Connect with us
Finance Digest is a leading online platform for finance and business news, providing insights on banking, finance, technology, investing,trading, insurance, fintech, and more. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website.

FINANCE

Ollie Smyth, York-based IFA at Walker Crips Wealth Management, emphasises the need for accurate advice in retirement planning ahead of the launch of the Lifetime ISA:

“The Lifetime ISA, like so many savings vehicles, will be useful for many but not for all. The LISA’s great appeal is the government’s pledge to top up investments by 25%, but advisers need to ensure clients are fully aware of the product’s restrictive conditions before making a commitment.

These may include:

  • Inheritance Tax implications

“As a retirement planning tool, the LISA could be viewed as a supplement to pensions, but certainly not a replacement. Higher- and Additional-rate tax-payers are still able to claim further relief via pension contributions over the 25% top-up available within a LISA, as well as being able to access their pension fund from the age of 55 rather than 60.

“The LISA remains subject to normal ISA rules and would be included in any Estate calculations for Inheritance Tax, unlike pensions. Though pension death benefits do fall under the remit of income tax should death occur after 75 years of age, effective intergenerational planning can effectively mitigate this to a large extent.

“Funds from LISAs must also be drawn from one of two scenarios to avoid penalties which undermine the effectiveness of the vehicle. The funds must be used to help buy a first home, up to a value of £450,000, or funds can be withdrawn from age 60. If you have funds remaining from the house purchase within the LISA, these may be rolled over until age 60.

“Withdrawing funds outside of these two scenarios will result in an encashment penalty of 25% on the funds drawn. Although this means that funds are accessible if required, advisers must be reasonably assured that clients will draw from the LISA for the prescribed usage to achieve the full benefit.

“That being said, the LISA does have a significant advantage over pension funds in that drawings, provided they meet with the previously mentioned criteria, do not attract income or capital gains tax which would create a very tax-efficient pool of savings in retirement. For those able to contribute to both a pension and a LISA as part of their retirement plan, the advantages are clear.

“Parents looking to save for their children may wish to use their annual gift exemption of £3,000 to fund a LISA for both intergenerational planning and to give them a head-start.

“As a result, those seeking advice on a LISA purchase should be made fully aware of the advantages and drawbacks of the product by their adviser before committing.”

Continue Reading

Recent Posts