Lightyear have started offering UK customers business accounts and access to GBP money market funds paying up to 5.52%. https://twitter.com/go_lightyear/status/1694282324370673711?t=88NUivgjEvIR_79ZVzzeKQ&s=19
Swings (higher interest rates) and roundabouts (GBP£/€ forex volatility/risks)?Lightyear have started offering UK customers business accounts and access to GBP money market funds paying up to 5.52%. https://twitter.com/go_lightyear/status/1694282324370673711?t=88NUivgjEvIR_79ZVzzeKQ&s=19
Pick a stock at random. Sell it immediately (it might take a few hours for your order to go through if the relevant market isn't open yet). That will generate €10 minus a small fee (maybe 10-15 cents) and you can leave the proceeds in your cash account. There should be no tax issue, as you'll have made no gain as the stock price didn't change (no CGT due) and you haven't received any dividends (no income tax due). Even if you treat the €10 itself as a gain for CGT purposes, it is far below the €1,270 annual exemption threshold. You would be purchasing a single stock, so ETFs and deemed disposal rules are not relevant here.Since joining Lightyear, I still haven't taken up my option of picking a stock and getting €10 worth of free fractional shares.
I was mainly uninterested because ETF investments in Ireland sounds like a bit of a headache in terms of extra admin and complicated taxation.
Would there be any point in just selecting one (e.g. Berkshire Hathaway), but then leaving it alone without buying any more?
AFAIK, it should be declared as an income but not CGT. So, like you get 10€ as additional income and according to your band tax is going to be chargedPick a stock at random. Sell it immediately (it might take a few hours for your order to go through if the relevant market isn't open yet). That will generate €10 minus a small fee (maybe 10-15 cents) and you can leave the proceeds in your cash account. There should be no tax issue, as you'll have made no gain as the stock price didn't change (no CGT due) and you haven't received any dividends (no income tax due). Even if you treat the €10 itself as a gain for CGT purposes, it is far below the €1,270 annual exemption threshold. You would be purchasing a single stock, so ETFs and deemed disposal rules are not relevant here.
I took the advice of @noelÓm by claiming the free stock and then immediately selling it, so I ended up with an extra €9.90 in my cash account.Pick a stock at random. Sell it immediately (it might take a few hours for your order to go through if the relevant market isn't open yet). That will generate €10 minus a small fee (maybe 10-15 cents) and you can leave the proceeds in your cash account. There should be no tax issue, as you'll have made no gain as the stock price didn't change (no CGT due) and you haven't received any dividends (no income tax due). Even if you treat the €10 itself as a gain for CGT purposes, it is far below the €1,270 annual exemption threshold. You would be purchasing a single stock, so ETFs and deemed disposal rules are not relevant here.
Is this correct?I took the advice of @noelÓm by claiming the free stock and then immediately selling it, so I ended up with an extra €9.90 in my cash account.
@irishfinanceguy I'm unsure of what you mean by this question, are you asking if what I have done is legal?Is this correct?
Is this correct?
@irishfinanceguy I'm unsure of what you mean by this question, are you asking if what I have done is legal?
If you got some free stock and sold it to make some money then you haven't done anything wrong. Maybe you have some tax owing but given that you're talking about less than a tenner I wouldn't even worry about that.Now @irishfinanceguy has me slightly worried that I've done something wrong, perhaps @noelÓm or @noonamer can confirm?
So is anyone using Lightyear and gaining interest at 3%?
It's right there available, I've completed registration and verification.
But damn, I'm so hesitant to transfer any meaningful amount of funds to a what is essentially to me, a phone app.
What are others experiences?
Very positive experience. Very easy to use app. Good customer service. Easy sign up. Very transparent deposit pricing (ECB deposit rate minus 0.75%). And obviously a good rate.
as regards the security and safety issue I cant give any reassurances as I only know what has happened to date
Say you lost your phone.
As I understand, activity is primarily mediated through the app.
Would you not be concerned money in Lightyear would be quite accessible if the thief was able to unlock your phone?
Certainly more accessible than money in other locations such as your current account, etc.
I do know on my phone I have subsequent fingerprint access to lightyear but even then.
Say they gained access to the app on your phone, could a thief not just take the money, transfer it readily to another account?
And lastly, you don't feel the temptation to purchase stock - cause that seems so easy to do once there's money lodged?