Investment Brochure Guides

Boyack MeeksIndependent Financial Planning

Avoiding The Pitfalls That Could Seriously Damage Your Wealth.

Investments

Inheritance Tax

Independent Saving Account

InvestmentsTaking the guesswork out of Investments

When considering investments three of the most important factors to takeinto account are:

Your Risk ProfileYour Time Frame (How long are you prepared to tie your money up for?)Your Tax Position

Of these, risk is something that many investors find difficult to define, asdifferent people have different attitudes to risk. In addition to this there aredifferent types of risk, some of which are shown below:

Liquidity risk. If the value of an asset falls and it becomes difficult tosell. e.g. property.

Credit risk: This is particularly important to investors who have large sumsdeposited with financial institutions that go into default.

Currency risk: When an overseas investment is made by a UK basedinvestor and sterling appreciates against the currency in which he is invested.

It is therefore most important that you are clear about the degree of risk youare willing to accept before undertaking any kind of investment.

To help you assess how much risk you are prepared to take contact ustoday for our Risk profile questionnaire. Once completed we will inputyour answers on a secure Investment Online Risk Profiler, which willcompute a suggested risk score and asset allocation.

The risk score gives an indication of the level of risk you may be preparedto take on a range from 1 (low risk) to 10 (high risk).

The risk score is only a guide and you can decide, with our guidance, toinvest more conservatively or more aggressively.

Market risk: The return on your investment could be reduced by a fallin the market

Inflation risk: The return on your investment could be reduced by anincrease in the rate of inflation.

Interest rate risk: If you invest for a fixed period in a variable rateaccount your return could be reduced by a reduction in interest rates.

Inheritance TaxImportant facts you should know to help safeguard your family.

Inheritance Tax (IHT) is the tax charged on the value of property passing on a person's death and on certainlifetime gifts subject to certain exemptions and reliefs. If the value of your estate, including your home andcertain gifts made in the previous seven years, exceed the current IHT threshold of £325.000 a tax charge of40% could be levied on the balance.The main exemptions are shown below:

Spouse or civil partner exemption. Transfers to a spouse or civil partner is exempt even if the amountis over the threshold.Charity exemption. Any gifts you make to a 'qualifying' charity during your lifetime or in your will is exemptfrom Inheritance Tax.Annual exemption. You can give up to £3,000 away each year, you can also use any unused allowancefrom the previous year.Small gifts You can make small gifts up to the value of £250 to as many people as you like in any onetax year. You can’t use your small gifts allowance together with any other exemption when giving to thesame person.Wedding and civil partnership gifts. Gifts to someone getting married or registering a civil partnershipare exempt up to the following limits:Parents can each give cash or gifts worth £5,000. Grandparents and great grandparents can each givecash or gifts worth £2500. Anyone else can give cash or gifts worth £1,000

You have to make the gift - or promise to make it - on or shortly before the date of the wedding or civilpartnership ceremony. If the ceremony is called off and you still make the gift - or if you make the gift afterthe ceremony without having promised it first - this exemption won't apply.

Regular gifts or payments that are part of your normal expenditure Any regular gifts you make out ofyour after-tax income, not including your capital, are exempt from Inheritance Tax. These gifts will only qualifyif you have enough income left after making them to maintain your normal standard of living.Potentially exempt transfers. If you survive for seven years after making a gift to someone, the gift isgenerally exempt from Inheritance Tax, no matter what the value. However, should you die within sevenyears of making the gift the IHT payable will be calculated according to the following table. (This is known asTaper relief)

Years Between Transfer and Death % Taper Relief % IHT Payable

0 to 3 0 1003 to 4 20 804 to 5 40 605 to 6 60 406 to 7 80 207 plus 100 0

Individual Savings AccountsInvesting for your future.

Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) are avail-able to all UK residents aged 18 years orover for investment into a stocks and sharesISA or aged 16 years or over for investmentinto a Cash ISA.

They benefit all UK taxpayers as any incomeor capital gains received from investmentsheld within an ISA do not have to be declaredto the taxman.

ISAs are available to individuals who areresident and ordinarily resident in the UK andas the name implies, can only be made on anindividual (not joint) basis.

With effect from 6th April 2010 the overallannual ISA allowance has increased to£10,200. This means that you can invest upto £5,100 in a cash ISA and up to £5,100 in astocks and shares ISA in the current tax year.

Where you have not invested in a cash ISAfor this year you could invest the full £10,200in a stocks and shares ISA.

As an ISA remains one of the most taxefficient methods of investing, it is importantto ensure that you maximise the allowanceavailable to you in the current tax year,because if it is not used this valuableopportunity is lost.

Stocks and shares ISAs can invest in cash orlonger term investments like unit trusts,investment trusts, OEICS, some fixed interestsecurities or any share quoted on a stockexchange recognised by the Inland Revenue. Cash ISAs are available through all of the UK Banks and Building

Societies. They can also be bought through the Post Office. Differentinstitutions offer different interest rates with different conditionsattached to their accounts.Some offer instant access while others offer a higher rate but withrestricted access. It is therefore important to shop around for the bestrate and to make sure you understand the conditions attached to acash ISA before you invest.

ISA savers can transfer money saved in a cash ISA to another cashISA or if they are aged 18 or over into a stocks and shares ISA.However, it is not possible to transfer a stocks and shares ISA into acash ISA.

Withdrawals from an ISA can be made at any time. However, if anypart of the amount invested in a year is withdrawn, it is important tonote that once withdrawn it cannot be used for a further investment inan ISA in the same year.

As previously stated an ISA remains one of the most tax-efficientmethods of investing. However, as ISAs are held on an individualbasis and cannot be written in trust you should be aware that whenyou die they will form part of your estate and could become liable toInheritance Tax (IHT).

“We offer an ongoing service to manysatisfied clients”

"I would like to thank you for all the helpful advice you have given inthese years. As a very elderly widow I find it of immense help andcomfort to have a financial adviser I can trust and whose utterintegrity is without question." Mrs D Jardine (Shrewsbury)

"I felt I should write to you to express my thanks and of course mywife's for the wonderful way you have handled our financial affairs.We realise that we are not big customers, but you treat us as if wewere. We trust your judgement and it has been excellent."Mr Lander ( Newport)

"We would like to thank you for all the advice and help that youhave given us since our retirement. We cannot speak too highly ofyour assistance in making provision for our needs both for amonthly income and assuring that our lump sum did not deteriorate,but in fact increased." Mr & Mrs Hill (Telford)

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the good adviceyou've given over the years. Especially since my husband died, it'sbeen a great comfort to know that I can call on you if I have anyfinancial worries." Mrs Rodway (Oswestry)

The testimonials above are just a selection of the letters of thankswe have received from our clients. If you wish to enquire about ourservices please do not hesitate to contact us by phone, letter oremail.

We offer an initial free consultation where we can discuss theservices and advice you are looking for and if requested arrange asuitable time to call you back by telephone or arrange anappointment.

Peter MeeksPrincipal

Boyack Meeks

62 Sutton RoadShrewsburyShropshireSY2 6DS

01743 247751

www.boyackmeeks.co.uk