Topic
Gilts · Analysis
5.76%: the 20-year gilt yield on 7 October 2026, the highest in Bank of England data going back to 2000. The 10-year yield, at 5.39%, is the highest since July 2007.
VCT, EIS & SEIS · Explainer
If an SEIS company fails, you can set the loss, after deducting the 50% income tax relief you kept, against your income for that tax year or the one before. On £10,000, that leaves a net loss of £3,000 for a higher-rate taxpayer and £2,750 for an additional-rate taxpayer.
Gilts · Explainer
Gains on gilts are free of capital gains tax but coupons are taxed as income. A gilt with a small coupon, priced below £100, turns most of its return into the tax-free part.
Gold · Explainer
HMRC treats Sovereigns minted from 1837 and Britannia gold coins as sterling currency, so UK individuals pay no capital gains tax when they sell them. The real cost lies in the premium over the gold content and the gap between a dealer's selling and buy-back prices.
VCT, EIS & SEIS · Explainer
SEIS gives UK taxpayers 50% income tax relief on up to £200,000 a tax year invested in new shares of very young companies, with capital gains and loss reliefs on top. The reliefs are generous because the risk is severe: most start-ups fail, and the shares are hard to sell.
Passion assets · Explainer
Global art sales rose 4% to an estimated US$59.6bn in 2025, but the growth sat at the top of the market and art pays no income. Fees on both sides of a sale, the artist's resale right and capital gains tax on works above £6,000 all cut into any gain, and selling can take time.
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.
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.
