In January we announced that we were making various changes within the business, to further improve our service. This included a dedicated telephone number to make it simple to contact us, wherever you are based in the United Kingdom. Of course, clients outside the UK will have a separate arrangement.

Please use 0845 604 6285 to contact us with any queries or, alternatively you can send an email to: advice@argylefinancialgroup.co.uk

Our administration centre is now located in Hertfordshire although (due to the technology we employ) you should have found the switch-over seamless, with no impact whatsoever on service levels during the transition. Improvements to our website are also planned and we will continue to keep you abreast of general issues by means of the monthly e-newsletter.

In previous newsletters we have pointed out that those over 50 have an annual ISA allowance which has been increased to £10,200. The good news is that, from this coming April, the increase will apply to everyone. If you wish to build a pot of money that can provide you with a tax free income (also free of capital gains tax) then investing into an ISA is an ideal way to get started.

As the end of the tax year approaches (5th April) we have been having some interesting conversations with clients about their annual tax returns. Remember, if you contribute to a pension plan and are a higher rate tax payer, you have to claim the difference between standard and higher rate tax yourself… via your tax return.

Another recurring topic is the actual time spent, simply completing tax returns and remembering to include items such as the dividends on shares. The amount of paperwork involved in holding shares can seem complicated and this is where an Argyle Transact account really comes into its own.

We have been able to help several clients simplify their finances by arranging for all their shares to be held within the Transact account and, where possible, placed directly into an ISA. In turn, this means all dividends are paid into one place and then itemised on an end of year tax statement… making life a lot less complicated!!

Also, if you have not used your ISA allowance for the current year, we can transfer your shares into a new ISA and thereby qualify for the tax benefits mentioned earlier. Alternatively, if you have used this year's allowance, your shares can be ear-marked for your 2010/11 allowance.

We firmly believe in keeping your finances as simple as possible and managing your shares in this way is part of that strategy. Don't hesitate to let us know if the scenarios outlined above apply to you and we’ll be happy to help.