All posts by Andrew Flowers

Andrew is the managing partner of Vizion Wealth and has been involved in the offshore and onshore financial services industry for over 18 years. Andrew was the driving force behind Vizion Wealth after years of experience in a number of advisory roles within high profile wealth management, private banking and independent financial advisory firms in the UK.

Market Update: Central bank Elves boost 2023 Santa rally

The scrooges of last year’s Christmas, US central bankers, put markets in a warm festive mood this week by surprisingly declaring ‘peak rates’ - is the US getting ahead of Europe and the UK once again?

/ 18th December 2023

Expanding Horizons: Tean Hatt

We’re thrilled to announce the newest addition to the Vizion Wealth family, Tean Hatt, a seasoned and highly knowledgeable financial advisor with an impressive track record in the industry. I’m personally delighted because I worked with Tean for 5 years at Hargreaves Lansdown until 2011 when i left to set up Vizion Wealth. Tean's arrival not only strengthens our advisory team but also reaffirms our commitment to providing top-notch financial advice and services to our clients nationwide.

/ 15th December 2023

Taxing Times for 2023

As we approach the end of the year, taxpayers should begin assessing their tax obligations. This is not a task to be left to the eleventh hour, especially considering tax changes coming into effect in 2024. By understanding your tax obligations early on, you could avoid unwelcome surprises.

/ 11th December 2023

Market Update: A bit of a downer

We review November’s cheery asset performance below. Early December is also currently on a positive track and trading volumes have been higher than November’s averages generally, suggesting quite a bit of capital is being put to work by investors. 

/ 11th December 2023

Market Update: Higher for shorter on the horizon

As we have written here over the past weeks, the distinct turn in sentiment that drove markets in November was, once again, mostly about central banks and the likely path of interest rates. After October was about ‘higher for longer’, early November transitioned to ‘no more rate rises and the next move is down’, when inflation came down far more than most had expected. In this past week, we have heard discussions of Eurozone rate cuts in time for Easter.

/ 4th December 2023

Our Guide to Making A Will

We often avoid thinking about the inevitable, but planning ahead is crucial, especially when it comes to securing your loved ones’ futures. Writing a Will isn’t just a legal formality; it’s a way to ensure your assets are distributed per your wishes and your family is cared for even when you’re not around.

/ 1st December 2023

Market Update: US economy slows to our pace

November remains a positive month in capital markets, although equities had a neutral week and longer bond prices have fallen back. UK government bonds (Gilts) have been the best performing bond market in the past few weeks, but the tax cuts announced in Wednesday Autumn Statement, although relatively minor, were enough to push the ten-year Gilt yield back up above 4.25% (rising yields mean falling bond prices).

/ 27th November 2023

The perils of trying to time the market

The common adage 'buy low, sell high' might seem like a fool proof strategy for maximising investment returns. However, the reality is far more complex than simply trying to predict market fluctuations. Timing the market involves anticipating its highs and lows to buy when prices are at their lowest and sell when they peak.

/ 20th November 2023

Market Update: Inflation genie back in the bottle?

Last week was another good one for most investors. In sterling terms, the strongest equity markets were in Europe with the DAX up 4.5% since last Friday afternoon. The biggest winners have been small and mid-sized firms; the FTSE 250 has stormed up by 4.3% compared to a 1.4% increase for the FTSE 100. Likewise, the Russell 2000 (America’s most-watched market index for small and mid-sized companies) is up 5.1% in US dollar terms.

/ 20th November 2023

Market Update: Back pedalling central bankers

The turnaround rally in stock and bond markets – started by the previous week’s dovish central bank comments – petered out towards the end of last week, with central bankers seemingly at pains to reverse their messaging or at least reaffirm their continued commitment to keeping interest rates high however long it takes to get inflation back to their 2% target.

/ 13th November 2023

Market Update: Dovishness proves contagious

Just how much change a week can bring to markets was amply visible during the last seven days. Last week, we wrote about how negative sentiment in stock markets can turn into a self-perpetuating destructive force for an entire economy as the investing public feels the heat of being poorer (at least on paper). At the end of last week, we look back at pretty much a reversal of the previous week’s perspective after stock markets staged an impressive bounce back. Monday’s rally was still dismissed as an entirely predictable trading-based short-term reversal from oversold levels.

/ 6th November 2023

Missing out on unclaimed money that could be in your pocket?

According to recent research, higher rate and additional rate taxpayers in the UK leave millions of pounds of pension tax relief unclaimed yearly. This amounts to a staggering total of £1.3 billion over a five-year period. This unclaimed money could be in your pocket instead!

/ 31st October 2023

Market Update: The resilience narrative comes under pressure

A potentially meaningful change in correlations happened last week. In recent times, a fall in yields (and therefore a rise in bond prices) would go alongside rises in equity prices, particularly the mega-cap growth consumer-related techs like Amazon, Alphabet (Google), Microsoft and Apple.

/ 30th October 2023

Market Update: Bond yield volatility has markets guessing

While we hold our breath over the Middle East tragedy, markets return to interpreting if bond yields are just enough to eradicate inflation or if their volatility points to something bigger.

/ 23rd October 2023

A guide to saving and investing for the next generation

Investing in your child or grandchild’s future is a thoughtful and responsible step towards securing their financial stability. In the UK, initiating an investment early for a child makes sense and can be highly beneficial in the long run.

/ 19th October 2023

Market Update: Capital markets and war

If the attack on Israel last week felt as epoch changing as 9/11, then markets seemed to show determined apathy  – or did they?

/ 16th October 2023

Mastering Your Financial Future: The Power of Cash Flow Modelling

Investing can feel like navigating uncharted territory, particularly for those new to the field. With many options and strategies available, it's crucial to grasp what you aim to achieve with your investments clearly.

/ 9th October 2023

Market Update: Recession fears creeping back

Financial markets are in one of those occasional periods where the world’s economic realities do not quite seem to match what some asset price moves seem to want to tell us. 

/ 9th October 2023

Market Update: Economic resilience is about to be tested

Historically September has on average not been great for investors, and as it turns out this year is no exception to that norm. Both equities and bond valuations have declined and even though equities have not materially moved up or down when looking across the past four months, there is increasing sentiment that the 2023 market recovery is running out of steam or may even be turning.

/ 2nd October 2023

How bonds’ structure and tax advantages can help you pass on wealth

Investment bonds offer several benefits that some investors may be missing out on, and have become even more beneficial due to recent changes in tax regulations.

/ 27th September 2023