Covid-19 has made the country’s broken social care system an important political subject, one that urgently needs solving. As with all complex political subjects, the solution will be far from simple. Most recently, the government has announced that it is considering a new approach to the care funding crisis – they are considering taxing the […]
At the virtual Conservative Party Conference on 6th October, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestured towards a plan in the pipeline to introduce 95% Loan To Value mortgages in an attempt to reinvigorate home ownership and in his words, “help turn generation rent, into generation buy.” While the details of this plan remain unclear, the PM […]
Introduction The end of October brought plenty of bad news for Western economies as scientists stood in front of graphs and talked of ‘inexorable rises’ and ‘exponential increases.’ Unsurprisingly, stock markets duly took note. We report on 12 major stock markets and only two, India and Hong Kong, were up in October, with all the […]
Overall Market Backdrop, September The majority of global equities struggled while Emerging Markets and Asia Pacific saw modest returns. The US 10yr Treasury yield has ended the month close to its starting monthly yield of 0.67%. The month saw a tough market environment with fiscal stimulus fading and an increase in Covid-19 cases. No additional […]
This article discusses how financial advisers across the nation have adapted to continue to deliver a valuable service at a period of upheaval which hasn’t been seen since the Second World War. Covid-19 has completely changed the way financial planners deliver advice. At the drop of a hat, the industry had to embrace years’ worth […]
The government has confirmed that the minimum age for drawing a personal pension is to rise to 57 in 2028. Savers who pay into a personal pension either directly or through their workplace can currently access their money at 55. However, the government plans to raise the age as a result of increased life expectancy. […]
Research shows that we put ambitious targets on our retirement income and then underestimate how much we need to save to get there. Before we delve into how much you should be saving, here’s a quick overview of the two main types of pension schemes: In a defined benefit scheme your employer promises to deliver […]
Introduction September was a difficult month for world stock markets. It was one of those rare months when none of the markets we report on managed to gain any ground as fears of a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic sparked a global sell-off in shares. It was also another month of bickering as tensions […]
While the economic consequences of lockdown saw many households struggle, others have been able to save far more than usual. Data suggests that UK households could have been saving an average of around £171 per week during lockdown, with pubs, restaurants and high street shops closed. Country wide, savers have stashed away a record £157bn […]
On 8 July, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a cut to stamp duty that could save holiday home buyers up to £15,000 if they complete the purchase before 31 March 2021. The government raised the threshold on stamp duty to £500,000, in a move to restart the stagnant housing market. Second home buyers will still have […]