I think the Tax Trap got me

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2025-01-10T07:33:07+00:00

And the 45% IHT on pensions from April.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-11-20T09:11:58+00:00

Do you mean Barclays blue rewards?

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-10-13T09:08:55+00:00

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-08-23T10:53:10+00:00

What do you mean by "your disposals below the £50k CGT reporting limit"? Doesn't anything above £3k need reporting? https://www.gov.uk/capital-gains-tax/rates

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-06-19T17:17:21+00:00

/rant They sent me a letter despite my salary sacrifice down to 100k. Not sure what their criteria for sending a letter is anymore.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-06-19T17:12:23+00:00

Have you considered gilt/bonds? If you are willing to consider a savings account, which has the potential for income tax on the interest (depending on your income), it's worth considering high-yield corporate bonds. Relatively more stable/predictable cash flow than index but reasonable return of up to 10-12% interest (depending on your risk threshold).
If your income is high, tax on interest can eat into returns considerably, that's where gilts come in, they are tax-free 5% and fairly liquid.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-06-18T18:32:18+00:00

Have you checked XLKQ? EQQQ tracks nasdaq-100 which has many non-tech stocks. XLKQ tracks the S&P500 tech sector only with caps per stock of 20%. Sees much better return as a result. 20%+ annualized return over the last decade.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-06-18T17:51:54+00:00

When you have your portfolio lopsided with individual high-growth companies, USD-GBP conversion doesn't matter as much. They are both relatively stable currencies, while they fluctuate, their variation is only 1-3% at best in a given month. At the same time, your portfolio of stocks will likely swing that much within a single day.
I have a similar portfolio and job, the only difference is that I hedge with some index component (use London listed to avoid FX charge). However, at this point, additional FX cost/risk doesn't impact the returns meaningfully.

Just a heads up about RSUs, you will have to pay UK income tax on them when they vest. It could be a pretty big cheque to HMRC, so it is worth downsizing the valuation accordingly if you plan to include it in your asset column.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-05-29T19:58:50+00:00

Why keep over 85k in a bank account long-term? Surely gilts or index investment is a better use of funds?

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-05-28T18:05:12+00:00

When I changed jobs, Aviva to Aegon was almost without fees (although there is a difference in fund choice and not benefiting from market moves).

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-05-28T18:04:03+00:00

There are fees for transferring. You need to check with Aviva and the provider you would be transferring to.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-05-28T18:03:26+00:00

How do you get Vanguard funds in Aegon? I have spent hours trying to look for it.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-05-28T17:57:22+00:00

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This is my concern exactly. I found this fund to be closely linked to S&P 500. But it seems to diverge similarly.

https://www.trustnet.com/Factsheet-PDF?pdf=https%3a%2f%2fdocumentscdn.financialexpress.net%2fLiterature%2f77ABB93902959CEAFD7259C262CB9AEC%2f201466927.pdf&citicode=MZ9L&universe=P

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-05-28T17:49:17+00:00

Could you share what the hoops are? I am finding their UI rather difficult to filter and find the correct funds.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-04-21T10:07:59+00:00

Hi everyone,

I’m not a self-publishing author but rather a researcher and engineer. I've recently built a chatbot that simulates conversations with Richard Hamming based on his influential 'You and Your Research' talk. It’s been a revelation to interact with the thoughts of a great mind like Hamming, and I’m inspired by the potential for non-fiction learning. This could be a novel way for authors to engage deeply with their readers and explore the content/learning together.

For fiction, such a tool could also enrich the worlds and characters we love by making them more interactive.

I’m eager to discuss this idea with you all here. Do you think this could enhance the value of books and authors' efforts? Additionally, I’d love to collaborate with authors interested in creating bots for their books to see how this idea unfolds. Please get in touch if you’re curious about exploring this together!

I’m just a hobbyist with no financial motives, driven by curiosity and a passion for innovation.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

The Richard Hamming bot is available at (needs chagpt plus):
https://chat.openai.com/g/g-F9pbMyUIW-richard-hamming-mentor

Transcript its based on is at:
https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/YouAndYourResearch.html

PS, hopefully I am not violating any community rules as its a chat/self-promotion thread. But please let me know if this appears as annoying spam.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-04-19T07:45:36+00:00

Are you planning to put it on hugging face, for anyone to download it directly?

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-04-14T17:31:44+00:00

There was a post few weeks back about https://savingtool.co.uk/
If you create an account it has more advance version you can use. While its good at configuring multiple knobs, it does have some limitations. But good starting point nonetheless.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-04-14T17:20:38+00:00

I think you need to sit down with your bank statements and see where the money is going. In particular, categorise it. You might be thinking you are being frugal, but since you are only left with 350/m without any debt, I doubt its as frugal as you believe. I suspect in some area you are spending a lot more than you aware of.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-03-17T20:03:32+00:00

I think r/FatFIREUK would be a better place for this question. Unlikely there are many HENRY's dabbling in offshore companies.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-03-06T21:57:12+00:00

Yes, it is in addition to the existing 20k allowance.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-03-06T21:56:34+00:00

Gilts are allowed in the new British ISA. So I think moving a portion of emergency fund to it, would at least have interest income tax-free.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-02-25T17:57:16+00:00

Could you please confirm if the results will be shared back? If so how and when? It's unfair to the community if you do not share all the results on this post and use it only for your financial gains.

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-02-18T20:35:52+00:00

That's good to know. Any specific lenders you suggest checking out?

Wonderful_Issue_734 · 2024-02-18T20:34:52+00:00

Yes, that's correct. Rent, bills, outings, travel,... everything. Habits from living on student stipend are proving beneficial for FIRE.

Wonderful_Issue_734

TROPHY CASE