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Learn From The Expert: Last Minute Tips On How To Cut Your Tax Bill

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Even though the deadline for filing 2017 self assessment returns online is long past (31 January 2018), it is never too late to get information that can help for subsequent ones. Of course, if you missed the deadline, you may have to pay a penalty, unless you have a really good excuse, such as a long stay in the hospital (with hospital records to back it up), but for subsequent tax filings, the following minute tips from personal finance experts will help you cut your tax bills in the future.

Cut your tax bill when you donate to charity –

If you are an additional or higher rate tax payer, you can legally cut down your tax bills by being charitable. You are essentially killing two birds with one stone. Donating for a good cause and slashing your tax bills. When you add up your charitable donations on your tax returns, you can claim tax relief. Mathematically, you can save 25p on every £1 charity donation. Not only can you earn tax relief from major charities, you can also lower your tax bills by sponsoring minor events like scouts or brownies at your children’s school. All in all, you get to save by giving.

ISAs –

If you are a basic taxpayer, you can earn as much as £1,000 interest on your personal savings without paying one penny in tax. The same thing applies to higher rate tax payers, you can earn up to £500 in interest without paying tax. However, you may need to check the tax certificate for your bank account. The same thing applies to investments. You are entitled to £5,000 a year in tax free dividends if you own any investments outside your pension or personal savings account, although this figure will reduce to £2,000 from April 2018. You can actually save up to £20,000 every year with an ISA without having to pay capital gains tax or income tax.

Better mortgage alternative –

The new property and mortgage rules that will take full effect within a few years will see landlords progressively lose valuable tax relief on their buy to let properties mortgage costs. Before the introduction of this new rule, landlords only have to declare rental income after they have paid mortgages, and this system help cut tax bills by thousands of pounds. But, since April 2017, the method of declaring rental income has changed; meaning a lot of landlord will be expecting significant increase in their tax bills. However, because mortgage rates have dropped in recent years, landlords may be able to make savings by exploring other mortgage opportunities. Additionally, landlords can talk to tax experts to ensure they are claiming all they can against their rental income.

Self employed allowable expenses –

If you are self employed, you can slash your tax bills by taking note of what is called allowable expenses. For every £1 you spend on ‘expenses incurred exclusively in the performance of your business’ you can get 20p back in your wallet. For example, if you work from home and have to travel to London for a business meeting, you can claim travel costs which can cover food and drinks. Unfortunately, the taxman will not appreciate 5 star restaurants in your fillings, but the odd meals and drinks can add up. The secret is to keep track of all these seemingly insignificant expenses. One way to do this is by ensuring you get a receipt every time you carry out these little trips.

4 Places Where SMEs Can Recruit The Best Job Candidates

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Hiring the best job candidate is a key aspect of having a successful SME. It is therefore essential to make use of innovative recruiting strategies that can help you locate the most appropriate candidates for available positions. There are several places to discover new talent for businesses, and exploring them can save you spending time weaving through heaps of resumes. If you’re on the hunt for the best job candidates for an SME, you can find them in these four places and invite them to a flourishing career opportunity with you.

Professional Networking Events

Attending networking events including big industry conferences remains one of the easiest ways to meet talented individuals. These events offer the opportunity to discuss with professionals in a laidback environment, and find out if they’re open to entering a new path with their career. You might meet someone who’s contented with their current job, but if you’re interested in them for your SME, you can still exchange business cards and keep in touch just in case. Contacting prospects you meet at professional networking events depends on the nature of the conversation which transpired. You can send them the job description if they expressed interest in a specific opening, or simply send links to your website if they need more information about your company in general.

Professional Communities

Professional communities provide a platform for passionate professionals to communicate and share thoughts and ideas. Such individuals may create a profile that includes a complete portfolio – professional background, works samples and so on. SMEs and other companies seeking to recruit job candidates often overlook these communities. However, they provide access to professionals who are open to engaging and talking about their skills. The main downside of recruiting from professional communities is that local candidates might be few. However, if your company is open to remote workers, this recruitment pool will likely pay off.

Job Board Database

Typically, job boards are used to connect with active candidates. But the candidates can also create accounts and provide their resumes and relevant information. Recruiting through job databases can go either way – many candidates create an account when they are actively searching for a job, then forget about it after they get a placement. So, you can end up reaching out to someone who’s happy to hear from you, or someone who has started at a new job and is unwilling to move. Nonetheless, it’s easy to recruit through a job board database, as you can contact candidates through phone or email available on the site.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an impressive business and social media app when it comes to searching for the best job candidates. You can search using several filters including location, years of experience and past company. The “LinkedIn Recruiter” function can even let you save prospects’ profiles in specific folders, get updates about contacted individuals and also share them with other team members. It’s easy to reach out to candidates on LinkedIn, and if you reference impressive skills or experience, you can easily make a connection with them. Using a resource like this should be easy for any company to integrate into an existing social media strategy.

Companies are always on the lookout for the best job candidates. Talented professionals won’t apply to your business on their own. You’ll need to comb these places for suitable candidates to join your SME.

Can Betting On Horse Racing Be Profitable?

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Horse racing is a hugely unpredictable sport and gambling isn’t necessarily renowned for increasing bank balances. However, with sensible staking and a healthy working knowledge of the sport, it can be possible to make a small profit and have plenty of fun along the way.

Source: The Racing Post via Twitter

There are a number of different strategies and techniques used by professional gamblers but making a long-term profit is far from easy. There are always going to be ups and downs but it’s important to take your time, follow patterns and race results and not jump in feet first.

The first rule is to only bet money that you can afford to lose. Betting is great if you have budgeted for the month and still have a surplus £20 but if things are tight, it is advised to simply take a watching break. Just because you aren’t able to have a wager, it doesn’t mean you can’t check the result and make a note of things such as the winning trainer and jockey.

Sensible staking is absolutely imperative. It is generally advised that you should never place more than 5% of your starting bank on any one bet. For example, if you’re starting with £5o, your first bet should be in the region of £2.50. Naturally, if you make a profit, this will gradually increase. This will help ensure longevity and won’t have you scrambling around for further funds.

Source: OTI Racing via Twitter

One misconception amongst gamblers is that there is an obligation to bet on every single race. There are often upwards of thirty races per day in the UK and very few people have enough time on their hands to meticulously study every single card. If you don’t feel confident about a horse’s chances, it is generally advised to abstain and wait for the next race to come along. Races such as Novice Stakes on all-weather tracks are often incredibly difficult to call and should probably be avoided.

Races such as the Grand National are a terrific spectacle but they can also be hugely unpredictable. By following the sport throughout the season, you are more likely to pick up clues and it is often possible to find the early-value in the ante-post markets. Shantou Flyer was priced at 100/1 prior to the Cheltenham Festival but following a solid run in the Ultima Handicap, the Sue Smith-trained runner has been cut to 25/1 according to Oddschecker. It is possible to place a bet months in advance and can often ensure a bigger payout than those who only got involved on the day of the race.

Profiting from horse racing takes tremendous dedication and hours of hard-work It isn’t easy to leaf through pages-upon-pages of previous form, but this will pay dividends in the long-run. If you aren’t willing to put in the effort, you are likely to fall short. Those who stake sensibly, select their races carefully and aren’t afraid to take a watching brief are likely to find it a hugely enjoyable and potentially money-making experience.

Go Green – Make Your Office Greener

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These days, more and more people are being educated on protection of the environment and how to make sustainable development a reality. Do you also want to make your office greener? There are many benefits you can reap by making this decision. Below are some of the ways you can “go green” when it comes to business.

Less Paper Products

Too many papers in the office? Decide to implement a paperless working operation! Make use of Cloud systems to scan necessary documents, thus decreasing the amount of paper waste. Remember, paper is made from wood. Less paper use means less deforestation. Plus, save money in purchasing less waste items, like paper or ink for printers.

Opt for Post-Consumer Waste (PCW) recycled paper whose manufacturing uses 45% less energy than normal paper. Watch out for the label “100% PCW” to make sure you are using papers with the least impact. Otherwise, look for as much PCW content as possible and recycle all the paper scraps.

Water Dispensing Systems

Does your company provide bottled water for employees? However, not all plastic bottles are sent for recycling as some of them are non-recyclable. Instead, they are taken directly to the dump. Bottled water is also quite costly in the long run. Plus, 25% of bottled water comes from the municipal water supply. It is thus filtered tap water!

Instead of providing bottles of water to all employees, install a filtration and dispensing system for their daily use. This helps in reducing waste and saving money. In this way, you are protecting the environment and saving money for more important expenses. It also provides a cleaner water, free from the contaminants often found in normal tap water.

Alternative Energy

Imagine how much energy you can save by making your office greener! Do you know that you can purchase “green power” from your current utility provider? Green power is generated from renewable sources, like solar power or geothermal. It helps reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. With these renewable sources of energy, you can expect an inexhaustible and continuous supply.

Along with the environmental and health benefits of alternative energy resources, you can also differentiate your brand from others. While demonstrating civic leadership, you generate more customer or investor loyalty and employee pride. It enhances the public image of your company and creates more positive publicity. Alternative energy also helps in reducing your electricity costs.

Recycling

Recycling is the best way to make your office “greener”! You can recycle not only plastic bottles and paper, but simply everything that is recyclable. For instance, how about used or vintage office furniture instead of new ones? These can also be purchased online at a better price. Thus, contribute in reducing deforestation.

Many employees love to have coffee at different times of the day. Single-cup pod coffee makers are now trends in offices. But imagine how many empty coffee cups end up in the bin! Instead, provide a large tin of regular coffee that can make over a hundred cups, compared to the non-recyclable single-serving coffee pods. It is also a great idea to provide recycling bins.

Greener Public Transportation

Wondering how air pollution has increased so much? It is mainly due to the exhaust fumes from vehicles! How about leaving your car at home to go to work? If your office is not too far, you can even walk or bike to work. In this way, you also get some good exercise in the morning while breathing fresh air instead of the AC in your car. Are you a nature lover? Check out Animal and Nature themed slots at Regal Wins Casino, such as: Secret Garden Slot, Flowers Slot or Rainbow Magic Slot.

Encourage other employees in your office to leave their cars at home and walk or bike to work. Organise special events to promote it, such as car-free days. Also, reward all those who participate in the event. All this greatly helps to protect the environment from pollution and reduces the amount of mileage allowances to cater for the cost of fuel.

These are some of the ways to go green while developing your business. They help create a positive image of your company, which respects and protects the environment. Reducing costs also helps in a more sustainable development of your business.

What Should You Know About Choosing A Profitable Blog Niche?

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It’s 2018 and blogging is no longer an obscure idea. There are a lot of people who make their living from blogging and do quite well at it. At the same time, there are many more people who don’t do well at it. One of the biggest things that set successful bloggers apart from the ones who are unsuccessful is the niche they choose.

Choosing a niche is more important than ever before since competition is so high. If you don’t choose the right niche, one of two major things can happen.

First, you might choose something where there’s too much competition, and you stand no chance of differentiating yourself. Your topic might be so broad that you feel like you’re trying to target everyone, and in reality getting no one to come to your site.

The other problem is when you choose something so specific that no one is even looking for what you’re blogging on.

You have to get somewhere in the middle in most cases, and the following are some specific tips that can help you choose a profitable niche for your blog.

Start Doing Some General Searches

A lot of experts will tell you to base your blog on your passion, and that’s good advice because it’s much easier to dedicate time to something you love. At the same time, you have to make sure passion lines up with what other people are interested in as well. You also have to make sure that there is a demand for what you’re passionate about. If you’re passionate about finances and making money, you might want to do some searches and see what more specific questions people are asking about in these areas.

For example, you might see a lot of questions like “what are penny stocks” or “how should I invest $1,000.” These are great search questions that can really give you a strong direction to head in when you’re choosing a blogging niche.

Rethink Finding a Niche

When you think about finding a niche in the traditional sense, it can limit your blogging, and you may not end up coming up with a strong concept.

Sometimes, it can be better to reframe your entire niche search as looking for ways to solve a problem. Ultimately you’re identifying a problem that you think enough readers will have to help you build a successful blog.

Your blog solves their problem and fills a need. It can grow from that problem over time, but this gives you a good starting point. A lot of blogs start out being based on an extremely specific topic. Over time, they grow and evolve, and their audience expands, so they’re not stuck on just that topic, but it gave them a place to start.

Think About Creating Your Audience First

If you’re feeling stuck or like you have nowhere to start with your niche search, think about an audience first. Create a very specific audience you’d like to connect with and cater your content toward. Create a persona for that audience.

Who are they, what do they like to do, what are their interests, their jobs, their ages, and so on.

Consider Profitability

If you’re building a blog as a business, profitability has to be a top priority. If you choose a niche that you’re super passionate about, but it’s not likely to be profitable, you’re building a hobby and not a business.

Think about how easy it will be to attract advertisers, and do affiliate marketing through the niche you’re considering.

Look around and see if other people blogging in your niche are making money. Is the competition too high or too low? Those are good indicators of profitability as well. There should be some level of competition present. Otherwise, there’s probably a reason for that. However, if there’s too much saturation, you’re probably not going to be able to be profitable because it’ll feel like you’re lost in a sea of other people blogging on the same topic.

Finally, you’re going to have to think about how much content can be created based on the niche you’re going with. You need to be able to solve a problem in a way that’s unique to you, but it also needs to be able to serve as a foundation to drive tons of content. Without quality content, your blog is worthless.

If you’re choosing something so narrowly focused that there’s no way to build the content out beyond the specific concept, you may have to go back to the drawing board.

 

Three Critical Investing Tips For Millennials

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As it stands, the millennial demographic is larger than any other generation. Having said that, do they plan and save better for retirement than the other generations? Maybe, maybe not.

As millennials move into the critical earning years of their lives, it’s essential for them to save as much for retirement as possible. While it may be challenging to sock away a significant portion of your paycheck, investing wisely in the market could prove to be very beneficial in the long run.

But how?

Jason A. Sugarman suggests following the following three tips to investing in the right kinds of stocks.

Avoid Trends

Steering clear of fads will yield positive results. Just because you love snapchat, doesn’t mean you should throw all of your money into Snap Inc. We see way too often company’s stock diminishing after an IPO.

In order to avoid this pitfall, consider whether or not a company truly has potential for growth based on personnel and product advancement.

Let the Market Grow With Time

Sometimes, the best advice is to just “do nothing”. In this sense, investing in a mutual or index fund can yield some nice returns in the long-run. This may be a great option for millennials who really don’t have the time to monitor stocks and analyze the market.

It’s amazing how often an index fund will outperform a hand-picked hedge fund (not to mention the high fees that come with actively managed funds).

By removing the guesswork out of investing, indexing is a great way to go. You can also consider a target-dated fund, which rebalances your account automatically with age.

Early is Better than Later, More is Better than Less

As an investor, the biggest benefit that you can have on your side is time. When you’re young, you have leniency to take risks and suffer losses through the turbulence of the market. In regards to your retirement, risk really doesn’t matter that much due to the amount of time that you have on your side.

As history shows us, the stock market (over time) moves in a positive direction. We’re never going to have a 35 year recession. Unless we have some catastrophic event that ruins capitalism, you’re guaranteed to earn money in the long-run.

Investing in the stock market when you’re young is much akin to going shopping and buying something on sale. You’d purchase an item on sale even though you may not wear it until later, right? Millennials should look at stocks in the same light.

Recap 

Sure, investing can be very tricky. Having said that, if you follow these three tips, you’ll be sure to have some nice earnings later in life. Get started today!

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