK at checkout.Shop now at https://www.wearfigs.com/———————————————————————UK Dentists: Collect your verifiable CPD for this episode here >>> https://courses.dentistswhoinvest.com/smart-money-members-club———————————————————————Quarterly tax reporting is coming for self-employed dentists, and the fine print matters more than most people realise. We sit down with Vanessa, a tax partner specialising in the dental sector, and Anita, an MTD Client Services Director, to make Making Tax Digital for Income Tax feel practical rather than intimidating.We talk through what HMRC actually requires: digital records, MTD-compatible software, and quarterly updates submitted one month and seven days after each quarter end. We clarify who is in scope from April 2026, why the £50,000 threshold is gross qualifying income (and why “qualifying” means self-employment and rental income), and how the phased reductions to £30,000 and £20,000 may pull more UK dentists in over time. We also explain the final declaration that replaces the traditional Self Assessment return for the 2026 to 2027 tax year onwards, plus what still gets added at year end.From there, we get tactical. What does a dental associate report when the bank only shows net pay? How do you handle mixed NHS and private income, side income streams, or rental property? We discuss software choices including Xero, Sage and QuickBooks, the pros and cons of bank feeds, why separating business and personal accounts saves stress, and how to avoid messy reconciliations that create problems later. If you want support, we also outline service options from light-touch review to fully managed reporting and quarterly planning.———————————————————————Disclaimer: All content on this channel is for education purposes only and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice. For that, you should speak to a regulated, independent professional. The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. The views expressed on this channel may no longer be current. The information provided is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and all tax rules may change in the future. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment, you should speak to a regulated, independent professional. Investment figures quoted refer to simulated past performance and that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results/performance.Send us Fan Mail

Join Harry (@FPLHarry ), Stephen (@FPL_Gallagher) & Tom as they present their FINAL FPL teams for GW38 and explore the stats surrounding Salah, Porro and Flemming! ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ https://www.sumup.com/en-gb/business-account/making-tax-digital/ The landscape for Sole Traders has changed with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax now live in the UK.  Since 6th of April 2026 sole traders earning over £50,000 must keep digit records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC using approved software. That's where SUMUP comes in.  SumUp has built a free, simple software solution to support sole traders through this change. The best thing - it's free and there is no monthly fee! Getting started is easy — just search “SumUp MTD” ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ WIN GW38 FOR FREE: https://bit.ly/FFScoutYT ✖️ Twitter: https://x.com/ffscout ☁️ Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/ffscoutfpl.bsky.social

Are we at the start of a deepening cost of living crisis as nearly half of all adults fear they might not be able afford their energy bills?And from next year, councils in England will be banned from demanding householders pay their council tax in full if they are only late with one payment.HMRC warns of scammers as it begins taking back Winter Fuel Payment from more than two million higher income pensioners.Also, the rise of the poly worker. Why young people are fixing their sights on a portfolio career.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Niamh McDermott Researcher: Jo Krasner Editor: Rob Cave Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson(First broadcast Saturday 18th April 2026)

Az and Sam are here to answer your FPL dilemmas ahead of GW37! Join for FPL advice, tips and transfer suggestions. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ https://www.sumup.com/en-gb/business-account/making-tax-digital/ The landscape for Sole Traders has changed with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax now live in the UK.  Since 6th of April 2026 sole traders earning over £50,000 must keep digit records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC using approved software. That's where SUMUP comes in.  SumUp has built a free, simple software solution to support sole traders through this change. The best thing - it's free and there is no monthly fee! Getting started is easy — just search “SumUp MTD” ━━━━━━━━━━━━━

In a dramatic week at Westminster, Wes Streeting has quit as health secretary and ex-deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has said her wrangling with HMRC is finally over – but neither has launched a leadership challenge. Instead, all eyes are now on Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham as he attempts to chart a path back to the Commons, leaving Sir Keir Starmer's premiership under severe pressure. Host Lucy Fisher is joined by political correspondent Anna Gross, deputy opinion editor Miranda Green and deputy political editor Jim Pickard to discuss the latest developments. The team also examines Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's shifting story about his £5mn personal gift from a Thailand-based crypto investor in 2024, and looks ahead to consider what a Reform government would do. Follow: Lucy @LOS_Fisher or @lucyfisher.ft.com; Anna @annasophiagross; Miranda @greenmiranda & @greenmirandahere.bsky.social and Jim @pickardJE Want more? Burnham's return to Westminster will not be so easy Labour set to approve Andy Burnham's by-election runStarmer crisis as it happened: premier appoints new health secretary Angela Rayner says she has been cleared over tax affairsWes Streeting: the confident performer with a mixed record of reform To beat the populist right, Labour must be an insurgent government Zack Polanski admits ‘mistake' over houseboat council taxFT Series: Reform UK up close Sign up here for Stephen Bush's morning newsletter Inside Politics for straight-talking insight into the stories that matter, plus puns and tongue (mostly) in cheek views. Get 30 days free.Political Fix was presented by Lucy Fisher and produced by Nisha Patel. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music and sound engineering by Breen Turner. The broadcast engineers are Andrew Georgiades and Bianca Wakeman. Cheryl Brumley is the FT's global head of audio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wes Streeting is/was expected to make his move today for the Labour leadership – but does he have the numbers? There was some frantic briefing last night, with competing claims about who has the required number of MPs and who might be prepared to give up their seat to Andy Burnham. It almost takes us back to the days of Tory infighting.But the big news this morning is that Angela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC. In an incredibly well-timed judgment, there is now nothing standing in her way from making her own bid for the top job. So where are we on Thursday morning? What should we expect from the next 48 hours?James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and James Lyons, former director of strategic communications in Number 10.Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

https://www.sumup.com/en-gb/business-account/making-tax-digital/ The landscape for Sole Traders has changed with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax now live in the UK.  Since 6th of April 2026 sole traders earning over £50,000 must keep digit records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC using approved software. That's where SUMUP comes in.  SumUp has built a free, simple software solution to support sole traders through this change. The best thing - it's free and there is no monthly fee! Getting started is easy — just search “SumUp MTD” ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Join Harry ( @FPLHarry  ) & Tom as they present their FPL teams for GW37 and explore the stats surrounding Trossard, Bowen and Tarkowski!

Wes Streeting has made his move today for the Labour leadership – but does he have the numbers? There was some frantic briefing last night, with competing claims about who has the required number of MPs and who might be prepared to give up their seat to Andy Burnham. It almost takes us back to the days of Tory infighting.But the big news this morning is that Angela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC. In an incredibly well-timed judgment, there is now nothing standing in her way from making her own bid for the top job. So where are we on Thursday morning? What should we expect from the next 48 hours?James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and James Lyons, former director of strategic communications in Number 10.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham has announced he will attempt to return to Westminster after the Labour MP Josh Simons said he will vacate his Makerfield seat in order for Burnham to run in a byelection. It follows a day of breaking news in which the health secretary, Wes Streeting, resigned, saying he has lost confidence in the prime minister, and Angela Rayner announced she had been cleared by the HMRC. Where does this leave Keir Starmer, the leadership of the Labour party, and the country?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

The battle for Number 10 is on.After Angela Rayner announced HMRC had cleared her over the tax scandal that led to her resignation, attention quickly shifted to the growing leadership turmoil inside Labour. Following days of speculation, Wes Streeting announced his resignation from government but - so far - hasn't challenged  Keir Starmer for the leadershipIn this episode of The Fourcast, we examine the names circling the leadership race - from Andy Burnham and Ed Miliband to junior ministers preparing potential bids - and ask whether Labour is heading for a brutal internal war just as it tries to convince voters it's ready for power.Joining Krishnan Guru-Murthy are Senior Political Correspondent Paul Macnamara and Think Labour's Alison Phillips to discuss who's really plotting, who has momentum, and whether Starmer can survive the biggest challenge of his leadership so far.Recorded before Andy Burnham announced he would stand in Makerfield.

Is the Labour leadership contest about to get messy and plunge the party into chaos?Sam and Anne start the day expecting Wes Streeting to resign as Health Secretary to spark a contest, but an early intervention may have swung the momentum.Angela Rayner has come out saying a HMRC investigation into her tax affairs is over, paving a way for a challenge but will she join the contest? Can Andy Burnham find a way to enter the fray?So, as the Prime Minister vows to fight any competitor the leadership discussions are heating up.The duo analyse the developing situation and ask whether it will be straight forward or complex showdown with the PM.

Being reported to HMRC has got to be up there with one of the pettiest things our listeners have ever done...AND they still feel justified about it! You guys really went to town in Question of The Week. Yet again we have a thief in our midst as the girls try to solve a dilemma involving a debit card and a sister-in-law...could this be a wedding sabotage or just your regular theft case? Plus a dear Brian of ours turns into a couples therapist for his bestie but it seems as if the therapy wasn't needed after all...New episodes every Wednesday! Email us your dilemma at hello@thegirlsbathroom.comFollow us on instagram @thegirlsbathroomJoin us on Patreon for an extra ep every week!! https://www.patreon.com/TheGirlsBathroom Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Football, tax tribunals and residency rules all come under the spotlight in this week’s episode of The Tax Factor, as Paul Noble and Robert Salter discuss some of the latest stories making headlines across the tax world. The episode begins with the high-profile PGMOL case against HMRC, exploring why part-time football referees were ultimately found to be self-employed and what the decision could mean for wider employment status disputes. Paul and Robert discuss the importance of looking beyond simple “tick-box” tests and why the case reinforces the need to consider the full picture. They also examine a significant residency case involving transit days and exceptional circumstances, before turning to the growing differences between Scottish and UK income tax rates and the practical implications for workers on either side of the border. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.sumup.com/en-gb/business-account/making-tax-digital/ The landscape for Sole Traders has changed with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax now live in the UK.  Since 6th of April 2026 sole traders earning over £50,000 must keep digit records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC using approved software. That's where SUMUP comes in.  SumUp has built a free, simple software solution to support sole traders through this change. The best thing - it's free and there is no monthly fee! Getting started is easy — just search “SumUp MTD” Az and Sam are here to answer your FPL dilemmas ahead of GW36! Join for FPL advice, tips and transfer suggestions.

Join Harry (⁠@FPLHarry⁠) & Stephen (⁠@FPL_Gallagher⁠) as they present their FPL teams for GW36 and explore the stats surrounding Saka, Gyökeres and Lacroix.  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ https://www.sumup.com/en-gb/business-account/making-tax-digital/ The landscape for Sole Traders has changed with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax now live in the UK. Since 6th of April 2026 sole traders earning over £50,000 must keep digit records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC using approved software. That's where SUMUP comes in.  SumUp has built a free, simple software solution to support sole traders through this change. The best thing - it's free and there is no monthly fee! Getting started is easy — just search “SumUp MTD”.

Talk's Mark Dolan discusses the future of the Labour Party with Reform's Laila Cunningham and Ann Widdecombe, Trump's war with Iran, with Historian Martyn Whittock, and the Golders Green attack with former Met Police detective Peter Bleksley. Is Rayner the most likely replacement for Starmer, even with her HMRC issues still in the foreground? Is Trump ever going to admit that he bit off more than he could chew with Iran? Will the government get a grip on immigration and anti-semitism? Get the latest news here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Gold is founder and CEO of Stratiphy, and as far as anyone knows, the only platform offering tax-efficient crypto exposure to UK retail investors right now.The path got narrow fast. The FCA lifted the retail crypto ETN ban in October 2025. HMRC then closed the stocks-and-shares ISA route at the start of this tax year, leaving crypto ETNs eligible only for Innovative Finance ISAs, which no mainstream platform offered. Stratiphy re-opened the door, partnering with 21Shares to offer bitcoin, ether, and the new BOLD bitcoin/gold hybrid inside an ISA wrapper.We get into the regulatory maze, whether Bitcoin is a lottery ticket or a real line item, and what launching into a 35% drawdown tells you about who your customers actually are. Plus: why the IFAs will come around whether they like it or not.Follow Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-gold-5186091b2/Learn more about Stratiphy: https://www.stratiphy.ioCHAPTERS:00:00 Tax-Efficient Crypto in the UK: The Short Story00:25 The Regulatory Sequence03:00 IFAs and the Education Gap04:00 Portfolio Construction or a Punt?05:30 Bitcoin: Lottery Ticket or Asset Allocation?08:00 Launching Into a Down Market09:30 Where Stratiphy Goes Next11:30 Sign-Off

Making Tax Digital for income tax is HMRC's biggest shake-up of self assessment for decades, but are you ready? The new system will involve filing quarterly updates as well as a final return via third party software. This year it'll affect 860,000 sole traders and landlords with a turnover of £50,000. In the coming years the threshold will fall, bringing a total of nearly three million people into the new system.Felicity Hannah is joined by Jonathan Athow, HMRC's director general for strategy and policy, to take listeners' questions about how it all works and what they need to do to prepare. We also hear from Emma Rawson, from the Association of Tax Technicians, a professional body for tax advisers.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producers: James Graham and Rob Cave Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Henry Jones(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 1st April 2026)

In this episode of The Life of KG, Katie Godfrey talks about one of the most requested (and most avoided!) topics for business owners, VAT and tax.If you're a salon owner, aesthetic clinic, lash tech, brow artist, nail tech, hairdresser or training academy owner in the UK, this episode is a must-listen, especially if you're approaching the VAT threshold or already VAT registered.As your business grows, your tax responsibilities grow too. And while it can feel overwhelming, VAT registration is often a sign that your business is scaling successfully.Katie shares:·       What happens when you hit the VAT threshold in the UK·       How VAT registration works with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)·       The impact VAT has on your pricing and profit·       Common mistakes beauty business owners make with tax·       Why paying more tax usually means you're making more money·       The mindset shift required when stepping into CEO mode·       Why moving abroad (including to Dubai) doesn't eliminate financial responsibilityThis is an honest, straight-talking episode designed to remove fear around VAT and help you feel more confident managing the financial side of your business.If you've ever Googled:·       “VAT for salon owners UK”·       “When do I register for VAT UK?”·       “How does VAT work for service businesses?”·       “Why is my tax bill so high?”This episode breaks it down in simple terms, without jargon, without panic, and with real-life experience from someone who's navigated it herself.Remember: growth comes with new levels of responsibility. Understanding your numbers is part of becoming the CEO your business needs.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another beauty business owner who needs to hear it.DM me “RETREAT” to find out more: https://www.instagram.com/kg_katiegodfrey/Get a FREE trial on Salon Success Manager App here: https://salonsuccessmanager.com/ 

In the hot seat today is Sean Davis, diving head into stories around his time at Fulham including seeing Michael Jackson, how bumping a taxi lead to the start of his career and an infamous argument about doing a naked lap around the training ground.  Coming through was part of the Fulham Wednesday club alongside the likes of Chris Coleman, Andy Melville, Kit Simmons & Lee Clark. Going out on Wednesday nights in Wimbledon is always a dangerous game when the assistant manager is driving around.  He talks candidly about his nightmare spell at Spurs the clashes with Harry Redknapp, being humiliated in training by Martin Jol, sending a rogue text from the physio's phone, and the heartbreak of being left off the bench for the FA Cup Final despite having eight tickets for his family. Sean also tells the story of the Kingsbridge financial scandal that devastated him and dozens of other footballers losing money he didn't even know was gone, HMRC turning up at his door, and the darkest moment of his life driving home from Oxford. Plus: the Eggy Buff king holds court, the card school that hid from Glenn Little, Dean Kylie punching him on the M27, and Mark Crossley timing how long it took bouncers to pull his trousers up. This show is sponsored by Talksport Bet Get £40 in FREE BETS at http://talksportbet.com/utc when you bet £10 18+ gambleaware.org T&Cs apply

This case in the Supreme Court centred around the meaning of the word 'on'. uklawweekly.substack.com/subscribe Music from bensound.com

This week on The Tax Factor, Suzanne Briggs and Heather Powell begin with a roundup of the top tax stories making headlines before moving into a discussion of several key property tax cases. These include a VAT dispute involving a nursery development and an SDLT case considering whether a property with extensive grounds could qualify for mixed-use treatment. The episode also looks at a main residence relief case where HMRC challenged the taxpayer’s position, but the tribunal ultimately found in their favour. The discussion highlights how fact-specific these cases are and how small details can make a significant difference to the outcome. Finally, Suzanne and Heather turn to the wider theme of increasing tax complexity, covering developments such as Making Tax Digital, landlord reporting requirements and broader proposals that could add further compliance obligations for taxpayers and businesses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the MeaningfulMoney Q&A, Pete and Roger answer six listener questions covering a wide range of personal finance topics. We tackle a tricky inheritance tax situation involving a property bought in children's names, look at pension and ISA options for a daughter likely to spend her career working outside the UK, and offer some perspective on balancing financial sensibility with life's genuine passions. We also cover whether a minimal LISA contribution strategy actually works, how to manage the transition from 100% equities to a retirement asset allocation in the years before you stop work, and what income protection options exist for a young professional wanting to guard against long-term illness or injury. Shownotes: https://meaningfulmoney.tv/QA45  02:20  Question 1 Hello Peter and Roger (without a D) I am so pleased I discovered your podcast a few months ago, since then your words of wisdom accompany me on my daily dog walks and I have become the annoying older colleague in the office telling the younger colleagues about the power of compounding and contributing to the pension scheme. I have a rather unusual query I would really appreciate your view on and maybe the potential pitfalls we are experiencing would be of interest to other listeners as I have read lots of questions on-line about potential benefits of putting property in children's names. My parents retired to Spain 25 years ago, they cash-purchased a UK flat for when they come back 10 years ago. In a bid to avoid inheritance tax they bought this in mine and 3 siblings names (all in our late 40/early 50s). They did not seek professional  advice, just assuming it was the right thing to do, which could be the morale of the story. Sadly my Dad recently died and as executor of his will I have been looking into the UK assets. I realise now that this cunning plan does not work, as they regularly stay in the flat without paying rent. Therefore, it is classed as gift with reserved benefits and still included in the estate. However this is not an issue as they are well below the IHT threshold. The question I have relates to the future financial position that I think they have inadvertently created. My mum wants to sell up in Spain buy a house in the UK and then either rent the flat for some more income or potential sell it. But how does this work if the property is in our names? Can she legitimately take rent (with our permission) without it having income tax implications on us (I am higher rate so do not want this!). If she wants to sell it I assume it will be sales to us siblings so we will pay capital gains (but what rate? we are a mix of tax brackets and one of my sisters doesn't own another house.) She says she might be best just transferring into her name, but I don't think it will be that easy and we will still be liable for capital gains as it will effectively be a sale to her. Is there something we have missed here and is it something we should be concerned about? Or is it OK to leave as is and let her keep to draw down income. Could it be the right thing to do and having the property in our names be simpler to resolve when she dies? I am hoping your soothing Yorkshire/Cornish tones can reassure me all will be OK. Vicky a faithful listener.   11:24  Question 2 Hi Pete and Rog I only discovered the podcast fairly recently, but have been following your web-based lessons on Meaningful Money for a while (and have read the books). I am really loving the podcast - so many back episodes to listen to! Super-informative, and your dulcet tones are also very soothing! My question is to do with advice for an adult child who is likely to spend her career working outside the UK. My husband and I are both late 50s and technically have reached FIRE (years of finance-nerdery despite relatively low incomes) but I am still doing consultancy because I quite enjoy it. Our older three children are all getting established in their careers, and I've brainwashed/ educated them in the ways of financial sensibleness, so they're all set up with emergency funds/S&S ISAs/employer pensions/SIPPS. Our youngest daughter is studying at university in Poland (the kids and I all have dual Polish/UK citizenship, as my mum was Polish). This means my daughter can work anywhere in the EU, and although she will always have strong ties to the UK, it's looking as if she is more likely to work outside the UK once she graduates in summer 2026. This opens up a whole new world of options in terms of setting her on a path to financial security, and there's quite a lot of conflicting information  - I would really appreciate some input on what are likely to be the best options for someone in this situation. At the moment she's 'ordinarily resident' in the UK, on the electoral roll etc., but doesn't have any UK income. Can she make pension contributions in the UK even if she's working elsewhere? I assume she still has an ISA allowance if she's a UK citizen working abroad, but a LISA would make less sense if she's not likely to buy a UK property? I am self-employed via a limited company and she has occasionally done bits of tech support for me, so she could register as self-employed in the UK and bill me for that - would that count as UK employment? My accountant is super-scrupulous, so I'm not interested in anything that might be sailing even vaguely close to the wind in HMRC terms. I would appreciate any thoughts on this perhaps slightly non-standard situation, although I assume there must be quite a few other people out there with dual UK/EU citizenship who might be facing similar questions? Many thanks, Felicia 19:06  Question 3 Dear Pete and Roger. I listen to your podcast all the time and it keeps me right. It has really helped me navigate my financial literacy or lack thereof. I am now in a situation where I have much better understanding of what I need to be doing with my money, and have made sense of all financial decisions such as paying into my workplace pension, owning my own home, and I have a recently paid job and some side projects which earn me a little. My question is, I think, a search for a validation of my life choices! Basically, despite having a good job and owning my own home outright, I am still struggling to budget every month. This is because I have made a terrible financial decision of owning two horses. These horses are my pride and joy, but the financial strain of it does make me feel guilty in terms of the distribution of spending between me and my husband. I spent about 600 a month on the horses, give or take a bit each month. Do you have any words of wisdom about how to balance being sensible with money Vs 'investing' in my life passions? I don't think I'll ever give up the horses, so it's more about whether I continue to stress about it or not. Many thanks for your wisdom as always Josie   25:20 Question 4 Thank you for all the great content! I have a LISA question for the podcast in relation to my 25 year old son? He currently lives with me in SW London and is saving to buy his own place. I love having him stay and I am in no rush for him to move out. He/we decided not to go with a LISA because he is likely to buy a property in or around London and we are concerned about the £450K cap which I believe has remained fixed since 2017. He is very motivated, ambitious and hard working and has already had several promotions with an opportunity to work in the US next year. He has already saved £50K for a deposit and I intend helping him too. He is not in a rush to buy as it feels like the property market is no longer running away from him.  He told me he thinks it makes more sense to enter the property market on the second rung of the ladder rather than the first as it costs so much to move with stamp duty, fees etc. So perhaps a 2 bed in a nice(ish) area rather than a starter home (and renting the second bedroom to a friend). I think I agree with him, especially if he ends up working in the US for an unknown period of time.  A 2 bed in a nice(ish) area where he actually wants to live would cost more than the £450K cap which is why we are reluctant to use the LISA for saving for his first home (I understand it can also be a pension investment but he is already contributing to his workplace pension). However, I have in my head a bug that says he can put minimal contributions into a LISA each year (say £5) which he could top up retrospectively if he changes his mind and does find somewhere to buy for under £450K. Am I correct? Your thoughts would be much appreciated. Michelle 29:04 Question 5 Hi Pete and Roger Thanks so much for all the work you do, I've only found the podcast recently but already enjoying learning more and thinking about things differently. My question relates to saving for retirement and specifically the period leading up to retiring.  Nearly all of our (mine and my husband's) pensions are in SIPPs where we have been happy to be 100% equity, in global index funds. We are now maybe 7-10 years from the point where we could retire, and I've been able to research withdrawal strategies to the point where I'm confident managing that when we get there.  We have determined our target asset allocation split between equities / bond funds / individual gilts and money market funds for the start point of retirement. I haven't been able to find much information about the period of transition from 100% equity to the asset allocation we want in place for the start of retirement.  Obviously it's a balance between reducing exposure to volatility as we approach retirement and accepting a drag on the portfolio caused by the increasing allocation to cash and bonds and my instinctive (but not evidence-based!) approach would be to gradually move from one to the other over a number of years. So my question is this - is there a better approach than just a straightline shift from one to the other?  How far out from retirement is it appropriate to start making the transition?  The best advice I can find online is just to pick whatever makes you feel comfortable and do that but surely there must be some more robust guidance out there?  I appreciate it might not be a one size fits all answer but would appreciate your thoughts on how to approach this. The one piece of advice I do seem to have found is that however we decide to do it, to stick to a predetermined schedule to avoid temptation to try to time the market - does that sound sensible or have I missed the mark on that? Thanks so much for any help you can give. Fran   35:26  Question 6 Hey Pete & Roger, Thank you for the great podcast! I have a question about income protection insurance. I'm quite young (25 - probably among your youngest listeners!), no dependents, renting with my partner, and am fortunate enough to have a well paid job and a promising future career. I recognise that my biggest asset is my future earning potential and would like to protect that in case of the worst. I have a 6 month emergency fund, healthy amounts (for my age) invested across ISAs and pensions, and my work offers 50% loss of income protection for accident or illness for 3 years, which is all great. My question is - to what extent should I think about trying to protect against the tail risk of not being able to work for >3 years, possibly till pension age? This is of course quite unlikely, but would be very detrimental if it were to occur - the exact sort of place where insurance would make sense. However I can't seem to find any insurance policies with such a long deferral period and I can't "double up" by having a shorter referral period. So, do such products exist, and if not are there any alternatives other than just accepting that risk and re-evaluating if and when my circumstances change? Is this even a reasonable risk to be thinking about, or is it overkill? Is there anything I should think about that I may be missing? Many thanks, Sarah *Affiliate - https://meaningfulmoney.tv/lifesearch 

In this Meaningful Money Q&A episode, Pete Matthew and Roger Weeks answer six listener questions on UK personal finance, pensions and investing. We cover inheritance tax (IHT) and who actually pays it, a defined benefit pension "state pension deduction" before State Pension age, and whether salary sacrifice affects higher-rate tax relief. We also discuss whether global tracker funds are too concentrated in the US, how offshore investment bonds compare to a general investment account (GIA), and how IHT taper relief works for gifts and the nil-rate band. Shownotes: https://meaningfulmoney.tv/QA44  03:40  Question 1 Hi Pete and Roger, I have been really enjoying your podcast and have learned so much about finance, tax and investments that I did not know before. I enjoyed your episode on inheritance tax. I have a question regarding inheritance tax and what happens if beneficiaries are unable to afford to pay it. My parents are wealthy with three properties (mortgages all paid off) and a large private pension, my parents also had a limited company which they used to maximise their earnings by minimising tax. However, me and my brother are average in the financial sense, where we have "normal salaried jobs", as my father would say. We earn far less than him and hence have much less assets. I own a house but have most of the mortgage left to pay because I only bought it last year. I am also single and live alone on my single income. My brother rents a flat and spends most of what he earns and has no concept of saving/future plans or investments, he does not even have a pension. I am under the assumption that the IHT has to paid first before the inherence is released, rather than IHT simply being deducted from the actual inherence itself before distribution? When I look at the total of my parents assets, me and my brother have no where near enough money to be able to pay it, due to the large gap in wealth between us and my parents. I tried to discuss this with them a few times but was fobbed off. They don't have any plan in place, all they have is life insurance to cover each other should one party die, and a simple one page will including just each other and us, no extended family. My brother and mum have no clue about money, and my dad who is in charge of the finances has multiple health problems of late. I am anxious of the day when I will be asked to pay tons of IHT which I might not be able to able to afford, especially because I am single and have my own bills and mortgage, I can't afford another loan. Is there a way to get around this or reduce the burden? If I cannot afford to pay the tax, can I simple "run away" from the situation and decline being a beneficiary, hence shoving the responsibility of IHT onto other family members? I don't really understand the process of probate, and whether my parents life insurance would pay it, but it seems to be that it pays out to the spouse should the other die, so I assume this would be added to the total assets and hence increase the tax burden should the other die? My parents don't seem to be bothered and are reluctant to discuss this so I am unsure what to do. How do "average/mediocre" kids like me and my brother usually deal with the tax from being born into a wealthy family? Sorry if this is a silly question, but I would appreciate any words of financial wisdom. Many thanks, Lava 13:08  Question 2 Hi Pete and Roger, I hope this message finds you well. As an avid listener of your podcast for the past couple of years, I want to express my gratitude for the way you break down financial and pension topics that can often seem overwhelming. Your insights have been invaluable to me. I wanted to share a personal experience and seek your views on it. After dedicating 42 years working at M&S, I am now approaching 60 and preparing to take my pension later this year. While I am proud of my long service, I've encountered an unexpected surprise in my pension arrangement. I have a Defined Benefit (DB) pension valued at around £9,000. Per year. However, upon receiving my pension quotation, I discovered that the scheme is structured to pay me this amount only until I reach 65 years of age, after which it reduces by approximately £2,200, a 24% reduction. This reduction is based on the assumption that the State Pension will compensate for the difference. However, with the State Pension age being pushed back, I will experience a reduction in my income before the State Pension begins when I turn 67. This situation feels particularly unfair, especially given that at M&S, there are a significant number of women who are lower-paid workers. The unfairness is further accentuated by the fact that the reduction is a fixed sum, irrespective of one's earnings. This fixed sum reduction impacts lower-paid and part-time workers disproportionately. I would greatly appreciate any insights or advice you might have on how to navigate this issue. Thank you once again for the fantastic work you do. Your podcast has been a tremendous help in making sense of pensions and finances. Best regards, Joan   20:06  Question 3 Hi Pete and Roger, Discovered the podcast and book a few months ago while trying to get more organised with life admin and planning for the future. Enjoying working through the back catalogue of the past seasons on the podcast and that's been very helpful - thank you. I do have a question about salary sacrifice/exchange in a workplace pension around tax brackets. As I got a promotion at work a few years ago I ended up moving into the higher 40% tax bracket so I adjusted my pension contributions - my workplace offers salary exchange for pension contributions - to bring my adjusted salary to below £50k and stay within the 20% income tax bracket and also saving on National Insurance contributions and tax relief. However, last year, another promotion led to another increase in salary and several things going on such as buying a house meant that I hadn't adjusted the pension contributions enough and my adjusted salary was above £50k and a portion of that was taxed at the 40% rate. Question I have is can I claim back the tax at the 40% rate from HMRC or does the salary exchange mean that I have already had the maximum tax relief applied? Thanks and keep up the good work, Simon 23:42 Question 4 Hi Pete and Rog, Only just discovered the pod and loving it! You advocate global trackers and I can see why, as they are cheap and simple and have the appearance of diversifying risk. But do you not worry about putting 60-70% of your money in one market (the US), which is what a global tracker does? I understand that you're letting the market determine how your capital is allocated, but what is 'the market' when so many other people are also just investing in global trackers? It seems to me there is not enough price discovery and trackers may be chasing a bubble. Would love to get your views. Cheers guys. Will https://www.timeline.co/resources/indexing-the-paradox-of-concentration-of-return  Adviser 3.0 Podcast episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Y4jVxDLL4  30:09 Question 5 Dear Roger and Pete Huge fan of the show! I had a question about offshore investment bonds. I'm an additional rate taxpayer and after contributing to pension and ISA, am then looking at what could come next. I've seen offshore investment bonds as an option, however I'm struggling to see how they would deliver a better outcome (assuming the same underlying investments) than simply using a GIA, and selling down the investments once I stop work. Thanks again, Matt Investment Bonds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q5HBoXmekI  35:28  Question 6 Hi Pete, Roger and Team, Firstly, thanks to you all for the amazing podcast, I have been listening for years and it has given me the confidence to manage my finances. I spread the word to all who will listen! My question is regarding tapering with relation to gifts and IHT. The scenario is this, a person is gifted a fairly substantial sum (say £100k) but less than the £325k personal allowance. The person who gifted the sum then dies at 6 years post gift. The persons estate is say £750k. In this case does tapering occur? Even though the gift is less than the £325k the whole estate is well over the personal allowance. Would IHT be paid on the sum over £325 with tapering on the gift? For example £325k IHT free due personal allowance, £100k at 6% taper relief with the remainder at normal IHT rates? Hopefully that's a short enough question! Many thanks, Alastair

If you're a UK beginner and you're not sure where to start investing in 2026, Pete and Roger talk you through a calm, step-by-step investing order to follow. They cover when to build a buffer, tackle expensive debt and use employer pension matching, plus how to choose between a Stocks and Shares ISA and a pension. You'll also hear the key beginner mistakes to avoid so you can invest with confidence and stay the course. Shownotes: https://meaningfulmoney.tv/QA43  02:00  Question 1 Hi Pete and Roger I'm late to investing but thanks to your informative and entertaining podcasts and books - I feel on track to at least a decent retirement. I'm on a £60K salary and currently manage to contribute around £25K annually via salary sacrifice - which keeps me happily and comfortably within the 20% Income Tax bracket. However, with the Salary Sacrifice Cap coming in April 2029, I will end up in the higher-rate tax bracket. I was thinking about using my employer's Car Benefit Salary Sacrifice Scheme to help bring down my taxable income – whilst still maintaining the maximum salary sacrifice and utilising Relief at Source my AVC. I'm fully aware of the saying "don't let the tax tail wag the investment dog" but I was planning on getting a car in 2029 – when my mortgage is completed – so this might be a good alignment. My question's are: Can you confirm whether the Salary Sacrifice Cap applies to pensions only — and does using the car salary sacrifice scheme seem like a sensible idea in this context? Is there anyway that paying into my AVC via Relief at Source and claiming the higher-rate relief via Self-Assessment would result in HMRC issuing me a new tax code for the following tax year. Keep up the good work – and all the best to you and your families for the festive season. Thanks, Cris 06:43  Question 2 Hi, I recently came across your podcast and have not stopped listening to all the older episodes, and look forward to the new ones each week. Keep up the great work! I'm a 53 year old business owner looking to exit my business within the next 3 years via a sale and hope to receive around £1.5 - £1.8m from my share of the proceeds after tax. My wife is 8 yrs younger than me and will probably still be working doing some consultancy work. She has her own pension and savings in ISA's (currently a combined pot of around £250k which will hopefully grow over the next 10+ years) but we wouldn't need to access that till much later as required. My 2 questions are: 1. What would be the best way to invest the lump sum from the sale of my business to provide an income to support my retirement without having to necessarily eat into the capital or touch too much of my savings / pension early on as it will need to provide for my wife and I for quite a few years if we retire / semi retire in our mid 50's. Having looked at our living costs we would need around £60k p.a - albeit to live comfortably. Any holidays / large purchases etc could be funded through savings. 2. How would you prioritise what pot of funds you use first to make it the most tax efficient, enable growth and ensure that the pots do not run out. Given the new IHT rules on pensions is it now wise to use those first including the 25% tax free lump sum or use the ISA's / savings first leaving the pensions to continue growing in their tax wrapper. Thanks, Jeremy Meaningful Academy Retirement Planning: https://meaningfulacademy.com/retirementplanning  14:53  Question 3 Hello Peter and Roger You answered a previous question for me on the podcast so thank you for that, and I hope you don't mind me asking another one! We're in the very fortunate position of being able to pay the full £60,000 annual allowance into my pension scheme this tax year and are considering making additional contributions using unused allowance from previous years.  I understand that the total contribution we could make would still be limited by my annual salary this tax year - my question relates to how that is defined. The contributions are made using a combination of salary sacrifice into my work scheme and lump sum contributions to my SIPP which is separate from the work scheme.  So, would my "salary" that would be the limit for total contributions be the salary before salary sacrifice or after?  And is the "salary" further reduced by the contributions to the SIPP, as I believe my adjusted net income for calculating tax bands is? Perhaps some hypothetical numbers would help.  Let's say my gross salary before salary sacrifice is £125,000 and I salary sacrifice £25,000, and my employers' contribution is £5,000.  Let's say I also pay £24,000 by bank transfer into my SIPP, so I'd receive £6,000 of tax relief into the SIPP.  If I've understood it correctly, my adjusted net income for tax purposes would be £70,000 (which is £100,00 salary after salary sacrifice minus £30,000 gross contribution to SIPP).  In total, £60,000 has been paid into my pensions which is the full annual allowance for this year. If I had £120,000 of unused pension allowance from the previous three tax years, what is the maximum additional amount I could pay into my SIPP this tax year?  Is it £65,000 gross (so £52,000 net), to bring the total paid into my pensions up to £125,000, my pre-sacrifice salary?  Or £40,000 gross (so £32,000 net), to bring the total paid into my pensions up to £100,000, my post-sacrifice salary?  Or some other amount, if the salary that counts for this year is limited to the adjusted net income? Thanks so much for your help - I know it's a bit technical but I can't seem to find the answer anywhere! All the best, Fran   19:33 Question 4 Dear Pete and Roger, I've been listening to the podcast for years now, and it always makes my Wednesday commute more enjoyable. Every time I hear your names together, I think of The Who, so thanks for all you do, helping people of My Generation become Finance Wizards and make smarter decisions so we don't get Fooled Again. I'm 34, and after working in the small charity sector since university, I've accepted a role in a larger organisation which comes with a significant pay increase, taking my income over the Higher Rate threshold. As I step into this new tax band, what reliefs, allowances, or financial planning considerations should I be thinking about? In particular, I'm aware there are some reliefs (particularly for Gift Aid donations and pension contributions) that I will be able to claim through self assessment; do they 'compete' with each other in any way, or can I claim the full relief on both? Thanks for all you do, Tim   23:40  Question 5 Pete & Roger Great podcast - don't ever retire! I've just started receiving my state pension (now you know how old I am) but I was wondering how I can check that the government are paying me the correct amount. I have more than a full set of NI class 1 contributions but I've also had some years contracted out and some years working abroad in a country with a reciprocal arrangement with the UK (which I've claimed for). The government just sent me a statement telling me how much I would get paid without any detail behind it. How can I check that they have made the correct deductions for contracting out and the correct additions for my time abroad? Call me cynical but I don't always trust the government to get these calculations right. Many thanks, Glen   26:58  Question 6 Hi,  great show by the way, very informative, it has certainly helped me and I'm sure is great help to many others. My wife Michelle is planning to retire at the end of March, age 58.5.  She is self employed, a relatively low earner and finds the work tiring now. I myself am 56 soon and likely to work another 2 year (max), I am luckily enough to receive a decent salary and have above average pension provision. Michelle has the following pension savings -  £143k in bank savings (not isa), £130k S&S ISA, £118k SIPP - all combined £391k. I realise markets are high at the moment. Plan to use 4% rule and reduce when State Pension kicks in (have full NI Contributions). So assuming want £15k pa (and rise annually with inflation), my query (that many others may have) is it best to use the cash or the ISA or the SIPP first or mix it up?  Michelle is very unlikely to have to pay income tax, until State Pension triggers at 67. Any advice much appreciated, Jason  

Can you claim parking expenses as a dentist? What about a coffee machine for your practice—could that really be deductible? Or investing in a MSc in Implantology—does that count as a tax write-off? In this episode, chartered accountant Sebastian Stracey joins Jaz to answer all those “am I naughty if I claim this?” questions that dentists and associates always wonder about. Together, they cover what's truly deductible, what isn't, and some surprising exceptions you might not expect. They also dive into the bigger picture—how principals and associates really compare in terms of income, stress, and responsibility—and Seb shares insights that might change the way you view your career path. https://youtu.be/BW_TZ5iZ-B8 Watch PDP261 on YouTube Protrusive Dental Pearl Check out our free Financial Resilience Webinar Replay on Protrusive Guidance, where Dr. Sunny Sadana and I discuss associate contracts, case acceptance, investing, and fee setting. Key Takeaways: Dentists often forget to claim mobile phone bills as expenses. Home office usage can be claimed, especially for associates. Keeping detailed mileage logs is crucial for claiming travel expenses. Laundry and cleaning expenses for scrubs can be claimed. Communication with your accountant is key to maximizing claims. Continuing education expenses can be gray areas but may be allowable. Gathering evidence for claims is essential to justify them to HMRC. Specialization programs can be claimed if they build on existing knowledge. Fixed fee services for accountants are beneficial for associates. Always discuss your situation with your accountant to ensure compliance. Many new dentists struggle financially during their training. Understanding tax obligations is crucial for financial stability. VAT regulations can be complex, especially for cosmetic treatments. It’s important to save for tax throughout the year, not just at the end. Common misconceptions about tax deductions can lead to financial pitfalls. Dentists should engage in financial education early in their careers. Expense claims can be tricky, especially for gifts and personal items. The distinction between personal and business expenses is vital for tax purposes. Associates and principals have different financial realities in dentistry. Communication and education about finances are essential for dental professionals. Highlight of this episode: 00:00 Teaser 00:42 Introduction 02:06 Pearl: Free Financial Resilience Webinar Replay 04:45 Meet Sebastian Stracey 06:56 Common Missed Expenses 13:57 Home Internet Claims 16:49 Asking Accountants Questions 19:07 Claiming Masters Courses 26:31 Specialist Training Costs 27:30 Midroll 30:41 Specialist Training Costs 33:28 Saving for Tax Bills 36:36 VAT on Cosmetic Work 40:06 “Am I Naughty If?” Questions 49:10 Wild Expense Attempts 50:11 Ways Dentists Can Learn More About Tax and Finance 51:56 Associate vs Principal Numbers 53:39 Outro Get expert financial guidance for individuals and businesses with Humphrey & Co—your trusted partners in taxes, planning, and business success Learn strategies for career security, smart investing, and building wealth—watch Personal Finances for Dentists (IC068) #PDPMainEpisodes #BeyondDentistry This episode is eligible for 0.75 CE credit via the quiz on Protrusive Guidance.  This episode meets GDC Outcomes B. AGD Subject Code: 550 – Practice Management and Human Resources Aim: To outline common allowable and non-allowable expense claims for dentists and highlight the importance of documentation, communication with accountants, and financial planning. Dentists will be able to – Identify commonly missed claimable expenses in dental practice. Recognize expenses that are not allowable under tax rules. Understand the importance of documentation and communication with accountants when claiming expenses.

This week on The Tax Factor, John Bull and Annie Hughes discuss a wide range of tax developments, starting with HMRC’s Tax Confident campaign. They explore what the initiative is designed to achieve and how it fits into HMRC’s broader strategy around compliance, engagement and taxpayer behaviour. The episode also revisits the Tom Goldstein case, following the recent jury verdict in a story previously covered on the podcast. John explains what the outcome means and why the case has attracted such significant attention. They also analyse the “Charge My Street” v HMRC decision on the VAT treatment of electric vehicle charging points, before turning to the upcoming FIFA World Cup in North America and the various tax scenarios that arise when major sporting events span multiple jurisdictions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's EV News Briefly for Monday 02 March 2026, everything you need to know in less than 5 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the EV News Daily Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/EVNewsDailyBMW USA SHOP LEAK POINTS TO 2027 LINEUPA leak on BMW USA's online shop revealed two fully electric i3 sedan variants — the i3 40 xDrive and i3 50 xDrive — confirmed for the US in 2027, sharing the Neue Klasse platform with the iX3 and featuring Gen6 batteries, 800-volt hardware, and an iDrive X interior. The 2027 lineup also adds a first-ever iX4 coupe-SUV in two variants, an iX3 in three configurations launching in North America this summer, an electric iX5, and an i3 M60 alongside a full electric M3 positioned as the spiritual successor to today's M3 Competition.TESLA BERLIN RUNS HALF FULL AS UNION ROW SIMMERSTesla's Gigafactory Berlin produced 211,235 vehicles in 2024 against a stated annual capacity of 375,000 — a 56% utilisation rate — and output has since declined further, with the factory now reportedly running at around 40% capacity and BYD outselling Tesla in Europe in January 2026. Labour tensions are deepening ahead of works council elections, with IG Metall pursuing collective wage agreements similar to those at Volkswagen and BMW, while Tesla filed a criminal complaint against a union member and Elon Musk warned that "outside organisations" could hinder the site's ambition to become Europe's largest factory complex.T&E: LOCAL BATTERIES COULD CUT COST GAPA Transport & Environment report argues the EU can shrink the cost gap between domestically made and Chinese batteries from 90% to around 30% through scaled-up local production, with higher automation and lower scrap rates potentially cutting the gap to $14 per kWh by 2030 — equivalent to roughly €500 on an average EV. The findings align with the EU's forthcoming Industrial Accelerator Act, which targets ~70% local content thresholds for publicly supported EVs, though some carmakers warn this risks making batteries prohibitively expensive while T&E's Julia Poliscanova calls it "a sovereignty premium worth paying," particularly given China's export restrictions on critical minerals.TRIBUNAL BACKS 5% VAT ON SOME PUBLIC CHARGINGA UK tax tribunal has ruled against HMRC in a case brought by community charging operator Charge My Street, finding that a de-minimis clause in the VAT Act 1994 — capping "domestic" supplies at 1,000 kWh per month per customer — can qualify most neighbourhood charge points for the 5% reduced VAT rate rather than the 20% rate currently applied to public charging. The ruling is significant for drivers without off-street parking, though it also raises commercial complications, as many charge point operators have multi-year contracts priced on 20% VAT, and it opens the door to networks gaming the threshold by splitting sites or charger banks into separate "premises".ŠKODA OPENS €205M CTP BATTERY PLANT IN CZECHIAŠkoda has opened a €205 million (~$216M), 55,000 m² battery production facility at Mladá Boleslav, making it the Volkswagen Group's largest BEV battery system site and the first VW Group plant in Europe to manufacture cell-to-pack (CTP) systems at scale. The line produces over 1,100 battery systems per day — targeting up to 335,000 annually — and Škoda's switch to LFP cells has cut battery production costs by 30% compared to its previous MEB systems.MG CLOSES IN ON EUROPEAN FACTORY PLANMG has narrowed its European factory search to five countries, aiming to begin production by 2027 to circumvent the EU's 45% tariff on Chinese-built BEVs — a levy that caused MG's European BEV sales to fall 33% to 48,479 units last year, even as overall European sales rose 26% to 307,282 units in 2025. MG Europe head William Wang declared "it's time to build local," positioning the brand as a European marque rather than a Chinese import, as rivals BYD, Chery, and Leapmotor also race to establish European manufacturing footholds.CITROËN UPDATES C5 AIRCROSS PHEV FOR EURO 7Citroën has refreshed the C5 Aircross plug-in hybrid with a new 21.5 kWh battery (17.8 kWh usable), delivering up to 96 km (60 miles) of WLTP combined electric range — a 33% improvement over the outgoing model and ahead of rivals like the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 (69 km) and Ford Kuga PHEV (64 km). Priced in the €40–50k range, Citroën positions the updated C5 Aircross as one of the most tax-efficient family SUVs in the mainstream segment across EU markets while still targeting Euro 7 compliance.CANADIAN TRIAL PEGS ELECTRIC SEMI SAVINGS AT $157,126A real-world Canadian trial by FPInnovations' PIT Group and Transport Canada tracked two commercial fleets over 12 months and more than 200,000 km of Montreal-area operations, projecting savings of $157,126 per truck over six years — described as the most comprehensive dataset of its kind outside controlled demonstrations. The study compared the Freightliner eCascadia (BEV) directly against the diesel Cascadia and found that despite the electric truck's higher purchase price, higher-than-expected maintenance costs, and lower residual value, a six-year saving still emerged and may prove conservative.DENZA D9 ELECTRIC MPV ARRIVES IN AUSTRALIADenza has launched the D9 electric MPV in Australia from A$85,990, powered by a 103.3 kWh Blade Battery with 200 kW DC fast charging, 11 kW AC charging, and V2L capability across both variants, all built on BYD's e-Platform 3.0 with a cell-to-body battery structure. The seven-seat, three-row cabin targets the premium end of the people-mover segment with nappa leather, open-pore white ash wood trim, a 14-speaker Dynaudio sound system, adaptive suspension, and second-row captain's chairs offering over 900 mm of legroom, massage, and individual screens.CHINESE CAR BRANDS SPLIT US BUYERSA Cox Automotive survey of 802 prospective US car buyers found the country almost evenly divided — 38% would consider Chinese brands if available, 39% would not — with Gen Z showing notably higher openness at 69%. Chinese brands remain locked out of the US market by high tariffs and software regulations, but cost pressure is a key driver of interest, with 68% of open buyers expecting lower prices against an average new car price of $50,000, while BYD has already surpassed Tesla in European EV sales.