Interest rates and inflation. What now?
INFLATION appears to be back, and if so, how long is it back for and what’s the likely impact on you, your mortgage, investments, oysters, chips, or prosecco? The Bank of England (BoE) stated their expectation of a 1.8 per cent inflation target for this month. That was blown away by a surge to 2.1 […]
Saving money in an inefficient way can leave you with a much smaller umbrella for that rainy day
THERE is no time like the moment when you, as a business or family, have no money on a rainy day, that you realise what saving for a rainy day actually means. Cashflow in a family or business is what ruins us, not the value of our assets. Similarly, saving in an inefficient way can […]
Financial scams can leave you scarred – avoid as best you can!
FINANCIAL scams leave victims scarred for life. As well as the financial loss, victims feel stupid and often hide their mistakes. Don’t. These people are very clever and only by reporting every scam, can we pull the net around them and close down the possibilities of more people being impacted. Contact the police immediately, and citizens […]
Inheritance tax – the flaw on your ISAs
WHILE it’s clearly one of the most tax efficient savings plans available, an ISA has one obvious flaw – inheritance tax. Inheritance tax is charged at 40 per cent on estates in excess of £325,000. There are many and varied methods of mitigating such a tax. Investors have built up significant tax-free savings within ISAs […]
Investment bonds or collectives? What are your choices?
WE had a number of calls from last week’s column asking about (onshore) investment bonds and their taxation. Many believe they are very tax efficient, but sadly that is not true, except in very specific circumstances – the obvious one being inheritance tax planning. This is almost a rewrite of a column from 20 years […]
UK value stocks’ rocketing value! So what is a value stock and why does that matter?
UK VALUE stocks have been as loved as a sneezing fit in a lift, or any confined space for that matter. So what is a value stock and why does that matter? Value stocks are stocks that are low because the market has simply priced them lower than they are currently worth for varying reasons. […]
Guaranteed structured investments – Not!
YOU may have seen the odd headline financial product luring you in like a cheap genetically modified food on a supermarket shelf. Sprayed with fine mist and glistening in its carefully placed light, the ‘vegetables’ having been ‘harvested’ some time ago are already oxidising and potential devoid of nutrients. Food’s purpose is to help your […]
Sustainable societies, it’s happening!
SUSTAINABLE societies are happening. I was fortunate to sit with a world-class high performance Olympic coach who gave me one great tip he thought bridged from sport to life and business. Never be too self-congratulatory or self-deprecating. You will miss the learning. You win a race or lose a race, and pat yourself on the […]
Greenwashing sustainable investments
FOLLOWING last week’s column on sustainable investing, I had a number of enquiries asking how you can decide if a pension or investment fund actually does what it says on the tin, ie invests in what you want, and avoids what you want. Most of us have simply had enough of, not only the barefaced […]
What is sustainable investing?
WHAT is sustainable investing? Talk about sustainability to most and it is a very passionate yes. To others it can be an image forced upon them of a tree-hugging, lentil eating typification. Why the binary thought process? Because it is often maligned, and inappropriately so. Knowing what many pension funds are inappropriately invested into, I […]
Is the old investment world gone?
THE investment world and arena changes like the sands. If you aren’t with it, the potential impact on return for you as a pension or ISA investor can be quite extraordinary. Sticking to old strategies in a new world reminds me of my 1992 flight with Monarch airlines to Egypt. A woman sat beside me, […]
Tax day soaky damp squid
IF the budget earlier this month turned out to be a damp squid, the much-feared tax day to follow, soaked that squid in soaky wet stuff, gave it a wet duffle coat to wear, and copious water to drink. If you were sat fearing the worst for capital gains tax, potential inheritance tax changes and […]