Managing money does not come naturally to most people. It’s a finicky, often quite boring – and frequently mystifying – business.
So we thought we’d try and answer a basic, very important question: How do you “do” an ISA (an Individual Savings Account)? The Money&Co. offering is an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) that can hold the peer-to-peer (P2P) business loans that Money&Co. facilitates. For the purposes of this article, the terms ISA and IFISA are interchangeable.
So here’s our guide to the process:
We currently have three offerings on site – an A+ and two A-rated loans – with yields of 8 per cent.
The ISA allowance for 2017/18 is increased from last tax year to £20,000, allowing a married couple to put £40,000 into a tax-free environment. Over three years, an investment of this scale in two Money&Co. Innovative Finance ISAs would generate £8,400 of income completely free of tax. We’re assuming a 7 per cent return, net of charges and free of tax here. This return has been typical of our recent stream of A+ rated property-backed loans.
Once you have made your initial commitment,you might then consider diversifying – buying a spread of loans. To do this, you can go into the “loans for sale” market. All loans bought in this market also qualify for IFISA tax benefits.
P2P & Risk
See this from a recent blog by our CEO, Nicola Horlick: “As with any investment, there are risks involved. We always take security for our loans, but it is still possible to lose money. Some of our loans carry more risk than others and we give them ratings of A+, A, B+, B and C+ to reflect how risky we believe that an individual loan is. The new loans that are currently on the site are rated A+ or A reflecting the quality of the security that has been given by the borrowers.”
If you haven’t made a loan via Money&Co. before, please read the risk warnings and the FAQ section. You may also wish to consult a financial adviser before making an investment.