If you want to retire early, it’s important to plan your finances carefully. Since you are likely to need your savings to support you for a longer period, it’s key to make sure that you have enough.
One of the ways that you can help to ensure that your desired lifestyle is sustainable is by making the most of your Individual Savings Account (ISA) allowances. Read on to find out how effective use of ISAs can help you to retire early.
You can contribute up to £20,000 into your ISAs in any financial year
One of the main benefits of an ISA is that they are a tax-efficient way to save. Unlike with traditional saving accounts, any interest or returns from an ISA are free from Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax (CGT).
This can mean ISAs are an effective way to grow your wealth, which is why it’s important to ensure that you’ve maximised your annual contributions.
Since they have tax benefits, you can only save so much into them in any given tax year. For the 2021/22 tax year, this limit is £20,000. Please bear in mind that this limit applies across all of your ISAs if you hold more than one type.
It’s also worth noting that unlike some other allowances, your ISA allowance does not roll over – if you don’t use the full amount by the end of the financial year (6 April to 5 April) then you lose it.
There are several different types of ISAs to choose from
When it comes to saving in an ISA, there are several different options for you to grow your wealth. Some of the most popular ones are:
Cash ISA
Cash ISAs are one of the simplest and most popular types of ISA available. This is a tax-efficient way to save as you don’t have to pay Income Tax on the interest you receive.
However, one potential issue is that low interest rates can mean that your savings don’t keep pace with rises in the cost of living.
Stocks and Shares ISA
An alternative to this is the Stocks and Shares ISA, which allows you to invest your money rather than holding it in cash. Like the Cash ISA, it is a tax-efficient way to save since you don’t pay CGT on the returns.
Bear in mind, however, that while this type of account typically has growth that is above the rate of inflation, it does also come with the risk of losing money.
Lifetime ISA
Another option you may be tempted by is the Lifetime ISA, which you can open if you’re between the ages of 18 and 40. You can put up to £4,000 into it per year, until the age of 50, and the government will top up your contributions with an additional 25%.
In this account you can save Cash, Stocks and Shares, or a mix of both. While you can only access the funds from the age of 60, unless you use them to buy your first home, or you’ll incur a penalty, this can be useful to ensure that you have enough wealth to fund your lifestyle later into retirement.
If you’re unsure which type of ISA is the right choice for you, speak to us for advice.
If you want to retire early, it’s important to maximise your ISA allowance
As we mentioned earlier, it’s important to maximise your contributions into your ISA if you want to grow your wealth in the most effective way.
According to fund rating agency Morningstar, if you invested your full £20,000 allowance every year, with an annual 5% return, your contributions could grow to £1 million in just 25 years. Of course, with strong stock market performance, this could be even earlier.
While this would require careful financial management, these ISA millionaires are not unheard of. A report published in Citywire shows that between the three biggest investment platforms in the UK there are over 1,300 such people.
Of course, if you don’t have £20,000 going spare, you may not be able to use your full allowance, but even investing smaller sums over a long period can add up to significant amounts.
If you want to retire early, you may benefit from seeking professional advice. Working with an adviser can help you to decide what you want from retirement and when you want to retire by.
Once you know what you want, you can start making real preparations to meet your goals. Working with an adviser can also help you to manage your money in a more effective way. This can help to ensure you have enough for a retirement that is both comfortable and sustainable.
Get in touch
If you want to know more about how working with an adviser can help you to retire early, get in touch. Email us at office@verve-financial.com or call 0330 320 5048.
Please note:
The value of your investment can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
