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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

For once in our lives...we've come into cash!!! £30,000!! AIBU to ask WWYD?

217 replies

Stripedmum · 24/08/2013 12:07

Well it's only gone and happened - we have money! Yippee!

We are now thinking of extending. What would you do with the cash?

OP posts:
ivykaty44 · 24/08/2013 18:28

Yes please can you point me int he direction of high Interest accounts as at the moment the only high interest rates I can find are below the rate of inflation and therefore losing money...

ExcuseTypos · 24/08/2013 18:57

And another thought regarding tax OP.

They are allowed to give £3000 (ish) per tax year to each of you, so they could give £24,000 this tax year and £6000 next April.

marriedinwhiteisback · 24/08/2013 19:05

Re gifts and tax I believe an unlimited amount can be gifted and there will be no tax liability providing the giftor is still alive seven years later. If they die in the meantime a calculation is done via probate on a sliding scale with some of the liability knocked off for each year the giftor survives having given the gift.

ivykaty44 · 24/08/2013 19:17

www.hmrc.gov.uk/inheritancetax/pass-money-property/exempt-gifts.htm

this explains the tax etc

maleview70 · 24/08/2013 19:37

Don't worry about the tax issue. An individual can gift whatever they want. The only time it may become a problem is if they die within 7 years and their estate including gifts over the £3k limit take them over the IHT limit.

Runningchick123 · 24/08/2013 19:47

I would pay the vast majority of the money off my mortgage. I have a flexible mortgage so could redraw the money in the future if I had any financial difficulties, but at least i would have benefitted from paying less interest in the meantime and have the security of knowing that I could not pay the mortgage for a while without problems if there was any redundancy etc.
I would use the rest for a family holiday.
Sorry if that makes me sound very boring and overly sensible.

FatAssPantaloons · 24/08/2013 19:54

Congratulations on your windfall.

Please don't buy to let. It's exploitative of others' need for a home, it distorts the property market (inflating prices), & it takes affordable homes even further out of renters' reach. Buy to let both feeds off and makes worse the gap between owners and renters. It's immoral, end of.

FatAssPantaloons · 24/08/2013 19:55

The house someone lives in should be primarily their home, not a nice little earner for someone who's wandered into being a landlord cos it pays better than an ISA.

stopprocrastinating · 24/08/2013 19:58

Savings. Used up our rainy day money after redundancy. Need to top them up again, starting from £500 overdraft.

OldMacEIEIO · 24/08/2013 20:01

one third into savings (or pay off debt)
one third invest in the house
one third pee up the wall

Nicknamegrief · 24/08/2013 20:08

Very dull here but what savings rates at an appalling low, young children who would love a holiday but not appreciate the difference between 2 weeks, 5 star USA Disney and a long weekend Disneyland Paris and camping, I would be using the bulk to clear s chunk off the mortgage which frees up money long term.

An emergency fund is a good idea, extension, new kitchen and/or bathroom of needed.

If I was in the situation you have described. I would have £3000 emergency savings, £1000 holiday and the rest for mortgage/home improvements.

The monthly reductions in payments I would plough back into my mortgage repayments.

Check out houses on your street, have others extended, at what cost and what added value to the house. If you plan to move in 5 years an extension may not be worth it in the long run.

Very dull. Am very happy for you. Everyone deserves luck like this at some point in their life.

Nicknamegrief · 24/08/2013 20:08

This £30000 may affect your tax credits (if you claim) .... Look that up too. Sorry.

GangstersLoveToDance · 24/08/2013 20:12

I would put £10k into our wedding fund for next year so that was sorted.

I'd spend £10k on our house - re-dashing needs doing, the gardens could do with a lot a bit of work. Inside i'd decorate through and finish the partially converted loft.

The remaining £10k would go into savings. We do have some debts but the payments are manageable and they are coming down nicely - i'd rather put the £10k in savings and think about what to do with it.

Murtette · 24/08/2013 20:37

I agree with putting enough in savings to cover 3-6 mths outgoings (in this climate, no one's job is secure) and the rest on mortgage UNLESS you think you may have to change your work pattern when your DC start school as you may need more accessible savings to cover that if you're only just breaking even each month now.
And whilst my understanding is also that someone can give you as much as they like provided they live for 7yrs, if the money isn't needed immediately, I'd prefer to stay within the £3k annual allowance rather than spend the next 7yrs wondering if I was going to get an unexpected tax bill. If you do chose that route & these kind people each give £3k to each of your daughters, I'd check whether there are limits on what you can do with that cash.

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 24/08/2013 20:47

I don't think that the Op will have to pay tax on her money whatever - it will come out of the estate. (So whoever is left "the remainder" which may be the Op but then she'll have the rest of the estate to pay the tax with.)

But note that the £3000 is the total each person can give - not the total you can give to a person. You can carry forward from the tax year before though - so if they gave nothing last year then the first £6k from each person ie £12k in total is not affected.

NonnoMum · 24/08/2013 21:04

Congratulations. We have a similar dilemma. Only ours is 2 grand!

I want to get Premium Bonds but DH wants to put it in a High Interest account...

itshotintexas · 24/08/2013 21:28

Read what Martin Lewis says about premium bonds for those thinking about them.

StoicButStressed · 24/08/2013 21:53

Hey OP

Firstly, congrats; am super happy for all of youSmile

Secondly, please feel 'honoured' as I haven't posted for aaaggggggeeesss as was (genuinely!!!) bloody addicted to MNBlush

However... I've seen thread and can't cut & run (although I'm not sure you'll love what I'm going to write!)

I I were advising you professionally, then the below (will even bullett it report stylee for you Grin - then THIS is what I would advise.

1: You are in an amazingly fortunate postion, do NOT fuck it up! (No, I wouldn't write that in a proper professional assessment BTW!)

2: You've been super clear that, micro (monthly) and macro (overall), that you are verrrreee close to the wire (window cleaner, "don't even have spare £100 etc").

3: Given that, that shapes your choices (or rather, what you should actually DO..) HUGELY.

4: You have £40k equity alongside a mortgage of £195. That is a, frankly terrifying and even more so in today's climate, a pretty perilous ratio. Bluntly put, your equity is less than 20% and your mortgage a shade over 80% of your home's value.

5: Putting together points nos. 2 & 4 paints a reality of you being very close to shit street (no, I wouldn't use that term in a report either!) in event of DH losing job, or one of you falling ill. You would or could lose your home in a matter of few short months if anyting like that occured.

6: Before you spend anything, you MUST, as others have said, check the tax position to ensure you don't spend it and then find yourself in debt to HMRC for CGT (Capital Gains Tax).

7: Before you ACCEPT the money into one of YOUR 'named' accounts, then ditto re above if you are in receipt of tax credits etc.

  1. Thereafter, what I would advise is that you do a split of splurge and sense.
  1. I'd 'allow myself' (in your overall financial position as described by you) 10% of it, so £3k on 'fuck it' money - IE the 'splurge' bit. I'd aim to use that on something that CONTINUES to gift you 'splurge' fun. IE, I would go nuts on the very best and most lux set of camping equipment possible (remember to factor in costs of trailer and tow bar!), as THAT would be the self-gift that keeps on giving - ESP. with 2 very young DC's. Did this when mine were younger and once even travelled Europe for 4 weeks with them and had a total ball which, even though they have been on way more expensive 'single' holidays since, they DO remember as THE BEST TIMES THEY EVER HAD. So in one fell swoop, you will have secured your family holidays for a pretty long time.
  1. Would echo (with a bloody loud speaker emocion if MN had one!) what other posters have said about 'emergency' money. General rule of thumb is that if anyone possibly CAN, then they MUST have 3-6 months of their 'normal' living costs in an account. Your best bet would be a high interest (this is though a very relative concept at the moment) account but which also is accessible - do NOT tie this 'chunk' of cash up in an account that will penalise you if you DO need to access it.

  2. Would echo (again..) other posters who have said use the balance after the splurge and the emergency account (I obviously don't know how much that amount would be as don't know your normal monthly income and outlay) to draw down the mortgage. SOLE caveat to that would to check that you won't be unduly penalised for that, although would add that even if T&C's of your mortgage say you WILL be, then speak to someone senior from your Lenders as sometimes they will be flexible.

  3. Given the potential tax issues, would where poss, get the 'givers' to pay as much as poss direct - IE bypassing your current account/s - so if doing say the camping thing, get them to directly pay it. My guess is even if they are giving it to you to help solidify your future, they will understand that splurge, ESP. as it itself is an ongoing investment in terms of holidays for you all (& the savings you will make by NOT having to pay for the holidays you might have tried to take).

  4. Would caution you to think carefully before entering an 'attachment account'. They do work brilliantly but ONLY for those who maintain their normal monthly expenditure (as the 'access' works both ways, IE have seen people who have actually ended up increasing their mortgage as have seen the 'balance' on that account as 'spendable' income).

  5. Emphatically would take out life insurance (& also use some to fund drawing up a will if you/DH have not yet done so).

  6. Under no circs would I advise you to even think about buying a flat for Buy to Let. Bluntly, you can't afford it AND it's risk-laden

  7. The only other option I would suggest investigating other than using the amount above for drawing down your mortgage would be looking into an extension, but ONLY if it is an extension that - as an absolute minimum - adds the same value to the house as the amount of cash you'd spend on it (the ideal, obviously, being an extension that DOES actually ADD value as opposed to being cash neutral as per above). There are so many house re-modelling options that do NOT even end up cash-neutral, I.E. the added value being LESS than the amount spent on it, so do your homework first via 3 or 4 of your local estate agents AND stalking Sarah BeenyGrin

  8. Lastly, beware of going to an 'independent financial advisor' - one, as it itself costs money [I know, no shit Sherlock huh?Wink] and two, many of them are NOT 'independent' anyway, and 3, a fair few of them are not exactly great (no offence to anyone on here who IS a financial advisor and IS a good one!)

  9. In summary, do NOT do anything rash - other than the amount you decide IS your 'fuck it' fund to splurge with - and would suggest you see this as not just the awesome gift and opportunity it is, but also as your opportunity to get more financially savvy. Don't be scared to do that (know sounds like dumbest statement ever, but reality is that many peeps ARE 'scared' of learning about finances etc and see it as some giant brick wall when it's really not. Is exactly the same as any other subject that any of us might not know much about, as is the solution - IE go learn it!)

And VERY lastly, your new best mate here is going to Martyn Lewis's site www.MoneySavingExpert.com - there is literally NO financial subject or aspect that you won't be able to either learn or get advice on there.

Good luck (& congrats again!) x

StoicButStressed · 24/08/2013 21:55

'1: IF I was advising you professionally' even..

It's Saturday so I'm blaming the Pinot Wine for all and any typosWink

Stripedmum · 24/08/2013 22:04

Thank you Stoic! That was really thoughtful and I've tried to absorb all of the advice.

So...can we still get the extension?! Are you saying to ring a few agents, get them round and ask to see whether what we have planned would actually add value to the tune of the 30k (or £25k if we tuck a bit away for emergency)?

OP posts:
AnotherWorld · 24/08/2013 22:07

Fab post stoic

vintagecakeisstillnice · 24/08/2013 22:16

WOMEN GET LIFE INSURANCE

Not just you OP but in general.

SERIOUSLY DO IT NOW!

Think how much chilcare is
Think of it on one salary.
Think of all the wifework you do, not pushing any agenda here, but how much anyone has to pay out to do the incidentals.

Life insurance won't cover all of it but it will help. . .

ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee · 24/08/2013 22:25

stoic - good to see you :) - you have been missed!!

BlehPukeVomit · 24/08/2013 22:28

Brill post stoic.

noblegiraffe · 24/08/2013 22:35

Can someone please clarify why spending some of the gift might end up liable for Capital Gains Tax? I'm going to be in a similar (but not as generous!) position next year. I read the HMRC website but didn't really understand why it might apply here.

I understand that the gift itself doesn't incur tax, unless the giver dies within 7 years.