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An Individual Savings Account (ISA) is a tax-efficient ‘wrapper’ designed to go around an investment. You’ve got until 5 April 2014 to use your current 2013/14 tax year annual ISA allowance before you lose it forever. Read the rest of this entry »
Investment trusts are based upon fixed amounts of capital divided into shares. This makes them closed ended, unlike the open-ended structure of unit trusts. They can be one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to invest in the stock market. Once the capital has been divided into shares, you can purchase the shares. When an investment trust sells shares, it is not taxed on any capital gains it has made. By contrast, private investors are subject to capital gains tax when they sell shares in their own portfolio. Read the rest of this entry »
Open-ended investment companies (OEICs) are stock market-quoted collective investment schemes. Like unit trusts and investment trusts they invest in a variety of assets to generate a return for investors. Read the rest of this entry »
Unit trusts are a collective investment that allows you to participate in a wider range of investments than can normally be achieved on your own with smaller sums of money. Pooling your money with others also reduces the risk. Read the rest of this entry »
If you require your money to provide the potential for capital growth or income, or a combination of both, and provided you are willing to accept an element of risk, pooled investments could just be the solution you are looking for. A pooled investment allows you to invest in a large, professionally managed portfolio of assets with many other investors. As a result of this, the risk is reduced due to the wider spread of investments in the portfolio. Read the rest of this entry »
The volatility experienced in global markets over the past five years has tested the nerves of even the most experienced investors, making it a difficult time for individuals who rely on income from investments for some or all of their needs. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the principal tenets of spreading risk in your portfolio is to diversify your investments whatever the time of year. Diversification is the process of investing in areas that have little or no relation to each other. This is called a ‘low correlation’.
Diversification helps lessen what’s known as ‘unsystematic risk’, such as reductions in the value of certain investment sectors, regions or asset types in general. But there are some events and risks that diversification cannot help with – these are referred to as ‘systemic risks’. These include interest rates, inflation, wars and recession. This is important to remember when building your portfolio. Read the rest of this entry »
As wealth grows, so too can the complexity of its management. Our approach is to cut through complexity and offer you clear guidance to achieve your goals. Today’s challenging economic and global conditions, coupled with uncertainty in Europe, North America and China, have combined to create a degree of cautiousness among many investors. A long-term investment strategy will provide you with a clear advantage during uncertain times. Read the rest of this entry »
When it comes to taking investment risk to secure a higher return, those aged 55 and over are most likely to be taking the lead with Stocks & Shares Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), according to research from Standard Life (08 April 2013). Over one in ten (11 per cent) of 55 and overs invest in the stock market via their ISA, compared to just 7 per cent of 35 to 44-year-olds. Read the rest of this entry »
The combination of the recent rise in gilt yields, positive market performance, gender neutrality changes, and the 20 per cent uplift in income levels announced by the Government earlier this year, can provide a substantial boost to the level of income available for female pensioners. Read the rest of this entry »
