Five things your clients will call you about this week

It's our round-up of the stories your clients may have read in the national newspapers over the weekend...

ISA millionaires

Would it have been possible to become a millionaire just by using up ISA and PEP allowances over the past 25 years? Yes, according to the Telegraph, which reported on how businesses such as Brewin Dolphin and Kilik & Co claim to have clients who have achieved just that. In the case studies presented, the clients went directly into shares and patience was inevitably key to achieving the long terms gains.

Global equity income

Nothing particularly ground-breaking in a Guardian piece assessing the opportunities in global income equity funds as investors think about moving away from cash. The consensus from the experts seemed to be that, if it's dividends being sought, then companies on the UK stock market aren't the solution. Instead, funds such as Schroders' Asian Income Maximiser and Fidelity's Global Dividend were highlighted as potential options, although cash accounts and fixed-rate bonds were still touted as safer options.

Lasting power of attorney

Lasting power of attorney (LPA) may be associated with the elderly but, as the Guardian reported, physical or mental incapacity can hit at any time and it may be something more people want to think about. The paper gave a comprehensive run down of the different types of power and the crucial impact they can have on financial affairs. Any conversation involving LPA has to include a mention of dementia, with the Alzheimer's Society predicting one million people will have it by 2025.

Facebook 'bubble'

Hype builds up about a new online offering, it goes down the IPO route and ends up being valued at 30 times its annual revenue. Does this sound like a tech bubble just waiting to burst? That's what the Independent on Sunday tried to find out as it assessed whether investors in Facebook are setting themselves up for a fall. It also asked some advisers about the best way to get exposure to technology, with Jeremy Gleeson's Axa Framlington fund one of the suggestions.

Avoiding tax

There was outrage recently after it emerged some high earners in the civil service were paying significantly less than the 50p tax rate they should have been exposed to. In the spirit of ‘'if you can't beat them, join them', the Daily Mail explained to readers how they could do just the same, by taking their earnings through a limited company and then making the most of all the salary and dividend thresholds. Of course, there are various caveats and rules which need to be observed, so some professional help would almost certainly be needed.