Latest News

Tax Payers pay out millions more in Inheritance Tax

Tax payers have paid £600m more in Inheritance Tax (IHT) than a year ago. The latest figures from HMRC show that between April and October this year, IHT receipts totalled £3.6bn compared with £3bn in the same period in 2020 – a rise of 20%.

So does this indicate that many families are not aware until it is too late? 

Armstrong Watson launches new Outsourced Virtual Finance Department service

Armstrong Watson has launched a new outsourcing service to help clients build virtual finance departments - saving them both time and costs.   

Guy Kerkvliet has been appointed as Head of Outsourcing and will lead the national department.

Legal Sector Pulse Survey Results, November 2021

In common with other sectors, the legal profession has had an ‘interesting’ time in the past 18 months and there is likely to be a great deal of flux still to come. It is with this in mind that we have recognised that a quarterly legal sector ‘pulse’ survey would help law firms with their strategic planning.

Frustration over delays to lump sum BPS retirement scheme

Earlier this year, DEFRA announced it was planning to introduce a lump sum retirement scheme for farmers in England, which was due to open for applications next spring. More detail on the scheme rules was to be published by Autumn 2021 but we are still waiting for anything further causing frustration for those considering retirement. 

Recruiting and Retaining Talent

After an extremely challenging 2021, businesses moving into 2022 are faced with yet more professional challenges; how do they recruit into their teams, or as the media have coined it, how do they survive “The Great Resignation”?

Don't underestimate the value of the State Pension

The value of the State Pension should not be overlooked as this forms a critical part of a retirement income for nearly all retired households, it will certainly be missed if it is not there.

5 common reasons to borrow right now

Funding remains a priority for a lot of businesses right now, whether you are cash-rich, in a position to grow, or looking to ease pressure on your finances. 

11 top tips to prepare for the Christmas period and maximise turnover in hospitality  

With a lot of noise in the media about potential supply shortages over Christmas, Armstrong Watson’s Matthew Hutton and industry advisor Martyn Vevers have put together some tips to help hospitality businesses prepare themselves for the festive period and beyond. 

Transforming your business towards a digital finance function

Automation has been a hot topic for many years now, and as society starts to find a balance between office-based working and working from anywhere it is time to take stock.

It is now more important than ever to ensure business processes are designed and adapted in a future-proof way, especially the finance-related processes that have been ripe for the digital age for some time.

How will political and economic factors impact your farm tax bill?

As we rapidly approach the end of another year, it is customary to assess how a business has performed. This enables action to be taken before the accounting year-end to mitigate the tax bill, so there are no nasty surprises at a later date  - and this year there have been more fluctuations than normal, making predictions particularly difficult.