Lifetime Isa deposits hit £1bn for the first time in 2020

The amount of money saved into Lifetime Isas more than doubled last year as deposits into tax-free accounts aimed at first-time buyers topped £1billion for the first time. In a sign the Lifetime Isa is becoming increasingly popular, the number of accounts which received deposits in 2019-20 also more than doubled to 545,000, according to … Read more

How to research investment trusts for your Isa

Ryan Hughes is head of active portfolios at financial services firm AJ Bell. Investment trusts represent an excellent way to invest whether you are just starting out or have already established a well-diversified portfolio. However, they do have some interesting quirks and features that mean careful research is important in order to fully understand what … Read more

How to review and rebalance your Isa portfolio

Chris Barrett: If you tend to panic during market declines, you should consider a more conservative asset allocation Chris Barrett is the investment director at wealth management firm JM Finn. Asset classes such as stocks, bonds, cash, property, and alternatives like gold, are interconnected yet differ in terms of their exposure to global risks. They tend … Read more

Can I open a new stocks and shares Isa and continue paying into one I opened last year?

Can I invest in a new stocks and shares Isa, and continue paying into the one I opened in the last tax year? By Jayna Rana For Thisismoney.co.uk Published: 07:18 BST, 19 April 2021 | Updated: 07:18 BST, 19 April 2021 I have a stocks and shares Isa with a DIY investing platform where I … Read more

Should you consider a Lifetime Isa as a supplementary pension pot?

33-year-old Craig Hughes, from North Lincolnshire, mounted a defence of the Lifetime Isa as a supplementary pension If Isa season is all about working out ways to keep as much of your money away from the taxman as possible, Rishi Sunak’s latest Budget made that a little trickier. Dubbed a stealth raid on household finances, … Read more

Best cash Isa rates: Marcus Bank fails to spark a tax-free rate war

No green shoots for Isa savers as the new tax year sees saving rates fall as Marcus fails to spur a tax-free rate war Rates on easy-access Isas have fallen from 0.46% in March to 0.41%  March and April is usually ‘Isa season’ when banks compete for savers’ cash   Rates are now at an all-time … Read more

What fund experts say you should put in your 2021 Isa

Tomorrow’s easing of lockdown restrictions will be at the forefront of many people’s minds as they plan a mini-spending spree at their local shops. But canny investors among them will not have forgotten that a new opportunity to invest tax-efficiently in the months ahead has just begun.  One that should be used – despite the … Read more

How Isa investors can check up on niche investment companies with flashy gains

It might not surprise our regular readers that the top performing funds of the first quarter of this year were focused on the UK and small caps. And the topmost on the intersection of the two. Britain has organised a strong vaccine rollout, and despite some debate about the speed of reopening allowed to businesses … Read more

Maximise your £20,000 Isa allowance by ditching the big banks

Don’t forget your new £20,000 Isa allowance: Looking beyond the big banks could boost returns eightfold The new tax year means a new allowance which can be spread across 4 accounts Savers can currently save £250,000 without paying tax on interest due to rates However rates could rise and Isas remain important for preserving your … Read more