Market Update: Moderating Expectations…

The seemingly never-ending pandemic-induced restrictions and uncertainty is making the forward planning of summer activities quite precarious and frustrating at times. That capital markets have recently borne fewer surprises than the planning of our summer holidays is a rare event and should be cherished – assuming it is not simply the calm before the next storm.

/ 28th June 2021

Six Principles of Investing

Whatever stage of life you’ve reached and whatever plans you may have for the future, you want your money to earn the best return possible without taking undue risk. That’s why it’s important to invest in a way that’s right for you and that will meet your goals. Creating and maintaining the right investment strategy plays a vital role in securing your financial future. How much control do you want over your investments? Investing can seem daunting but you don’t have to do it all on your own.

/ 24th June 2021

Market Update: Investors try to make sense of the Fed’s ‘dot-plot’

The biggest event of the week took place on Wednesday, as the US Federal Reserve (Fed) concluded its two-day Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) meeting, where it discussed economy policy and its latest projections on inflation and interest rates. Leading up to Wednesday, we were asking ourselves the question “what will the Fed change?”. In essence the choices were “nothing”, “a bit”, or “more than a bit”. All of us were somewhere between “nothing” and “a bit”. The Fed delivered “a bit”.

/ 21st June 2021

Succession Planning

The operational demands of running a family business or other closely held enterprise can be all- consuming, but it’s vital that business leaders take the time needed to assess their organisation’s business succession planning.

/ 16th June 2021

Market Update: Hazy as Carbis Bay

The G7 meeting in St. Ives’ Carbis Bay was rightly the centre of attention in the UK this week and looks to centre on Europe’s leaders cosying up to a much more loveable US administration, at the same time as trying not to mention Brexit too much.

/ 12th June 2021

Market Update: Going up Sideways

May’s returns numbers are in, and the headlines are as follows: a rotation from tech to financials – and from value to growth – as well as a bit more downward pressure on bonds. We have included our usual ‘in review’ table and monthly comments below. Overall, it was a quiet month...

/ 4th June 2021

Market Update: Touch of Goldilocks at the end of May

After a strong April, May felt somewhat of a mixed bag for investors, particularly when stock markets suffered a correction in the middle of the month. However, as the month draws to a close, it is mostly only cryptocurrency holders and those who had banked on a warm and sunny May in Northern Europe who are still feeling the pain.

/ 28th May 2021

Live The Life You Want

The current life expectancy in the United Kingdom[1] in 2017 to 2019 was 79.4 years for males and 83.1 years for females, while you can access your pension savings from the age of 55, and the State Pension age is currently 66.

/ 22nd May 2021

Market Update: Europe’s Beacon of Hope Shines Light on Old Problems

After a long quiet spell, Europe is capturing investor interest once again, with the green shoots of a recovery now coming through. After a desperately slow start, vaccination programmes on the continent have stepped up greatly, with ever more jabs set to be delivered in the coming weeks. That, combined with warmer weather and a slowing spread of the virus, is thawing the freeze on economic activity as businesses start to reopen...

/ 21st May 2021

May Team News

With the success of the vaccination programme, shops and restaurants have begun to re-open and outdoor activities are in full swing; life is looking a little brighter. Over the last couple of months, the team has celebrated a big birthday, a new member of staff and the end of the 2020/21 tax year! It has been nice making a slow return to the office with a Covid-friendly staff rota, and regular lateral-flow testing.

/ 21st May 2021

Market Update: Market vertigo galore!

Markets have certainly lost a bit of that exuberance displayed in recent weeks. However, the risen inflation expectations that have been blamed for the sell-off, are now merely – at last – reflecting what the US Federal Reserve (Fed) had told markets to expect since the beginning of the year. Moreover, the global economy continues to motor towards a post pandemic recovery boom. Therefore, we view this sell-off as more to do with market participants experiencing a wave of vertigo, rather than a fundamental change of direction.

/ 17th May 2021

Market Update: The UK bounces back – or is it all just politics?

There has been a great political awakening across the world in recent years. The issues of the day have become visceral divisions. These arguments have had significant impacts on all aspects of our lives, including capital markets. In the UK, this has been most evidently played out in the great Brexit drama which, aside from its impacts on foreign investment and asset valuations, has been the main driving force behind the value of Sterling.

/ 10th May 2021

Investing for Life’s Journey

Whatever age you are, wherever you are on life’s journey, it’s human nature to live in the moment and cope with whatever challenges life throws at you. Selecting the most appropriate investments to align with your values and life goals requires undertaking the right planning to accumulate wealth over the long term.

/ 9th May 2021

Market Update: Doubling of Earnings Leaves Markets Cold

After last week’s lull in global equity markets, most regions recovered their previous highs this week, albeit in somewhat lacklustre trading patterns. Just as there were several reasons why markets were in a bad mood last week, there are many reasons for the more positive outlook this week.

/ 4th May 2021

Tax Planning Reimagined

No one likes to pay tax on their hard-earned money. But due to the complexities of the tax system, without expert professional financial advice, some individuals could be paying more tax than necessary. Before the end of every tax year on 5 April, you have the opportunity to save money on taxes and plan for the year ahead.

/ 24th April 2021

Market Update: ‘Risk On’ Pauses While the Real World Keeps Accelerating

Equity markets finally paused in their upward trend this week, with the most speculative assets like Bitcoin experiencing their first serious setback since February. It was hard to pin the cause on any one specific development, although falling oil prices got their share of blame...

/ 23rd April 2021

New Bond News Gives Green Light for Equity Investors

This week, developments in the bond markets may be of more significance for investors, over the fact that equities continued to do well. On Thursday, yields of long maturity bonds across global developed markets fell quite sharply, at the same time as economic data showed resoundingly strong activity...

/ 19th April 2021

Reducing your Inheritance Tax Bill

Even those who believe they have moderate wealth levels may still need to take action to minimise Inheritance Tax, particularly if they own property and have savings and investments. Naturally, you’ll want to pass on as much as possible to your loved ones, rather than paying 40% to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Are you worried your family could be left with an Inheritance Tax bill after you’re gone?

/ 12th April 2021

Stock Markets Firmly Looking Ahead

In our private lives, the first few months of 2021 were much the same as 2020 – unfortunately. Britain, and indeed the world, suffered more COVID cases, more fatalities and, once again, tighter restrictions. For investors, though, it was a different story. Despite a global economy frozen in motion and the deepest recession ever recorded, stock markets did very well last year, with some major indices climbing to new highs.

/ 9th April 2021

Market Update: The first quarter of 2021 was no April fool…

It may have been April Fools’ Day, but ignore the ill-fated corporate PR stunts (Voltswagen!). The fact is that the first quarter of 2021 has brought genuine good news for UK-based investors with exposure to global stock markets. Equity markets have generally resumed an upward trajectory, while low risk assets, especially long maturity bonds, have sustained meaningful losses...

/ 6th April 2021