Category: Uncategorized

Alternative assets

Post author By admin
Post date 1st July 2016

Investment company growth story of the decade

Over a third of the investment trust company sector is invested in alternative assets suggests research from the association of investment companies (AIC). The term ‘alternative’ is used to cover many other types of investments that are not traded on stock markets. These might include the shares in private companies, physical property or infrastructure projects. Due to the nature of many of these ‘alternative’ investments, they will only be suitable for a very limited number of investors. Professional advice should be taken by any investors considering such ‘alternatives’.

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Retirement freedoms

Post author By admin
Post date 1st July 2016

What are the income options for your pension?

Deciding what to do with your pension savings is an important step we will all have to take. Following changes introduced in April 2015, you now have more choice and flexibility than ever before over how and when you can take money from your pension pot. These changes give you freedom over how you can use your pension pot(s) if you’re 55 or over and have a pension based on how much has been paid into your pot (a defined contribution scheme).

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Lack of preparation for the unexpected

Post author By admin
Post date 1st July 2016

A quarter of us could only afford to pay household bills for a maximum of three months

Protecting your family should underpin financial planning, and it can also be a key business tool or estate planning mechanism. But, despite this, MORE THAN one in five (21%) people admit their household would not be financially secure for any length of time if it lost its main income through unexpected circumstances.

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Advent of crowdfunding

Post author By admin
Post date 1st July 2016

Innovation in both finance and technology

One of the main innovations in both finance and technology over the past few years has been the advent of crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is a way of raising finance by asking a large number of investors each for a small amount of money.

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Managing your retirement savings

Post author By admin
Post date 1st July 2016

Consolidating your separate pensions into one single pension wrapper

If you’ve accumulated numerous workplace pensions over the years from different employers, it can be difficult to keep track of how they are performing. The process of bringing all your pensions together is called ‘consolidation’.

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Return of multi-generational households

Post author By admin
Post date 1st July 2016

Two in three agree living with family is beneficial

Multigenerational households could be set to grow in popularity as property costs continue to rise. A new report from Aviva suggests that based on the rate of growth seen in the past 10 years – and assuming house prices will continue to rise – there could be 2.2 million people living in multi-family households and 3.8 million 21–34-year olds living with their parents by 2025.

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Securing more of your wealth

Post author By admin
Post date 1st July 2016

You don’t have to be wealthy for your estate to be liable for Inheritance Tax

Protecting your estate is ultimately about securing more of your wealth for your loved ones and planning for what will happen after your death to make the lives of your loved ones much easier.

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Splashing the cash

Post author By admin
Post date 1st July 2016

New ‘YOLO’ generation gambling with their financial future

The prospect of saving for tomorrow may feel too distant for some, but to achieve long-term goals (including financial security in retirement) we all need to consider reprioritising our needs to give ourselves a better financial future. But, more than four in ten Britons in their 30s and 40s (45%) are stopping any future saving in favour of spending their cash, according to Scottish Widows’ tenth annual Savings Study.

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Appetite for risk

Post author By admin
Post date 1st July 2016

Striking the right balance is important to avoid losses

While diversification is important, you should keep in mind how much risk you are prepared to accept on your money. If it is important to you to avoid losses, you may want a portfolio that has less in shares and more in cash and fixed interest securities held to maturity, for example.

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The run-up to retirement

Post author By admin
Post date 1st July 2016

What the over 50s do with their money once the mortgage is paid off

Britain’s over 50s are splashing their extra income they receive once they’ve paid off their mortgages on holidays, home improvements and gifts for their children[1], while less than one in four are using the money to top up their retirement savings, new research from Saga Investment Services has found.