Newsletter for July 2019

The CII have already started delivering 19/20 financial services study texts to those of you who have ordered or renewed your enrolment. If you’re unsure as to whether you will be sent the 19/20 version of your study text, do call the CII directly to check. Do bear in mind that we have nothing to do with the CII’s own study texts, so we can’t help you if you have any specific queries on them – you will need to contact the CII.

As for us, we’ve already started work updating all our resources for the 19/20 tax year examinable from 1 September. It’s a huge job but we’re on it! Look out for emails from us during August in this regard. (More information in ‘Around the Corner’ below).

Best Wishes,

The Team at Brand Financial Training

There are various Capital Gains Tax reliefs available. These can be tested in any of the CII tax exams as well as in the financial planning written exams R06 and AF5.

There are various reliefs available for when an owner sells or disposes of their business or if they are selling and replacing assets used in their business. Here is a table with the main facts of each:

If you envy those rare types who seem to have an exceptional memory and who – seemingly effortlessly – amass encyclopaedic levels of information, while we mere mortals forget the name of someone we met last week, you’re far from alone.

The good news is that while the fabled ‘photographic memory’ may be something of a myth, brains can be trained, and memory improved, in the same way we can strengthen any muscle.

How does memory work?

Scientists are always making fresh discoveries about memory, after some two thousand years of endeavour in this field. Just three years ago, for example, UK scientists won a major neuroscience prize for their work on memory, which discovered a protein in the brain that plays a significant role in memory loss and formation.

And while there remains much to learn in this fascinating area, we do know there are essentially three basic elements to memory processing: encoding, storage and recall.

Encoding takes place when the brain notices something and perceives the sensory details such as the sounds, sights and smells of an experience as you interpret it.

You probably already know that there are also two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term. The former is where you store information before it’s either dismissed or transferred to the long-term memory.

Train your brain

But can you train your brain with memory techniques so that you can store and retrieve crucial information when you need it most, e.g. in an exam situation?

We reckon that you can, but with so many techniques around, knowing which ones to choose can seem frankly bewildering.

Here are a few for you to try:

Memorising Numbers

There are various ways of doing this. The Dominic System, for example, invented by eight-time world memory champion Dominic O’Brien, is a way of recalling long numerical sequences. It works by converting numbers into letters and then images, which are easier to remember. There are several ways of converting digits into letters, such as the Major System, which converts numbers into consonant sounds, and then into words with the addition of vowels.

Under the Dominic System, though, the numbers one to nine are assigned letters of the alphabet from A to N. So the number 11, for example, becomes AA, which in turn can be recalled by thinking of an image of Andre Agassi playing tennis. Or 33 is Charlie Chaplin, CC. Meanwhile, the number 3311 could become a mental image of Charlie Chaplin playing tennis.

Available for AF1, AF2, AF4, AF7, CF1, CF6, CF8, ER1, FA1-2, IF1-5, J02, J03, J05, J07, J10-12, LP2, R01-5, and R07

...“I passed my exams 1st time after buying the 3 mock exam packs. They are very relevant and gave me that extra confidence in taking the exam. Thank you Brand 🙂 The service is excellent as well I might add.’...

Lianne Jackson, Investment Sales Adviser, Chelmsford

Passing your CII exam isn’t only about having the necessary knowledge and understanding, it’s about being able to apply that knowledge in an exam setting exactly as needed and in a timely manner. It is essential that you practise multiple exam papers to ensure that you know exactly how to apply your knowledge. Too many people fail due to a lack of exam practice, even if their knowledge is good.

Our mock exam question papers ensure you get the practice you need to achieve exam success. Couple them with other resources in our study kits and you’ll be well prepared for your exam.

• All answers include cross references to the relevant CII study text
• All questions and answers are kept up-to-date to reflect changes to the exam syllabus and tax year
• Written for essential exam practice, but are not duplicates of the CII’s mock papers
• Download them instantly in PDF format and print as required
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Why not try before you buy? Download one of our free tasters:

AF1

CF1

ER1

FA1

IF1

J02

R01

During July and August, we update all of our CII financial services exam resources for the new examinable tax year 2019/2020 that begins on 1 September.

Do bear in mind that until 31 August, tax year 2018/19 will be examined.

If you purchased a resource for examinable tax year 18/19, you will be entitled to the 19/20 version at no charge! The only exception is our e-learning videos – if you are still in your subscription period at the end of August, we will email you separately with information on how to access the updated 19/20 versions.

We will email you at various points during mid to late August to let you know when resources have been updated and made available and how to claim your free update if you are entitled.

So, if you are unsure about when you are going to sit your exam or you simply want to ‘get on’ with your studies, you can purchase resources straightaway knowing you will be able to get the 19/20 versions later in August. Many of the exams don’t have a huge number of syllabus changes or changes in law so you can truly ‘get on with it’ right away.

Articles and Help for All Your Exams

You’ll find that there’s something for everyone when you check out our blog:

• specific topics and how-to articles;
• reviews of recent CII exam papers;
• our Friday Five – a weekly quiz to give you a fun break from reading the study text;
• study techniques that help you to retain your revision and keep your brain working for you, when you need it

Here are the blog posts you might have missed since our last newsletter:

Friday Five – 5 July - Click here.

Our Post-Exam Review of the April 2019 CII AF5 Exam - Click here.

The CII AF4 April 2019 Exam in Review - Click here.

Friday Five – 28 June - Click here.

The CII AF2 April 2019 Exam in Review - Click here.

The CGT Consequences of Asset Disposals Between Spouses - Click here.

Friday Five – 21 June - Click here.

The CII AF1 April 2019 Exam in Review - Click here.

And the Winner of the ‘Best Training Resource’ Award is… - Click here.

How to Answer a Taxing Question - Click here.

Friday Five – 14 June - Click here.

There’s such a variety of information on offer to help you as you tackle your CII exams, that you won’t want to miss a single post. We’ve made it easy for you; just click the button below and enter your email details. Be ‘in the know’ with CII-exam-related tips and info – straight to your inbox!

..." Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus. "...

"5 Questions in 5 Minutes Every Friday"

This is a bit of Friday Fun where we provide you with 5 questions (and answers) relevant to a mix of CII exams. The challenge is for you to answer the questions in 5 minutes.

Where do I find the Friday Five?

We post each week's Friday Five to our blog first thing every Friday. You can either visit our blog every Friday at https://brandft.co.uk/blog/ or you can simply go there now, and click on the subscribe button in the top right-hand corner of the blog and sign up to receive notifications of our Friday Five posts.

Note that we don't email the Friday Five out to everybody every Friday, so we recommend you sign up to our blog at https://brandft.co.uk/blog/ so that you receive an email notification when it is posted. It will only take you a minute to sign up.

A bit of Friday Fun, but with the added benefit of testing your exam knowledge!

Here’s a reminder that the CII update their study texts throughout the examinable year to either incorporate new legislations, correct errors or clarify information. Many candidates aren’t aware of this, which can result in candidates studying out-of-date information.

To find out if you have the most up-to-date information, visit the CII website, navigate to your chosen exam and click on ‘learning solutions update’ in the ‘Unit updates’ section in the sidebar.

Note that we keep our resources up-to-date with any updates from the CII.