Getting Mortgage Ready
Posted by siteadmin on Monday 7th of March 2022
Whether you’re a first-time buyer, a second-stepper or further up the housing ladder, buying a home is always a big move and can feel a bit like a roller coaster ride at the best of times. With 60% of buyers reporting being put off moving because they find the idea overwhelming, here are some tips that can help you navigate the process as smoothly as possible.
Save up
You will need to have saved a deposit - in most cases the bigger the deposit you can put down, the lower your interest rate is likely to be. Open a dedicated savings or investm...
Talking About Money
Posted by siteadmin on Monday 7th of March 2022
While, for many, discussions about money can be extremely uncomfortable, experts have long stressed the best approach to financial issues is invariably to talk about them. Indeed, perceived wisdom suggests the more open and honest people are about money, the better their life and relationships tend to be.
Finance: the last taboo
There’s a wide variety of reasons why people don’t like to discuss their finances. In some cases, money is simply viewed as a vulgar subject to talk about, while many individuals lack financial confidence and therefo...
Investment Update - A Volatile Period for Markets
Posted by siteadmin on Wednesday 2nd of March 2022
High inflation, disappointing earnings results from some tech companies and Russia’s invasion in Ukraine caused turbulence for the financial markets.
The reality of armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine pushed down leading stock market indices during February. Since the start of the year, conditions have been volatile owing to concerns about persistently high inflation and central bank interest rate rises. Geopolitical tensions added further uncertainty, with rapidly changing events causing markets to slide around the world.
Oil p...
Junior ISA
Posted by siteadmin on Thursday 24th of February 2022
In the Autumn Budget in 2021, it was revealed that the Junior ISA spending limits would remain at £9,000 for the 2022/2023 tax year. The JISA limit was last changed in early 2020, when it was doubled from £4,500 to its current level.
JISA and CTFs both benefit
JISAs replaced Child Trust Funds (CTF) in 2011, but those who still hold CTF will continue to benefit from the increased allowance. Both JISA and CTF are a tax efficient way to build up savings for a child. It is not possible to have both a JISA and a CTF.
Savings for children
A juni...
Wreckless Cautious is Costing Savings?
Posted by siteadmin on Monday 14th of February 2022
New research from The Openwork Partnership, one of the UK’s largest and longest established financial advice and investment networks, shows more than 11.6 million are keeping all their money in cash despite ongoing low rates.
Its nationwide study found 22% of adults prefer to keep all their money in cash while the same number will not consider stock market investments despite potentially higher returns as they don’t understand it.
The Openwork Partnership is warning about the risks to savers of reckless caution – the cost of missing out ...
Use your ISA Allowance
Posted by siteadmin on Thursday 3rd of February 2022
In the Financial Lives 2020 survey from the FCA, it has been found that older adults were more likely to hold a savings account of any type, than younger adults. For example, 83% of those aged 55+ did, compared with 63% of 18–24-year-olds. So, how could an ISA help you?
ISA
An ISA is an individual savings account that allows you to save tax-free money in a cash or investment account, so you could end up getting more for your money. An ISA is a medium to long term investment, which aims to increase the value of the money you invest for growth...
Shaken but not stired
Posted by siteadmin on Thursday 3rd of February 2022
Persistently high inflation is putting pressure on central banks to raise interest rates, which unsettled markets during the first few weeks of the year
At the start of 2020, the World Bank issued a warning that the global economy faces a variety of challenges, including new Covid variants, high inflation and an uncertain geopolitical landscape. Its economists lowered their growth forecasts and suggested that some richer countries might not reach pre-pandemic levels of output until 2023, with poorer ones taking longer.
Central bank mo...
Investment Update - Inflation and Omicron set the scene for investors
Posted by siteadmin on Monday 10th of January 2022
Markets signed off the year amid high inflation rates and renewed concerns over the coronavirus.
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus unsettled markets at the beginning of December, with investors unsure about how renewed restrictions on socialising and travel will affect the global economy. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) urged national leaders to accelerate the vaccination rollout in order to slow the spread of the virus and reduce the impact of new strains.
Stock markets in the US and Europe had rec...
Things to avoid when investing
Posted by siteadmin on Monday 6th of December 2021
To keep your investments from losing value or slowing the growth of your as- sets, avoid these common investing mistakes.
There are more risks and opportunities than ever for investors to navigate in today’s rapidly evolving markets. Here are four approaches we believe every investor should follow.
Don’t pile into cash – stay invested
The biggest advantage of cash is that it offers relative safety. Cash can help diversify a portfolio during times of volatility and is easy to access in an emergency. With cash you’ll be paid interest on t...
Energy shortages and supply disruptions continue
Posted by siteadmin on Monday 8th of November 2021
Financial markets were unsettled in October for a number of reasons. They include soaring energy prices due to the global shortage of natural gas supplies and high demand in Asia. Markets became calmer after Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that his country could supply additional gas to Europe. The increase in energy prices and shipping costs prompted the The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to raise its inflation forecast for the G20.
The natural gas shortage pushed up oil prices, with Brent crude ...
