Latest News

Outsourcing for law firms

Larger numbers of law firms appear to be outsourcing increasing aspects of their businesses as they look to build leaner and more efficient practices. Here our Strategic Business Adviser, Nick Palmer outlines some of the key issues.

Following a successful 1962 mission to orbit the earth, John Glenn (US astronaut and, later, politician) was asked what it felt like to sit in a rocket awaiting blast-off.

Does the size of your law firm matter?

Mark Baines, Legal Sector Manager reviews LexisNexis’ Is the Future Small? - the latest discussion paper in their Bellweather Report Series.

Gender Gap in Retirement Savings

Women are saving less than men for their retirement, with only 15% saving for the future compared to 20% of men[1]. The previously unpublished figures show that women are worried they will not have enough in their pension pot in time for their retirement, with 25% saying this is because they didn’t start saving for their retirement early enough.

When it comes to how much they think they will hold when they reach retirement age, women anticipate they will have £168,006. This is almost £100,000 less than men who think they will have £255,328.

New Audit & Assurance Director joins our growing Glasgow Team

Martin Johnston joins Armstrong Watson's Glasgow team as Audit and Assurance Director from KPMG.

Digital transformation is changing business forever

As the digital revolution swiftly continues, here are some reasons why we all need to consider how well placed our own businesses are in these changing times:

The Magic of Deeds of Variation

A deed of variation is a tax efficient way for the beneficiary of an estate to redirect their inheritance to another person but must be prepares within two years of death

Understand your accounts and Cashflow

Lack of cash is usually the number one factor affecting a farming business not lack of profit.

An Added Value Audit

We have all heard many of the following phrases when discussing the requirement to have an audit:

‘We have to have one’

‘It’s just an overhead’

 ‘A necessary evil’

 ‘A box-ticking exercise’

But what if the audit process can really add ‘value’ to your business?

There are many ways in which an audit can really benefit you and your business, with just a few as follows:

VAT Pitfalls For Your Farming Business

When VAT was introduced in the 1970s it was described as a “simple tax”. For many farming businesses this may be the case, as all income is zero rated sales of crops and animals, which entitles all the VAT on related costs to be reclaimed.

However there are many instances where modern diversified businesses have VAT issues – either having to pay over VAT on some of their income or not being able to reclaim VAT on all their expenses.

Conservative Majority - Financial Markets' Reaction

Future Money Fund Manager, Richard Cole, provides his summary of the financial markets' reaction to last night's Conservative election victory:

Boris Johnson’s gamble to call a general election as a means to unlock the deadlock crippling the House of Commons has proven to be a success. Last night’s exit poll suggested a Conservative majority, with a haul of 368 seats, and with a couple of seats still to declare at the time of writing, the final result has come within a whisker of this level.