Obsidian Financial Planning

Key Insights

All guides here are for information only and not to be considered as Financial Advice of any kind. You should always seek formal professional advice based on your personal circumstances.

UK Tax

Evidence-based investing

Robust Financial Planning

UK Tax

Living abroad – the tax rules

Many people now find themselves in the position that they can from work anywhere they want in the world. This has led to a new breed of digital nomad, and several countries offer schemes allowing extended workcations. This lifestyle is particularly attractive for the self-employed, but employees may also find their employer is open to the idea.

Investing tax efficiently

The UK tax system has grown increasingly elaborate, thanks to revenue-raising tweaks such as the freezing of many elements and multiple reforms of dividend taxation. With more changes possible in the coming Autumn Budget – even after last year's £40 billion of Budget tax rises – the complexities are only likely to increase. This guide offers a brief outline of how your investments are currently taxed and future changes (or freezes) that have already been announced, including those set out in the 2024 Autumn Budget. The Covid-19 pandemic and 2022 energy price spike both hit government finances hard and ever since, successive Chancellors (and their Scottish counterparts) have been taking significant steps to raise revenue.

Making the most of ISAs

Individual Savings Accounts, universally known as ISAs, began as relatively simple savings plans 26 years ago, but since then the rules surrounding them have become ever more complex – and may yet become more so.

Pension tax planning for high earners

With continuing intense pressure on government finances, the October 2024 Budget confirmed that the overall tax burden in the UK will remain at an historically high level for years to come, with higher earners continuing to shoulder most of the burden. Higher and additional rate taxpayers currently pay over two thirds of all income tax. Figures published by the government in June 2025 showed that the tax gap estimate i.e. the difference between what tax is expected to be paid and actually paid was 5.3% for the 2023/24 tax year. As a result, the government has announced plans to raise a further £7.5 billion through its measures to close the tax gap.

Saving for retirement

Retirement is something most of us look forward to − particularly on a Monday morning. However, those thoughts are often little more than a whimsical cocktail of not having to work and prolonged holidays. The reality could be rather different. For a start, retirement has increasingly become a gradual process, with part-time work often playing an important role. The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 15.3% of men and 9.6% of women aged 65 and over are still in employment.

Taxation of property

For anyone looking to enter the buy-to let market as a new landlord, the decision is currently far from straightforward. On the plus side: Average English rents increased by 5.8% over the year to August 2025, with the average monthly rental now standing at £1,403; Average UK house prices rose by 2.8% over the year to July 2025 (continuing its downward trend since the 7% increase for the year to March 2025), and Mortgage costs have seen some cuts this year, and interest rates are generally expected to fall further throughout 2025.

Key Insights

All guides here are for information only and not to be considered as Financial Advice of any kind. You should always seek formal professional advice based on your personal circumstances.

UK Tax

Evidence-based investing

Robust Financial Planning

UK Tax

Living abroad – the tax rules

Many people now find themselves in the position that they can from work anywhere they want in the world. This has led to a new breed of digital nomad, and several countries offer schemes allowing extended workcations. This lifestyle is particularly attractive for the self-employed, but employees may also find their employer is open to the idea.

Investing tax efficiently

The UK tax system has grown increasingly elaborate, thanks to revenue-raising tweaks such as the freezing of many elements and multiple reforms of dividend taxation. With more changes possible in the coming Autumn Budget – even after last year's £40 billion of Budget tax rises – the complexities are only likely to increase. This guide offers a brief outline of how your investments are currently taxed and future changes (or freezes) that have already been announced, including those set out in the 2024 Autumn Budget. The Covid-19 pandemic and 2022 energy price spike both hit government finances hard and ever since, successive Chancellors (and their Scottish counterparts) have been taking significant steps to raise revenue.

Making the most of ISAs

Individual Savings Accounts, universally known as ISAs, began as relatively simple savings plans 26 years ago, but since then the rules surrounding them have become ever more complex – and may yet become more so.

Pension tax planning for high earners

With continuing intense pressure on government finances, the October 2024 Budget confirmed that the overall tax burden in the UK will remain at an historically high level for years to come, with higher earners continuing to shoulder most of the burden. Higher and additional rate taxpayers currently pay over two thirds of all income tax. Figures published by the government in June 2025 showed that the tax gap estimate i.e. the difference between what tax is expected to be paid and actually paid was 5.3% for the 2023/24 tax year. As a result, the government has announced plans to raise a further £7.5 billion through its measures to close the tax gap.

Saving for retirement

Retirement is something most of us look forward to − particularly on a Monday morning. However, those thoughts are often little more than a whimsical cocktail of not having to work and prolonged holidays. The reality could be rather different. For a start, retirement has increasingly become a gradual process, with part-time work often playing an important role. The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 15.3% of men and 9.6% of women aged 65 and over are still in employment.

Taxation of property

For anyone looking to enter the buy-to let market as a new landlord, the decision is currently far from straightforward. On the plus side: Average English rents increased by 5.8% over the year to August 2025, with the average monthly rental now standing at £1,403; Average UK house prices rose by 2.8% over the year to July 2025 (continuing its downward trend since the 7% increase for the year to March 2025), and Mortgage costs have seen some cuts this year, and interest rates are generally expected to fall further throughout 2025.

Key Insights

All guides here are for information only and not to be considered as Financial Advice of any kind. You should always seek formal professional advice based on your personal circumstances.

UK Tax

Evidence-based investing

Robust Financial Planning

UK Tax

Living abroad – the tax rules

Many people now find themselves in the position that they can from work anywhere they want in the world. This has led to a new breed of digital nomad, and several countries offer schemes allowing extended workcations. This lifestyle is particularly attractive for the self-employed, but employees may also find their employer is open to the idea.

Investing tax efficiently

The UK tax system has grown increasingly elaborate, thanks to revenue-raising tweaks such as the freezing of many elements and multiple reforms of dividend taxation. With more changes possible in the coming Autumn Budget – even after last year's £40 billion of Budget tax rises – the complexities are only likely to increase. This guide offers a brief outline of how your investments are currently taxed and future changes (or freezes) that have already been announced, including those set out in the 2024 Autumn Budget. The Covid-19 pandemic and 2022 energy price spike both hit government finances hard and ever since, successive Chancellors (and their Scottish counterparts) have been taking significant steps to raise revenue.

Making the most of ISAs

Individual Savings Accounts, universally known as ISAs, began as relatively simple savings plans 26 years ago, but since then the rules surrounding them have become ever more complex – and may yet become more so.

Pension tax planning for high earners

With continuing intense pressure on government finances, the October 2024 Budget confirmed that the overall tax burden in the UK will remain at an historically high level for years to come, with higher earners continuing to shoulder most of the burden. Higher and additional rate taxpayers currently pay over two thirds of all income tax. Figures published by the government in June 2025 showed that the tax gap estimate i.e. the difference between what tax is expected to be paid and actually paid was 5.3% for the 2023/24 tax year. As a result, the government has announced plans to raise a further £7.5 billion through its measures to close the tax gap.

Saving for retirement

Retirement is something most of us look forward to − particularly on a Monday morning. However, those thoughts are often little more than a whimsical cocktail of not having to work and prolonged holidays. The reality could be rather different. For a start, retirement has increasingly become a gradual process, with part-time work often playing an important role. The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 15.3% of men and 9.6% of women aged 65 and over are still in employment.

Taxation of property

For anyone looking to enter the buy-to let market as a new landlord, the decision is currently far from straightforward. On the plus side: Average English rents increased by 5.8% over the year to August 2025, with the average monthly rental now standing at £1,403; Average UK house prices rose by 2.8% over the year to July 2025 (continuing its downward trend since the 7% increase for the year to March 2025), and Mortgage costs have seen some cuts this year, and interest rates are generally expected to fall further throughout 2025.