How to make pension contributions to lower your tax bill

Top-rate payer? You can save 60.8pc If you use salary sacrifice, your employer might decide to pass on the savings it makes in National Insurance to you via your pension. Additional rate taxpayers would save 45pc in tax, plus 2pc in National Insurance. If the employer passes on its own 13.8pc in National Insurance, this […]

Symptoms, causes and how to respond

According to Dr French, the differences between the two are very subtle with migraine sufferers also often experiencing temporary difficulties with speech and confusion during an attack. However, while the symptoms of a mini stroke tend to feature loss of sensory functions, many migraine symptoms involve sensory alterations which migrate their way down the body. […]

The three types of hay fever in Britain – and how to manage the one you’ve got

“We recommend starting reasonably early – as soon as the pollen count starts to creep up, take antihistamines,” says Morris. “If that’s not controlling things, migrate onto the nasal spray and eye drops.” GPs can also prescribe steroid treatments when these options don’t work. People who are still debilitated by their hay fever symptoms after […]

How to deal with HMRC when you need to get in touch

If you’re an individual, you can report a change in name or address via the Government Gateway service, post or via HMRC’s app. You can also do this by phone – have your National Insurance number ready. For businesses, you must tell HMRC if your name, business name, personal address or trading address change. You […]

How to write the perfect cover letter

It can be tempting to trawl through your old job applications or even to use the cover letter that you wrote for another opening just weeks ago, but it’s best to avoid regurgitating the same letter for different employers. Recruiters and hiring managers will be able to spot bland, generic sentences easily. Research the company […]

How to invest £1,000 – and make it work as hard as possible

Adding some fixed income exposure to those equities – a 20pc bonds, 80pc stocks mix – reduces the volatility.  A portfolio with this mix typically falls less, reduced to 19pc before recovering over time. Return expectations are also dampened with volatility however, and an average return on £1,000 over five years is £1,892. Still too […]

The triggers of psoriasis and how to treat it

What is psoriatic arthritis? Affecting about 30 per cent of people with psoriasis, this is a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints that often appears between the ages of 30 and 50, although children can be affected. Symptoms include swollen, stiff and painful joints and tendons, reduced range of motion, eye inflammation and fatigue. In […]

How to beat the pension age rise to 57

She said: “The rules are complicated, but generally to keep a protected pension age the pension saver has to transfer from the scheme at the same time as at least one other member, to the same pension scheme. So, if they transfer on their own they will lose the protected age. “Because protection is lost […]

How to spot if your child has scarlet fever and what to do about it

What causes scarlet fever? “Scarlet fever is caused by a bacteria called Group A streptococcus (group A strep),” explains Dr Colin Brown.  The bacteria is very contagious and spreads from person to person very easily. You can catch it by breathing in droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or from touching surfaces that […]