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VCT, EIS & SEIS · Guide
SEIS relief only works if the company qualifies and keeps qualifying for three years, and it does nothing to rescue a weak business. These are the questions to put to a founder before you subscribe, and the documents that should back up the answers.
VCT, EIS & SEIS · Guide
Under the 2026 to 2027 rules, a young UK company can raise up to £250,000 under SEIS, and its investors can claim 50% income tax relief on up to £200,000 each a year. The company must pass tests on its trade, gross assets, staff and independence, issue SEIS shares before any EIS shares, and file a compliance statement before investors can claim.
Gilts · Guide
Private investors buy gilts on the secondary market, through a platform, a broker or the DMO's own postal dealing service. Check the clean price, the accrued interest and the yield to maturity before you deal.
Index funds & ETFs · Guide
In the 2026 to 2027 tax year up to £9,000 can go into a child's Junior ISAs, and the money belongs to the child, who can take control at 16 and withdraw it at 18. A pension, a bare trust or a parent's own ISA put the money in different hands at different ages.
Foundations · Guide
A diversified portfolio owns things that do not all fall for the same reason at the same time. That means spreading across and within asset classes, countries and currencies, rebalancing as markets move, and keeping costs down.
Tax and wrappers · Guide
Tax-efficient investing in the UK usually runs in a familiar order: employer pension money, a cash buffer, ISAs, more pension, then a general investment account using its allowances. Here are the 2026 to 2027 limits and what changes on 6 April 2027.
Scam Watch · Guide
Investment scams share recognisable warning signs, and the FCA's Firm Checker and Warning List let you check a firm in minutes. If money has gone, call your bank and report to Report Fraud, the service that replaced Action Fraud in December 2025.
Gold · Guide
UK investors can own gold as coins or bars, as vaulted metal, through exchange-traded commodities or through mining shares and funds. The routes differ on cost, VAT, capital gains tax, ISA and SIPP eligibility and who you depend on if something fails.
Buy-to-let & landlord tax · Guide
Property investment in the UK comes in four main forms, from a buy-to-let flat to listed REIT shares, and what separates them is mostly costs, tax and how quickly you can sell. From 6 April 2027 individual landlords in England, Wales and Northern Ireland pay new property income rates of 22%, 42% and 47%.
UK shares · Guide
To invest in shares in the UK you open an account with an FCA-authorised firm, choose an ISA, SIPP or general account, and buy on a stock exchange. Costs are dealing and account charges, currency conversion on overseas shares and 0.5% stamp duty reserve tax on most UK shares.
Foundations · Guide
Start investing in the right order: clear expensive debt, build a cash buffer, use the tax wrappers, then invest money you can leave for five years or more in a low-cost spread of holdings. Here are the 20 things to know first, with the 2026 to 2027 figures.
