Being tasked to write my first blog since joining Xentum has given me the opportunity to compare working for large financial institutions and a bespoke, family office wealth management company.

After a week off on holiday, without a finance journal or newspaper in sight I picked up the Sunday papers with my goal to find something to write this blog about. I was not particularly surprised that I was spoilt for choice.

During the course of this week I was asked by a client about the implications of the case, Fryer v HM Revenue & Customs, and I thought that now would be an opportune time to explain the background to the case and to hopefully clarify any confusion which may have arisen.

When I started to write this blog, I had the strange realisation that for once, I wasn’t pushed for time. Since the arrival of our children, I have worked part time at Xentum and my days in the office are normally rather frantic to say the least.

With 11 billion pound losses, a pledge to set aside 21 billion pounds to cover the costs of the oil spill and a dramatic falls in shares, is this the time to take a punt on BP shares?

Further details are emerging following the headline Budget announcements by George Osborne. One of the latest topics to be thrown up for debate is the proposal to scrap the requirement to annuitise by age 75.

Part and parcel of what I do every day entails reducing my clients tax burden. As part of this many clients expect weird, wonderful and complex structures that will be expensive and high risk.

We are still digesting the implications of the Budget announcement from a couple of weeks ago and one element of it which we’ve had quite a few calls about is the new 28% top rate of capital gains tax (CGT).

News of law firm Halliwells going into administration has sent shock waves through the Manchester business scene, though if you’re to read the various online postings speculation has been rife for some time.

We all listened with interest to the Budget which did not throw too many nasty surprises although the Coalition Government’s announcements are significant.