What’s the best way to grow your money?

We all have our own financial goals, whether it is buying a home, providing for the family after we’ve gone, or simply having enough cash for a comfortable retirement. Most of them depend on being able to find an effective way to build your wealth.

But what is the best way to grow your money? There are many answers and deciding on the one that is right for you can be the foundation of financial success.

Pensions

You need a pension to provide an income when you retire. The State pension is less than lavish, and with growing numbers of older people in the population, there is little chance that the country can afford to be any more generous in future. You may have an employers pension – but having a personal pension is not only a good idea for your future, it can be a very good investment.  The tax relief a pension attracts means that for most people, every pound you put in your pension costs just 80p, while if you are a higher rate taxpayer paying tax at 40%, you pay just 60p for every £1 you put into your pension pot.

This coupled with the potential growth your pension pot can earn in the hands of a shrewd investment manager can mean your pension is a very effective way to grow your money.

The government sets limits on the amount you can invest. You can only invest up to £40,000 per year, or your total income for that year, whichever is the lower – and there is a lifetime limit on the amount you can have in your pension pot of £1.055 million tax year 2019/20. What’s more, if you are a high earner – with an income of £150,000 – your attractive allowances can start to fade away.

Despite these limits, a pension should probably be the foundation of your wealth creation plans.

At Continuum we can help you plan a pension tailored to your needs.

ISAs

ISAs – Individual Savings Accounts – have been a mainstay of wealth creation, because of their tax advantages. Most forms of savings and investment create tax liabilities, which reduce the returns you can enjoy. An ISA is a tax-free wrapper that protects whatever you put in from the taxman – meaning that your investment can potentially grow faster, and that there is no income or capital gains tax to pay when you come to take it out.

The government sets limits on how much you can contribute each year. The 2019/20 ISA tax year allowance is £20,000, but you can choose to invest up to the full amount across different types of ISAs providing you stay within the overall £20,000 limit.

There are many ways to make the most of your ISA entitlement, and getting advice and support from the Continuum team could make a huge difference to the returns you enjoy.

Personal Savings Allowance

You should also not forget to utilise your Personal Savings Allowance, which currently stands at £1,000 for basic rate taxpayers, and £500 for higher rate tax payer for the 2019/20 tax year.

Investments

Investments can be a more direct way of trying to building your money. They have none of the contribution limits of an ISA. They also have the important advantage over a pension of allowing you to access your money at any time – there is no need to wait until you retire. You do not even need to be an expert to be a successful investor – many managed funds exist which let you make lump sum or regular payments and have your wealth managed by an expert on your behalf.

On the downside, investments are not without capital risk – but with expert advice, the risks can be controlled and managed. Naturally, at Continuum we have the expertise to help you make the most of your investments.

Buy-to-let

Buy-to-let used to seem a sure-fire way to make money. However, it became so popular that the government virtually doubled stamp duty tax on property investments and changed the income tax rules on rent, making buying property to rent out much less attractive. What’s more, house price rises have stalled, denting the prospect of making money from property price inflation.

However, for many people the idea of investing in property still appeals, as they trust bricks and mortar and may feel that they can add value to a home in a way they can’t to an investment fund. It may still be possible to make money from Buy-to-let – especially if you have the help of a Continuum mortgage expert to secure the most competitive loan.

So, what should you do?

There is no single solution for wealth creation. Growing your money can require a combination of techniques and is always a long-term project. Fortunately, at Continuum we can provide the answers across the whole spectrum of wealth creation – and we want to work with you for the long term.

To talk about the best way to grow your money, simply call us.

The information contained in this article is based on the opinion of Continuum and understanding of current HMRC tax rates and does not constitute financial advice or a recommendation to suitable investment strategy, you should seek independent financial advice before embarking on any course of action.

The value of your pensions and investments, and the income they produce, can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested, and your capital is at risk.

Levels and basis of reliefs from taxation are subject to change and depend upon your personal circumstances.

The value of property investments and income from them can go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amount originally invested.

Property investments are a specialist sector and may be volatile in adverse market conditions and difficult to realise

Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate some aspects of Buy to let mortgages