Blog
Our colleagues at Timeline, who manage the portfolios we recommend to our clients, have put together a paper on the investment case for commodities. We class commodities as ‘alternative’ investments. Unlike ‘traditional’ assets such as bonds and equities, commodities are physical assets that produce no income and may incur storage and transportation costs. This makes
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In May, the Institute for Fiscal Studies released one of the first pieces of academic research into the spending of British retirees. The report looked at changes in spending throughout retirement over time. Perhaps the most important conclusion is that those who have not yet retired shouldn’t expect their overall spending to fall sharply during
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Kwasi Kwarteng, in his new role as chancellor, unveiled his plans for growth, bringing down inflation, backing businesses, and helping households. Although much of its content was already known, it still contained a few surprises. What changes have been made to personal taxation? The mini-budget has delivered a variety of tax cuts, including: Income tax:
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HMRC intends to change the rules on transferring assets between spouses and civil partners who are in the process of separating and are no longer living together. What are the current rules? Currently, spouses and civil partners can transfer assets between themselves without any tax ramifications, up to, and including, the year they permanently separate.
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Having a baby is one of the most exciting, life-changing events you’ll ever experience. But along with the joy and happiness that comes with starting a family, there is also the reality of the added costs. On average, in 2021, the total cost of raising a child to the age of 18 now stands at
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LCP, a pensions consultancy that counts former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb amongst its employees, has published a guide looking at the pros and cons of someone combining all their pensions in one pot. To a certain extent, the guide is aimed at those looking to consolidate their workplace pensions, but the points covered can
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Factor investing is a specific way to approach investing. This approach targets specific drivers of returns across asset classes and can help improve returns and enhance diversification. How does factor investing differ from traditional investing? When looking at investing styles, there are two ends of the spectrum. At one end, you have purely active managers.
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We tell our clients that investing is risky. However, it is during bear markets that this becomes real. Like most fears, the best way to deal with them is to understand them, know your options, and be confident that they will pass. What is a bear market? A bear market occurs when the value of
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When you are off work due to an illness or injury, worrying about how you will pay your bills can make an already stressful situation worse. So much so that many people are finding themselves in the challenging position of having to put the need to earn money over their health by continuing to go
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Voluntary National Insurance contributions can help ensure you have enough qualifying years to get the full State Pension. If you have gaps in your record, you might be able to make voluntary contributions to fill them. In the past, you have only been able to fill the last six tax years. However, when the Government
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