Money sent

Good luck mate

Geo

Please just PM an amount and a bank account and I'll get it there. Not fussed on FX and don't be shy to chase if I am slow as I'm not on Blonde as much as once upon a time.

Brilliant OP.

5% please.

One spot to eat for the rest of your life... 

your choice of meal at a location of your choice for any of the following

- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Late Snack

which location or restaurant are you at, and what is your first choice of meal?

- Vegas breakfast buffet
- Seafood at Ristorante Nuovo Tropical, Sant'Angelo, Ischia
- Belted Galloway fillet at Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley
- KFC

Martin Lewis has been pushing for financial education in schools for years, spent a lot of his own time and money badgering the government about it.

Sadly I don't think it would work, human beings are naturally very bad at predicting the future and it's only hard life lessons that seem to shape what somebody will be like financially. People with money think it will never end, people without money think fuck it what's the point, it's only when you have a major life lesson you change (IMO of course). My missus was the worst with money and it was only when she had debt collectors chasing her did she sort her life out (thanks to Martin Lewis btw), I was pretty crap with money too but when my Dad passed away I suddenly realised I was on my own and I got good with it.

Some people are naturally good obviously, but I think it takes bitter experience to change somebody's attitude towards it.

I typically think that people need a tangible, attainable goal that they attach value to in order to make progress / change. (Which is basically what you say above)

1. Skint and no chance of that changing --> why bother / what's the point / what difference will it make attitude

2. Rich and 'no chance'  of that changing --> why bother / what's the point / everything is good already

3. I perceive a goal I feel I can hit that would really mean a lot to me --> how much do I want it / what will I sacrifice or do extra / when can I get there

***

Often it takes a serious life event to drive people from 1/2 to option 3.

Ed. Regarding number 5, the £5k tax free dividend. If you're not earning any taxable income anyway how does this change anything? Wouldn't it have previously fallen in to their tax free allowance?

Yes although it no longer 'wastes' the Personal Allowance. In this manner you could have the following and pay nil tax:

£11,000 'taxable income' - State pension, rental income etc - sits within Personal Allowance
£5,000 dividend income - separate £5k dividend allowance
£11,100 capital gains tax exemption - completely separate allowance for realisation of gains

Without even getting into tax-advantaged investments etc. etc.

(Removes regulated Adviser's cap momentarily)

1. High rate debt should not be tolerated under ANY circumstances. It's one of the greatest ills of 'civilised' society that the highest rate interest is typically charged to those who are least well off, causing (at least in part) a self-perpetuating cycle of difficulty. --> PAY OFF ANY DEBTS FIRST THAT ARE AT A RATE OF INTEREST YOU CAN NOT FEASIBLY EXPECT TO ATTAIN WITH THE ALTERNATIVE YOU WILL TAKE.

2. People in the U.K. perceive property as the proverbial 'no brainer', but memories are short and often people neglect liquidity risk and the leverage inherent in the investment, both of which can hurt. Recent tax changes have made second (and beyond) property ownership highly punitive for most in a position to buy such properties. The capital appreciation point stands, but I often see individuals far too heavily concentrated towards property. --> BUY THE ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO DO SO BUT HAVE A PLAN FOR WHAT HAPPENS IF AND WHEN RATES RISE.

3. I meet so many individuals that neglect to pay into pension citing either complexity or inaccessibility as their reason. If you are getting tax relief on your contributions (which all do, to a limit) and an employer match then think this one through, if you are a basic rate tax payer you can have £8 in your pocket or £20 in pension. For a higher rate taxpayer £6/£20. For an additional rate taxpayer £5.50/20. The reality is often a little better still though salary sacrifice and NI saving sharing. --> YOU HAVE TO LOOK AFTER THE SHORT TERM, OF COURSE, BUT THERE IS NO BETTER VEHICLE TO SAVE FOR 55+.

4. You can't spend yourself rich. Investment in skill development is different of course, but every £ you spend is a £ you don't have. Senseless expenditure can kill your chance at compound growth.

5. If a self-employed individual aspires to work until 55 then that is around 32 years all told. If said individual works 8 hours per day, but is only productive in 7 of those, they could feasibly expect to retire four years later than their aspiration.

Good post Ed.  In my circumstances of paying no income tax legally and having no employer matching any contributions is this the best vehicle for me saving for 55+?  I don't see any advantage of having a pension tbh over just growing my bankroll the way i have tax free/fund manager fee free for years.  Anything else i should be considering over than the tax implications?

Individuals who have a genuine, proven mechanism to generate a return on capital are a slightly different kettle of fish to the average punter (pardon the pun). The flip side however would be that if you don't diversify future income-source exposure you are placing total emphasis on your punting. Some people like it this way, others it would scare the life out of.

If paying nil income tax I would suggest an approximate route of...

1. Voluntary NICs to accrue State Pension. Effectively an annuity but at a fantastic rate (versus the annuity market).

2. Personal pension payment of £2,880 grossed to £3,600 by HMRC. Each individual can contribute this even with no relevant earnings.

3. ISA allowance (diversified stocks and shares, not cash please) for £15,240pa.

4. CGT exemption (many neglect to use this) enables realisation of £11,100pa of tax free gains. Similar investments to in your ISA but in 'unwrapped' Unit Trusts.

5. Dividend Allowance - a new one from last April that sees the first £5,000 of dividends free of any taxation. Again, a Unit Trust portfolio is the way to address it.

6. Internationally-domiciled investment bonds (a tax structure, rather than them being actual Corporate Bonds) see gross roll up, i.e. Nil tax on the way. You will pay some tax on the way out, however.

(Removes regulated Adviser's cap momentarily)

1. High rate debt should not be tolerated under ANY circumstances. It's one of the greatest ills of 'civilised' society that the highest rate interest is typically charged to those who are least well off, causing (at least in part) a self-perpetuating cycle of difficulty. --> PAY OFF ANY DEBTS FIRST THAT ARE AT A RATE OF INTEREST YOU CAN NOT FEASIBLY EXPECT TO ATTAIN WITH THE ALTERNATIVE YOU WILL TAKE.

2. People in the U.K. perceive property as the proverbial 'no brainer', but memories are short and often people neglect liquidity risk and the leverage inherent in the investment, both of which can hurt. Recent tax changes have made second (and beyond) property ownership highly punitive for most in a position to buy such properties. The capital appreciation point stands, but I often see individuals far too heavily concentrated towards property. --> BUY THE ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO DO SO BUT HAVE A PLAN FOR WHAT HAPPENS IF AND WHEN RATES RISE.

3. I meet so many individuals that neglect to pay into pension citing either complexity or inaccessibility as their reason. If you are getting tax relief on your contributions (which all do, to a limit) and an employer match then think this one through, if you are a basic rate tax payer you can have £8 in your pocket or £20 in pension. For a higher rate taxpayer £6/£20. For an additional rate taxpayer £5.50/20. The reality is often a little better still though salary sacrifice and NI saving sharing. --> YOU HAVE TO LOOK AFTER THE SHORT TERM, OF COURSE, BUT THERE IS NO BETTER VEHICLE TO SAVE FOR 55+.

4. You can't spend yourself rich. Investment in skill development is different of course, but every £ you spend is a £ you don't have. Senseless expenditure can kill your chance at compound growth.

5. If a self-employed individual aspires to work until 55 then that is around 32 years all told. If said individual works 8 hours per day, but is only productive in 7 of those, they could feasibly expect to retire four years later than their aspiration.

[Can you imagine]

Click to see full-size image.

Can you imagine how TK's burgundy jacket gets treated, probably has its own butler.

No need. We can just ask Jeeves,

decent Sunday. 4th in $109 on Starsm 5th in $600 on 888, 8th in $500 on Party all for decent amounts and then 2nd in the Sonic for $18k.

Driving to London in 4 hours! No internet till January 10th, which is pretty ridiculous, apparently "open reach" or something needs to come and install something and thats the quickest time?

A 4G dongle/hotspot will do you proud in the interim. The 4G at our home is quicker than our wired Sky internet connection!!

Fantastic news! Congratulations. Sounds like an excellent addition to the Gascoigne Stable.

Best wishes from those of us in Tatts.

Too good Tal.  Camel's response was decent as well!  Picture of Tobias in mustard cords within a week please.  You must have bought a pair in advance right?

He has a Barbour coat and tweed cap lined up ready for the King George on Boxing Day!

Baby Gascoigne is here!!

Tobias Harry Gascoigne, delivered 23rd November at 2302 weighing 7lb 9oz. Mum and baby are both very well indeed and the whole thing is just miraculous.

I shan't be posting photos out of interest of his image rights privacy as the Internet can be a bit of a weird place, but he basically takes the best of Brad Pitt and Tom Hiddlestone then finishes the look with my feet.

We have bought him baby booties.

[Walton-on-Thames]

Walton-on-Thames

Travel

I live in Walton with wifey having bought here around three years ago. We both do the daily commute into town, along with many thousands of others! Whether it's relevant to your gf I'm not sure but if so morning trains are 0647/0656/0716/0727/0746/0757/0806/0815/0827/0836 etc. All take c30mins. Door to door from home to the City I am dead on an hour (cycle, train, W&C)

Through the day there are four an hour. Two of these take 25mins, two take 35mins.

It's nowhere near as accessible as something on the tube or say the Wimbledon 'mainline' which runs every 3-4 mins, but the flipside of this is that you will get a seat getting on at Walton, your commute has a pretty decent quality to it and you can be productive on the train etc. Even just a few miles further in (Raynes Park / Earlsfield etc.) you are struggling to get on like cattle and the overall journey is perhaps only 3-5mins quicker owing to it being a slower train.

Last train home is 0009 I believe (while since I did it, obv!). Uber is around £45 from town centre but a bit of a tiring 55min ride.

South West trains being useless is a bit of a common misconception in my opinion. Nobody loves their train provider as they relieve them of a considerable chunk of change and there are sometimes delays...but I always challenge people by asking how else they would propose to complete the journey and at what cost...

The Area

Being on the River is obviously lovely though it's worth noting that town and the Station are split (this is the same in Esher and Weybridge, too). This probably not an issue if not commuting but it's worth bearing in mind that you would most likely be a bit of a walk to the station. I am one mile and do a quick bike ride.

The food options here are very good Vs. a non-London small British town but naturally relatively weaker than in town itself.

Nice community feel. It's kind of a "nappy valley" once kids are out of nappies, if that makes any sense. You can basically see that people bought somewhere in London, had a child, perhaps had a second child, needed more space, and moved to somewhere leafy to live the suburban dream whilst still working in town.

Pubs are good. Personal highlights would be sitting on the river at The Anglers, The Barley Mow (Shepperton) and The Wheatsheaf on the Green / Marneys in Esher (near Sandown racecourse). Again, however, this demonstrates that not that much here is specifically walking/strolling distance. Unless you are going somewhere expressly for a walk you will often be in the car here. As previous comments suggest beyond the main trainline public transport is basically a non-event.

Quality of Life / Whether it's right for you

When we bought we could basically choose between a small and fairly mediocre two bed flat in, say, Wimbledon....or a three bed semi-detached new build here. We sensed that we would need to move out of the former upon having a family, which we intended to do (now 40 weeks and four days pregnant!), and therefore we would 'skip' that step and come straight here.

We both really enjoy living here. We're well settled now and see it very much as home....



.....however, this doesn't necessarily mean it would be right for you. By my understanding you are a little younger than Helen and me and I also think this would be the first time that you have lived in/around London?

I know you like the idea of space, dog walks, river, greenery etc. (which I completely get) but my gut feel is that for a first move to/around London town you should be a bit closer to the action. I think you may get a little frustrated here unless you really are after 'the country life'.

Alternatives


Haha, now this is the tricky bit. Crouch End as someone has touched on is lovely. Again, though, part of the reason it's lovely is that it's a bit of a transport blackspot. You get the tube to Finsbury Park and then the W7. This is sort of fine, but by the time you are doing that then total travel time is probably equivalent to being somewhere further out with more space. If you are happy to cab a lot though this could be a good option.

Wandsworth Common would have you 'closer to the action' and, if you're willing to sacrifice a bit of distance from a specific station (so removing you from the cut throat world of the daily commuter) then you can probably get a three bed with a garden within budget. It won't be as 'nice' and 'country' as something out this way but it will give you more of a London buzz and feel.

Happy to chat whenever!

Best,

Ed

Walton on Thames?

These houses pretty perfect I think.

http://www.leaders.co.uk/properties/10013130/lettings

http://www.leaders.co.uk/properties/9721463/lettings

http://www.leaders.co.uk/properties/9984595/lettings

Sunbary on Thames?

http://www.leaders.co.uk/properties/8710077/lettings

Morning Pads - I live in Walton fwiw. If you'd like to pick my brains give me a shout on PM and I'll send over my mobile #.

<3 lil Dave.

Shout when you're in London and I'll take you for a beer.