Tax Planning
Effective tax planning can save thousands of pounds each year whilst helping you achieve your financial goals more efficiently. Our Chartered financial planners stay informed of evolving UK tax legislation, ensuring you benefit from the latest opportunities whilst avoiding potential pitfalls.
Professional tax planning involves structuring your finances efficiently to ensure you don’t pay more tax than is necessary. For many of our clients, tax is their single largest annual expense, and most of them risk being taxed on not just their income, but capital gains, the value of their estates when they die. While this legislation is not yet finalised and is subject to change, it is still vital to optimise your tax position.
As such, it’s worth establishing a clear understanding of how these taxes work and discussing with a professional Chartered financial adviser and planner to determine the most tax-efficient financial solution. At PFM Associates, we help you navigate this complex and evolving world whilst building your wealth effectively and legally.
Bespoke Personal Tax Planning in Poole
We will help you manage and optimise the following obligations:
- Income tax allowances
- Capital gains tax (CGT)
- Dividend allowances
- Pension contributions
Whether it’s spreading income across tax years, disposing of assets to utilise annual allowances, optimising tax efficiency of dividend income and investment returns, or maximising relief on pension contributions, we can help.
What our clients say
Tax-Efficient Investment Planning
We can support you with:
- Making full use of annual ISA allowances across products such as Stocks & Shares ISAs, Cash ISAs, Innovative Finance ISAs, and more.
- Using pensions as tax-efficient investment vehicles, particularly for higher-rate taxpayers.
- Selecting investments structured to minimise ongoing tax liabilities.
- Considering offshore investment structures, where appropriate, legal, and compliant.
Inheritance Tax Planning
Inheritance Tax (IHT) can significantly impact the wealth you leave to your family, largely influenced by the rise in residential property values.
Our IHT planning strategies include:
- Lifetime gifting – making use of annual exemptions and exempt transfers to reduce estate value (and, by extension, IHT contributions)
- Trust planning – using trust structures to protect assets while reducing IHT liabilities
- Business and agricultural relief – ensuring reliefs are appropriately structured and maintained for applicable assets
- Residence Nil-Rate Band – optimising the additional allowance for family homes
Taxation levels, bases and reliefs are subject to change.
Business Tax Planning
For business owners and entrepreneurs, tax planning is particularly complex but also offers significant opportunities. Our tax advisers can help you understand and manage the following liabilities:
- Corporation tax
- Dividend payments
- Salaries
- Capital Gains relief
- Business Asset Disposal Relief
- Investment reliefs such as EIS and SEIS, where applicable
Tax Planning for Professionals
High-earning professionals face unique tax challenges. PFM Associates can help you manage the following:
- Annual allowance restrictions
- Carry-forward planning
Trusted Chartered Financial Planners and Tax Advisers
Tax legislation changes frequently, and what’s efficient today may not be tomorrow. PFM Associates monitors changes in UK tax law and proactively adjusts strategies to ensure you remain compliant whilst maximising opportunities.
Our approach is always conservative and compliant. We will never recommend aggressive tax schemes or structures that push the boundaries of acceptable practice. Our expertise ensures you benefit from legal tax planning strategies whilst avoiding the risks associated with aggressive or non-compliant approaches. As Chartered financial planners in Poole, Dorset, we have the knowledge and experience to navigate complex tax situations and coordinate with your existing accountant(s) to ensure your overall tax position is optimised.
Contact our Chartered financial planners for a comprehensive review of your tax position and personalised strategies to help you keep more of what you earn.
Why work with us?
There are many reasons why over 2,000 people in Dorset, Hampshire and the South have chosen us to help them on their financial journey.
Be advised that the Financial Conduct Authority do not regulate tax or estate planning.
The value of your investments can go down as well as up.
FAQs - Tax Planning
Tax savings vary significantly depending on your income level, investment types, and current tax efficiency. Higher-rate and additional-rate taxpayers often have more opportunities for tax planning through pension contributions, ISA utilisation, and capital gains management. A qualified advisor can analyse your specific situation to identify opportunities and estimate potential savings. We are legally and ethically required to act in your best interest, not our own.
For 2025/26, the annual ISA allowance is £20,000 across all ISA types. This includes Cash ISAs, Stocks & Shares ISAs, and Innovative Finance ISAs. You can also contribute up to £4,000 (of the overall £20,000 limit) to a Lifetime ISA if you’re under 40. These allowances reset each tax year.
Legal tax planning strategies include maximising pension contributions, utilising ISA allowances, timing capital gains realisations, using spouse/civil partner tax allowances where applicable, charitable giving, and qualifying business investment schemes. Professional tax and financial advice can help you create a personalised tax-efficient strategy.
Do not invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.
Tax planning should be ongoing, not just at year-end, but key times include receiving bonuses, selling investments, changing jobs, receiving inheritance, or approaching retirement. The earlier you plan, the more options available to optimise your tax position.
We work collaboratively with your existing professional advisers, including accountants, solicitors, and tax specialists, to ensure coordinated planning. If you don’t have these relationships, a good financial advisor should be able to recommend qualified professionals they regularly work with for comprehensive advice.
A pension is a long-term investment not normally accessible until age 55 (57 from April 2028 unless the plan has a protected pension age). The value of your investments (and any income from them) can go down as well as up which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available. Taxation and legislation is subject to change.
The value of your investments can go down as well as up, so you could get back less than you invested. Please note, the information provided on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute advice.
Ready to start your journey?
If you have any questions or would like to organise a no-obligation consultation at our expense, please complete this form.