NEWS
In some ways annuities are more attractive than they have been for over 15 years as we are in a period of higher interest rates, but the idea of being able to leave a pension pot behind to protect a loved one or pass to the family still has significant appeal. There are lots of reasons to consider an annuity but the biggest pull of all is the ability to purchase a guaranteed income for life.
At the moment elections and politics are in the mind of the investment community and investors alike. It is natural for all parties to have some concern about the impact of a change in government. In the UK it seems likely that we will see a big shift towards Labour but in Europe the shift is in the opposite direction.
We have been weighing up when interest rates will actually start to come down and wanted to write about this and why it is important. The direction of interest rates has been the main focus of financial commentators and expectations have shifted significantly since the Pandemic.
It’s a new tax year, and there are some changes to take on board. Jeremy Hunt’s 2024 Spring Budget contained some crowd-pleasers with an eye to the General Election later this year. But what’s going to affect you?
Investing is very much worthwhile but this statement is always subject to the usual industry caveats (see footnote) and we need to acknowledge the maxim of risk vs reward, this really is relevant.
Warren Buffett once said; “Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful”. I love this statement. For me it encapsulates how we should behave as investors, not all the time but at important moments in time when markets look fragile and when markets are exuberant – they certainly have appeared fragile of late.
In a world of constant change and uncertainty, strengthening business resilience has become a paramount priority for firms looking for sustainable growth. Business resilience not only equips SMEs to weather adverse events, such as the loss of a key client or supplier, but also empowers them to seize growth opportunities.
Is adding money/capital to a UK pension savings plan still relevant and should you consider it for you personally or even for members of the family?
It doesn’t take much searching to find short term deposit rates paying 5% or more. There have been lots of knock on effects of the lower returns from deposits and borrowers have benefitted from ‘cheap’ money.
You’ve got to be in it to win it. The phrase is never more true than when it comes to investing in the markets. But when they’re volatile or stagnant it can be tough to hold on.
Woosh! Who’s enjoyed watching interest rates on savings rocket? Of course, if you’re a mortgage-payer these are very challenging times.
As investors we do need to seek out opportunities when the exuberance or caution of markets is exaggerated. It is tough to make the right call consistently but at times there are opportunities that in hindsight were ‘obvious’ but at the time seem to present too much risk to commit the capital.
Salary sacrifice is not ideal for everyone, but it legitimately provides employers with a means of saving significant sums of money that can be used within the business, whilst simultaneously improving the net monthly pay of staff and increasing their pension contributions each month.
The end of the financial year is nearly upon us, and it’s time to get in quick and make the most of exemptions before April is upon us. But that’s not all that should be on your financial spring cleaning list.
At this moment in time, I feel that the financial indicators for potential profits in the year ahead are positive and many fund managers share this view. We will see (of course) but we are also mindful of a host of new risks but also new opportunities.