2012/13 financial planning guide

What to do? Where to start? Who to ask?

At the beginning of each section, you will find a range of the areas where we can advise. To schedule a planning meeting or to review a specific area of tax planning, please contact us now.

The Government continues to make changes that impact on all our finances. So we have prepared this guide complete with a wide range of planning pointers taking into account changes announced in the 2012 Budget.

With the continuing slow rate of economic growth and the challenges of unemployment and Government cuts, a review of your financial and tax planning is important. Protecting and maximising your net income, business and family assets should be high on everyone's agenda.

This area of our website comprises an important range of personal and business planning guides. Use the links to the separate guides that look at your planning for the immediate future as well as guides that look at more medium and long term matters.

Proper tax and financial planning can lower or defer the tax you pay, freeing up cash for investment, business or personal purposes.

We believe that planning is the starting point for developing your wealth and building financial security so that you are as ring-fenced as possible when market and/or financial reverses occur.

Making sense of your planning and your finances requires more time and effort than ever in today's constantly developing, and often fluctuating, economic environment. With many people seeking higher earnings and to rebuild their wealth, it is essential to be abreast of ever-changing tax laws and the wide range of financial products and solutions available.

This guide contains our outline thoughts and basic strategies that you might discuss with us for the current 2012/13 tax year. There is no substitute for personal advice and we trust our website demonstrates our expertise and commitment to helping clients plan and save tax.

Easy Accountancy

Easy Accountancy is the UK’s only national specialist accountancy firm for freelancers, sole traders and small businesses

If you’ve just started out as a freelancer or run a small business, you’ll definitely need a small accountant and there are plenty of options out there! However, most accountants will charge you every time you get in touch with them; for every phone call, email or meeting.

We don’t want our clients to be scared to contact us and potentially lose out on valuable tax saving advice. It's even more important when you first start out as you really need to set your business up in the best way possible. As a start up you’ll probably have loads of questions and will really appreciate the fact you can call your accountant as many times as you like without the fear of racking up large bills.

Our low cost, all-inclusive fixed-fee accountancy service includes unlimited access to your own accountant throughout the year, so you never need to worry about picking up the phone and then receiving a bill afterwards for the privilege, and covers all your business and personal tax affairs needs. All clients additionally receive:

Help to run your business in the most tax efficient way possible
Help so you can understand the taxes you need to pay
Advice on the best ways to manage your business
Updates and reminders so you'll never miss a deadline
Help to ensure you maximise your tax allowances
Provide proactive tax advice throughout the year

We’ve saved our clients up to half on their accountancy bills – if you’d like a quote, click on the quote me button to the right of this page. Alternatively, call us on 0500 234111 / 01442 275767 or email jessica@easyaccountancy.co.uk

We also have a money-back service guarantee - all of your telephone calls and emails will be answered on the same day, or we will refund your monthly fee (another first within the accountancy world).

To appoint us as your accountants, please fill in our Client Agreement Form online.

If you are a contractor working through a limited company then visit SJD Accountancy (our sister company) who specialise in providing tax advice and accountancy services for Limited Company contractors. You can also keep up to date by following the SJD Accountancy Twitter

You may also find the following pages helpful: