In this update: Voluntary National Insurance Contributions National Insurance Contributions National Insurance can be a confusing subject, and we can be forgiven for wishing to overlook the nuance and complexity of it. Some time spent reviewing our own situation now, in good time for the future, may leave...
In this update: The Big Picture The importance of portfolio rebalancing Withdrawal discipline The Big Picture It can be difficult to see the big picture when all that we are exposed to, driven by the media machine, appears only to be chaos and disorder. The good news is...
In this update: Latest Retirement Living Standards Latest Retirement Living Standards The latest update to the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) Retirement Living Standards (RLS) reveal a shift in the cost of retirement living driven by changes in the UK public's expectations and increases to the...
In this update: Investing persists through all cycles Your retirement spend and your retirement duration Investing persists through all cycles Interest rates are at levels we haven’t seen since before the Financial Crisis, tempting some people into cash, and away from investing. So does investing still make...
In this update: Where would you like to start? Your negative bias Where would you like to start? 'Where would you like to start?' is an interesting question. It’s as important a question too for investors. Because when talking to people about investments, the point at which...
In this update: The cycle of investor emotions The cycle of investor emotions As regular subscribers will know on reading these posts, I have discussed the timing and nature of markets on a regular basis. Markets typically fall into either bull and bear phases. For a definition...
In this update: Market Seasons Financial Behaviour Your Financial Plan Market Seasons As regular subscribers will know from previous posts, the markets go through their seasons. The business cycle goes from expansion, slowdown, recession and recovery. Stock markets move between bear and bull markets. However, we...
In this update: Financial fireworks State Pension Top-Ups deadline extended Pension Credit Financial fireworks With the Bank of England reporting last week that core inflation has continued to rise, it's difficult to see a way out of this current inflation spiral. Like a firework, you light the...
In this update: Ben Graham's timeless reminders Fluctuations Investor vs Speculator Market Amnesia Opportunity Take a long term view Ben Graham's timeless reminders Ben Graham, Warren Buffett's early mentor, wrote the Intelligent Investor in 1949. Whilst society has undergone unimaginable evolution since that time, the principles espoused...
In this update: Your response to difficult markets Margin of Safety Opportunity Take a long term view Your Response to difficult markets As the financial difficulties deepen within global economies, which I have previously written about in other updates, we find ourselves tested - private individuals, governments,...