Capitals or not

richallum

What do you do about capitalising terms we use in FS?

Is it capital gains tax or Capital Gains Tax?

Self Invested Personal Pension or self invested personal pension?

Discretionary Trust or discretionary trust?

I've seen mixed approaches and we're currently re-writing all our content so would like to know what you do.  Anyone use ALL CAPS will be banned  

benjaminfabi

Proper nouns have capital letters. It gets grey from there on in.

Every example you have given above would not be capitalised in a report I had written or proofread.

self-invested personal pension (SIPP)

However...I recommend that you transfer to a new Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) on the Standard Life Wrap (because that is what Standard Life calls the product, so it becomes proper)

Another example would be the Benjamin Fabi Discretionary Trust (because it is the name of the trust)

The problem with this issue is that if you don't apply strict rules about proper nouns and capitals the line can't be drawn accurately.

Have fun.

richallum

My natural instinct is with you @benjaminfabi but then I look at this... Income Tax and Personal Allowance.

JoCHague

I like the capitals.  I try not to abuse them but sometimes things look a little clearer in a report to my eyes if you discuss a "pension" in general terms but you are recommending they establish a "Personal Pension with Provider".

I think it can distinguish the name of their policy from the general bumpf* that surrounds the concept.

I also do a brilliant line in Capital Gains Tax and Personal Allowance etc.

* bumpf is a real word. Not always capitalised.

benjaminfabi

Yes Richard

You could extend the capital letters to include all terms defined in legislation and regulation, but then you have to start capitalising all sorts of stuff that you wouldn't want to.

amarshall

richallum said:

My natural instinct is with you @benjaminfabi but then I look at this... Income Tax and Personal Allowance.

Income Tax and Personal Allowance are proper nouns.

There are many different types of tax but only one Income Tax. Similarly, you can have many allowances but only one Personal Allowance.

benjaminfabi

That's exactly the issue @amarshall ;

Are they actually proper nouns?

amarshall

benjaminfabi said:

That's exactly the issue @amarshall ;

Are they actually proper nouns?

Yes, they are.

Ralfos

or even self invested Personal Pension (siPP)!