Context is an important tool when it comes to investing. All investors around the world will be feeling the emotional pressures of the recent rapid equity market falls, either because they can remember previous falls and times of uncertainty, such as the Global Financial Crisis (2007-2009), or as younger investors, they have not yet experienced material market falls. We obviously…
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Fears surrounding the coronavirus (Covid 19) means the March 2020 budget addressed concerns on NHS funding and the knock-on effect for small UK businesses. Anticipated budget 2020 tax and pension overhauls and a stance on post-BREXIT changes did not transpire. The Budget itself was in stark contrast to previous releases in the face of austerity, with a £30bn fiscal stimulus…
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At times like this, it is sometimes worth reminding ourselves that it is this very uncertainty of shorter-term market outcomes that delivers investors with returns above those of placing bank deposits. This allows us to grow our purchasing power over time. In the case of equities, this uncertainty can be high as the market adjusts its view of long-term earnings…
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It does feel as if the world is at an inflection point: step up to the challenges of global warming and other non-sustainable pressures on the Earth’s resources today or let our children and grandchildren reap the havoc of the melting ice caps; sea water level rises; deforestation and a decline in biodiversity; desertification and the potential social and migratory…
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In the modern era, we have far greater access to world news at just the click of a button, or from flash news alerts on our phones. This is not always a good thing as newspapers and websites publish news stories that will attract readers. It can be all too easy to focus on these stories and get gloomy, disheartened…
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Traditionally, financial advice and wealth management has been a male-dominated industry, with estimates suggesting that female advisers are outnumbered by male counterparts by a ratio anywhere from 10:1 to 6:1. But in the past few years, there’s been a shift. It’s about time: as well as ensuring equal representation in the workplace, gender equality is an important issue worldwide –…
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Principal Private Residence (PPR) relief is a valuable Capital Gains Tax (CGT) relief. Simply put, if you have occupied your property throughout the time you have owned it, there will be no CGT payable on disposal. However, if there has been any period where you did not occupy your home e.g. lived abroad, CGT may apply on sale. As with…
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We are pleased to welcome the newest member of the Herbert Scott team – Alicia Buckingham. Alicia has taken on the role of Technical Manager and will be working closely with our Operations Manager, Jennie Snooks, to ensure the efficient and profitable delivery of Herbert Scott’s service proposition as well as ensuring all technical and product specific advice and recommendations…
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Investors frequently focus on the investment returns that their portfolios deliver, but sometimes fail to consider that deductions in the form of the costs and charges imposed by fund managers can have a significant effect on their performance, particularly when taking into account the effects of compounding over the long term. Imagine three different portfolios that deliver returns of…
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Getting your finances in order is often something that people think of as a New Year’s resolution and this means our phones ring regularly with new enquiries throughout January and into February. With people wondering about how to make their savings work harder for them the options can be daunting. One question our Financial Planners often get asked is “should…
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