Five things you wanted to know about pensions
The world of pensions is complex and ever-changing. You may have a bunch of questions that you’re saving up to ask your adviser next time you have a catch up.
3 mins 
Importance of foreign exchange
I want to begin this blog by firstly taking time to explain why foreign exchange is an important part of portfolio composition and why as investors you should be paying close attention to currency exposure, as it could be driving or eroding your investment returns.
2 mins
Cost of living crisis and the impact on savings
The rising cost of living is impacting households far and wide, putting pressure on budgets. Prices are rising, most notably, for energy bills, groceries and filling up the car with fuel. One knock-on effect when bills get more expensive is the difficulty for individuals to maintain their current level of monthly savings.
3 mins
International womens day
It’s official: women are better investors than men. They just don’t think they are. In fact, a 2017 study from Fidelity Investments1 shows that just 9 per cent of women believed that statement. But that same study also analysed returns on investments by both men and women – and found that the women earned 0.4 per cent higher on their investments than the men.
3 mins
COP26 revisited
COP stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’ and is the decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
2 mins
National Insurance – the lowdown
There’s plenty of column inches in the news dedicated to the cost of living crisis at the moment. As well as having to deal with soaring inflation and sky-high energy bills, it’s important to prepare for the fact that we’re all going to pay more National Insurance from April.
3 mins
End of tax year planning
As the end of the tax year approaches, it’s important to review if you have taken full advantage of the tax breaks and shelters available.
4 mins
Bubbles and dividends
As I wrote in late January, it has been a volatile start to 2022. For the last couple of years, markets have enjoyed central banks pumping lots of money into the system and Governments adopting a friendly taxation environment.
2 mins
Discover The Merits of Long-Term Investing
Being interested in and engaged with your investments is to be applauded. But there’s a potential danger in becoming too involved with day-to-day movements and how funds are performing, worrying over the latest share price shift or market panic. Markets move up and down – that’s the very nature of stock market investing.
3 mins
January CIO commentary: bumpy start
It’s been a volatile start to 2022. For the last two-ish years, markets have enjoyed a buy-the-dip mentality as pro-growth fiscal and ultra-accommodative monetary policies have kept the show on the road.
6 mins