Pension-led funding

Your slice of the £250 billion waiting to be invested in small businesses

A £250 billion pot of money is waiting to be invested in the UK’s two million small businesses with owners over the age of 50, it has been revealed.On the fourth anniversary of pension freedoms, analysis by Clifton Asset Management showed ‘Olderpreneurs’ had already used the freedoms to access almost £1.5 billion from their personal pension pots to fund new ventures.The analysis of recent ONS data also found that while 30 per cent of olde...

Are you ready for Making Tax Digital?

The deadline is looming for changes to how small businesses will be required to file VAT returns.From April 1, VAT-registered businesses with a turnover exceeding £85,000 will be required to file VAT returns digitally.The current HMRC portal which many use will no longer exist, to be replaced by the requirement to send VAT returns to HMRC using MTD-compatible software.Businesses will also be required to keep digital VAT records.Are you ready for...

The trail blazed by Pension-led funding

A multi-billion pound boost for start-up companies and infrastructure projects from pension savings would be a catalyst for growth, says Clifton Asset Management chairman Adam Tavener.Adam has welcomed Government proposals to potentially give more than 10 million members of Defined Contribution (DC) pension schemes access to more diverse and innovative investments.Pensions Minister Guy Opperman has said members of DC schemes were missing out of t...

Second store opening puts Inovape brand on the High Street map

Former smoker Chris Breslin turned to his pension to launch his dream of running a string of High Street e-cigarette shops.With his Solihull vaping shop performing strongly he had no hesitation in taking the same route to secure a second commercial property deal in one of the most prestigious streets in the West Midlands.His latest Inovape store on New Street, Birmingham, has been open for just over less than four weeks and is already doing five...

Funding business growth using your pension, great idea or barking mad?

Adam Tavener, chairmanThis month, the Institute of Directors (IoD) called on the government to make it easier for business owners to invest their pension into their own business. Some voices, most notably from within the pensions industry, have condemned this as too high a risk. Here I look at the risk of a pension-led investment into a business compared to other sources of funding.The ability for certain types of pension to provide financial sup...