The big reveals in the Budget

If you’re remortgaging:

■ AIB (NI) has a 3.99% fixed rate until 28/02/2029 at 60% LTV.

■ AIB (NI) has a 4.30% fixed rate until 28/02/2029 at 80% LTV.

If you’re moving home:

■ AIB (NI) has a 3.99% fixed rate until 28/02/2029 at 60% LTV.

■ Danske Bank is offering a 4.03% fixed rate until 03/04/2029 at 80% LTV.

If you’re a first-time buyer:

■ Danske Bank is offering a 4.41% fixed rate until 03/04/2029 at 90% LTV.

■ Halifax Building Society is offering a 4.80% fixed rate 31/05/2027 at 100% LTV.

Please check the fees and

T&CS of the mortgage before arranging it. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

When I started in financial planning back in 1995, the most common objection I faced when recommending an investment was: “I’m buying bricks and mortar, that’s my pension.”

This went away somewhat during the global financial crisis of 2008, partly because it was difficult to arrange a mortgage but also because the market became less attractive.

In recent months, I have had several new clients come to me because they no longer want to be a landlord – the legislation and complexities have become too much.

Apart from a brief period in the 1990s, I have always invested in equities. There are a few logical reasons why I believe equities make better investments than property.

But we don’t buy with logic, we buy with emotions, justifying our decisions with logic that will back up the choice we made.

A great example. I was speaking with a client recently and he was very proud (read: boasting!) of a property he purchased in 2000 for £80,250 that has been valued at £220,000 today – a gain of almost £140,000. If you ignore all the associated costs, that’s a pretty nice return.

But how does that 4.3% annualised return compare with the stock market?

If, in 2000, he’d avoided companies like Tesla and Rightmove and invested his money in a boring, straightforward world equity fund, he would now be sitting on around £388,753 – over £168,000 more.

When you buy on the world stock market, don’t think of it as just buying a fund. Think of it as becoming a part-owner in some of the greatest companies from around the world, such as Apple, Microsoft, Exxon, Johnson & Johnson and Visa. Which

In the recent Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced that workers’ national insurance contributions will be cut by 2p.

The Government also plans to raise the duty on business class travel.

Foreign nationals residing in Britain for over four years will also now be obligated to pay tax on their overseas earnings. would you prefer: a rental property in your local town, or ownership of some of the world’s greatest companies?

I’d rather own the company than the building they work from.

You might be thinking, “Wait, you’ve forgotten about the rental income he receives.” And, true, this is generally around 3.5% – which is what my client’s property achieves, in a lowerrisk family unit.

But this isn’t what he keeps. After deducting the letting agent fee, building insurance and tax, what’s left is just enough to keep the roof up.

Because over a 20-year period, how much do you think he needed to spend on the house to keep it in good condition? The odd plumbing fix, a new bathroom and kitchen – and let’s hope he didn’t need a new roof, or major structural work.

My grandmother always said to me: “It’s not what you make that’s important, it’s what you keep.”

An £80,000 investment can be managed hassle-free and tax-free within ISAS and allowances but when my client sells his home, he’ll pay a “success tax” of 28% on the profit he’s made, handing over tens of thousands of pounds to HMRC – and that will really eat into his return.

If you can afford to buy your own home, you should. It’s a place for you to build memories.

But as an investment, I’ll keep backing Global PLC and allow the best brains and talent in the world to grow my wealth tax efficiently.

■ To learn more about investing, visit Lexingtonwealth.co.uk

Bitcoin reached a new high in trading at $69,202, before dropping back down. The cryptocurrency’s value has seen a significant rise this year. This is partly because of April’s anticipated reduction in mining and partly because of investments in newly listed American exchange-traded funds that deal specifically in Bitcoin.

I am a stay-at-home parent and I have been told I can start a pension. Is that right? WARREN: Yes, and if you can afford it, you should. If you have no earnings, you can pay up to £2,880 per year into a pension and get a 25% tax bonus, up to £720. Even a newborn child can invest into a pension.

My son is doing an apprenticeship away from home. Should I help him buy a house in the area he is working in? WARREN: Not yet. Although you’ll want your son to succeed in his new apprenticeship, there’s a chance it may not work out. Moving away from home is a big change in itself, so allow him to get settled first, then maybe consider helping him later in his 20s when he’s ready to put down more permanent roots.

Send your emails to warren.shute@reachplc.com or tweet @warrenshute