Author Archives: Amir
Retirement and Pension Options
The summer budget of 2015 has given us more options as what to do with our pension pot than ever before. Here is a summary: 1. Lump sums: You can now take as much as you like from pension in one go, … Continue reading
1970
In the summer of 1970, I and some 30 young bright students were awarded 5-year scholarships to the study in the UK having achieved top marks at the Iraqi Baccalaureate examinations. Of course I had mixed emotions about such a … Continue reading
Mitigating Inheritance Tax (IHT)
With inheritance tax affecting thousands of families every year, you can’t assume your loved ones won’t be affected. For people who die with a certain level of wealth, a 40pc inheritance tax charge is levied against part of their estate. And … Continue reading
John Carden
In 1973, while studying for my engineering degree at Manchester University, I rented a studio flat in a house that belonged to a certain John Cardin. I stayed in that flat for 7 years during which time, John and I … Continue reading
Wealth inequality and Brexit
A booming City and rising house prices provided a double boost to Britons holding assets in 2016 as they pushed the nation’s wealth through the £10tn mark, according to a new survey. Lloyds Bank’s private banking arm said total household … Continue reading
Babylonian Princess
Iraq is an amazing country. It is the cradle of civilisation. First, it was the Sumerians, who almost 6000 years ago, settled in the south of country and gave us writing, created the first cities and laid the foundations of science, … Continue reading
What are the changes to buy-to-let tax relief?
At the moment, landlords can claim tax relief on their mortgage interest payments. In other words, they can offset the cost of the mortgage interest from the rental income when they calculate their profits. But this situation won’t last for … Continue reading
Vathek
One of my favourite authors is Bill Bryson. While I was reading his book ‘At Home’ describing how wealthy men in 18th century England were building themselves great mansion houses, I came across a certain William Beckford, who at the … Continue reading
Life Cover
Anyone looking to protect their family and wealth should look closely at how they can put in place life assurance to ensure money is paid to beneficiaries on their death. Life assurance costs are normally fairly modest and arranging a … Continue reading
Pension facts
Investing for a pension is an essential part of modern-day financial life. If one wants a comfortable retirement, one needs to start saving early. Pension planning is therefore essential. Here are a few simple facts to help with your planning: … Continue reading