What are economic cycles and how do they affect me? One of the frequent themes that impacts upon the tactics and longer term strategy when investing, is identifying where we are in the economic cycle. Despite the turmoil and in some instances, capitulation over recent years, the economic cycles are a known and lucid part
Read MoreAs a new tax year rolls around, you should note that there are quite a few changes to the allowances you can claim to help improve the tax efficiency of your financial affairs. Of course, to our clients we are on hand to advise about these and ensure that in combination they work to the
Read MoreI tuned in last night to Channel 4’s ‘Do you trust your Bank?’ In case you didn’t see it, the programme focussed on the recent activities of some of our high street banks that have recently come to light. We were acquainted with the story of a recently retired couple who had downsized their main residence
Read MoreToday’s news that the UK has crept back into recession should be no surprise to anyone who has kept reasonably well informed about developing events connected to the global economic crisis. A technical recession is triggered after two quarters of negative GDP (Gross Domestic Product) within our economy. Stock Markets haven’t fallen today. Why not?
Read MoreYou know the time, when you would rather be doing anything else than attending to those boring financial matters. It’s normal to have a ‘head in the sand’ over matters financial. We all experience this to a lesser or greater extent. However, the chances are if you are reading this blog that you are already
Read MoreWell what can I say when I read a certain news item recently. ‘A collector paid £360 on eBay for a single type of Snowdrop bulb’ The Snowdrop collecting fashion has taken off. Pardon?!! This sounds very familiar, was it only last autumn that I wrote the article on ‘Tulipmania’. Can it be that tulips
Read MoreWhen speaking with new clients for the first time, I sometimes hear them say something like ‘Pensions are rubbish’ or similar. This can be an indication as to what level of knowledge that particular client may have with regards to ‘What a pension is’. It can also be an indication of their attitude towards pensions.
Read MoreHave our elected representatives across the developed economies dealt with the credit crisis? Recent market activity would suggest that they have not and have simply delayed the further action that will be required in order to bring some stability to financial markets. In response to this, the impatience of stock markets has shown through recently
Read MoreTo start with, a very nice 21st century definition: A derivative is a contract between two parties that specifies conditions—in particular, dates and the resulting values of the underlying variables—under which payments are to be made between the parties. We have all become a lot more aware of these derivatives in the last few years
Read More‘What goes up must come down’. We all remember from our school days Sir Isaac Newton for his famous law of gravity and the picture of the apple falling on his head. Sir Isaac Newton was a genius mathematician who had an input into many aspects of life in this country at the end of
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