Pooling money in one or more types of asset class

Collective investment schemes – also known as ‘pooled investment funds’ – are a way of combining sums of money from many people into a large fund spread across many investments and managed by a professional fund manager.
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Market index following the overall performance of a selection of investments

Tracker funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are investments that aim to mirror the performance of a market index. A market index follows the overall performance of a selection of investments. The FTSE 100 is an example of a market index – it includes the 100 companies with the largest value on the London Stock Exchange.
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Pre-qualified companies or investment vehicles

The term ‘tax-efficient investments’ refers to investment opportunities through which investors will receive tax benefits.
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Warning signs which you can use to avoid falling victim

Every year thousands of people lose millions of pounds due to investment scams. The internet and advances in digital communications mean these kinds of scams are becoming more common and harder to identify. Thankfully there are some warning signs you can use to avoid falling victim to scammers.
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What does wealth look like to you?

Whether it’s stopping smoking, losing weight, eating more healthily or getting fitter, most of us have probably made at least one New Year’s resolution, but how many of us will actually go on to achieve it? We all have different financial goals and aspirations in life, yet these goals can often seem out of reach. In today’s complex financial environment, achieving your financial goals may not be that straightforward.

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If the worst were to happen, would your bills still get paid?

Everyone should consider protection, even those who don’t have a family or a mortgage! Unless they have substantial savings or inherited wealth, most people rely on their salary to pay for everything. Over the years, you may have taken out a number of different insurance policies to give you and your family financial security. Perhaps this may have been when you started a family, took out a mortgage or became self-employed.

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Legitimate ways for higher earners to reduce a tax bill

Without a carefully developed tax planning strategy, higher-rate taxpayers run the risk of missing out on key tax benefits and paying more in taxes than necessary. A higher tax liability can diminish the value of your investment earnings over the long term.

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Preserving your wealth and transferring it effectively

Estate planning is an important part of wealth management, no matter how much wealth you have built up. It’s the process of making a plan for how your assets will be distributed upon your death or incapacitation.

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Retirees now have a whole host of new options

The pension freedoms, introduced on 6 April 2015, have given retirees a whole host of new options. There is no longer a compulsory requirement to purchase an annuity (a guaranteed income for life) when you retire. The introduction of pension freedoms brought about fundamental changes to the way we can access our pension savings.

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Time to explore your ISA options?

An Individual Savings Account (ISA) enables you to save in a simple, tax-efficient way, while generally giving you instant access to your money. This gives you short, medium and long-term saving options, and with the end of the current tax year not too far away, it’s important to make the most of your annual tax-free ISA allowance.

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