Blogs & News
How can you avoid greenwashing?
Impact Investing has become more popular – but its not just a case of putting ‘green’ in front of a fund name. Consumers shouldn’t be left to judge for themselves whether or not their investment is ethical. So how can you avoid greenwashing in your investments?
If you’re self-employed, is your State Pension at risk?
Self-employed workers tend to have lower levels of pension savings, and a greater reliance on the State Pension. Changes to thresholds may mean that some are at risk of losing their state pension.
Who uses discount shopping anyway?
Discount shopping portals are an easy way to help your employees make their money go further, and demonstrates employers investment in their people. How much could you save through employee benefits?
How will technology advances affect financial advice?
Artificial intelligence, open banking, robo advice, blockchain, virtual reality – all hot topics in financial services innovation as brands try to understand how they can most effectively engage their customers, better understand their circumstances and monetise their connections using the latest technology. In the financial advice market we’ve been hearing these phrases for several years [...]
Beyond ‘active’ and ‘index’ investing
Describing an investment as ‘active’ or ‘passive’ doesn’t fully explain how your investment manager is looking after your money and trying to provide growth…
Is uncertainty the new normal or has it always been that way?
What’s ‘normal’ in investing? Uncertainty. Investing in the good times and the bad, we look at risk and investment performance from the last century.
Financial advice in popular culture
There are very few examples of financial advisers on our screens and stories. Those that we see are worlds away from the usual day-to-day of an IFA. If your sole reference is Marty Bird of Ozark, you might benefit from this article.
The make-up of portfolios and the importance of global equities
It would take a brave person to predict the outcome of Brexit right now given the political and legal wrangling that appears to lie ahead. But what impact is this having on investors?
The financial planning requirements of James Bond, Harry Potter and Doctor Who
We take a look at the finances of three fictional heroes from the UK and discuss how financial planning could help them. While we had a lot of fun writing this article, it highlights several specialist areas of financial advice, and how versatile an adviser’s toolbox can be.
How political risk affects investments
Investment managers consider political risk when making investments. At the moment there’s a lot of talk on both sides of the Brexit argument about the potential impact of the UK leaving the EU either with or without a deal…
No such thing as a ‘no risk’ pension
When looking at options for funding your retirement, it’s important to understand that your pension pot will be invested – and as with all investments, your capital is at risk.
Equity release in retirement; supplementing your pension with your property
When nearing retirement we face the challenge of ensuring our funds will last. Increasing numbers of UK homeowners have been looking for alternative methods to increase their income in retirement and are turning to their property to supplement their pensions.