Cheap and cheerful: Your quick guide to low cost passive investments June 18, 2015 More and more people are shunning active fund managers and choosing to buy cheap “passive” market-tracking investments instead. The amount of money invested in these low cost alternatives has nearly doubled over the last ten years. Now 12 per cent of all money put into funds is invested in passives, according to the Investment [...]
How did they do it? The strategies of the world’s greatest investors June 18, 2015 WARREN BUFFETT THE MOST SUCCESSFUL INVESTOR EVER Now aged 84, Nebraska-born Warren Buffett was the most successful investor of the twentieth century. Known as the “Oracle of Omaha” for his wisdom, at one point he was the richest man in the world with an estimated net worth of $71bn. Buffett is a [...]
Simple ways to stem email stress June 17, 2015 Check your inbox less often but delaying responses could send out the wrong message For some, email is the bane of their digital existence. Indeed, email management takes up 28 per cent of the average working week, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. Common complaints include emails coming in faster than you can deal [...]
How to be more mindful: Some easy techniques June 17, 2015 You don’t need to set aside hours every day to take up meditation. Few will have missed the mindfulness zeitgeist. Employers from Google and Goldman Sachs to TfL are backing this Buddhist-inspired technique, which essentially promotes “awareness”, or the ability to focus on the present moment, as a way to reduce stress. But if your [...]
China’s crunch point is approaching fast – CNBC Comment June 15, 2015 China will grow this year at a rate that will put the developed world to shame. It will probably grow next year and the year after that too. But the country’s 7 per cent gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate is not what the market cares about. It cares about momentum and performance relative to [...]
How Greek default will affect markets June 15, 2015 On June 30, Greece must pay €1.6bn to the IMF or default and face expulsion from the Eurozone. With talks breaking down over the weekend, which markets could suffer most in the event of a Greek default? EQUITIES Equity markets on the periphery are at risk of destabilisation if capital is repatriated from exposed [...]
Why the New Zealand dollar still has further to fall – DailyFX Tips & Picks June 15, 2015 The Reserve Bank of New Zealand did indeed cut rates at last week’s meeting, catching the markets off guard. The Official Cash Rate was reduced by 25 basis points to 3.25 per cent. New Zealand dollar-dollar followed suit and declined to $0.6940 from $0.7230, before price started to digest its losses. We expect New Zealand [...]
Perils of the amateur office lawyer June 15, 2015 If you’re making decisions that have a legal dimension, it pays to ensure you’re informed. Nearly 75 per cent of employees would rather not seek advice from their company lawyers about a serious business decision. The desire for ease and proximity means that turning to the person next to them is far more appealing [...]
Brainstorming: How to get that next bright idea June 14, 2015 In time-poor environments, there are simple steps to be followed. There's no such thing as a bad idea.” At some point, everyone who has ever participated in a creative thinking session has heard that saying. But is it true? Is every idea really a good idea? Alex Osborn, an advertising executive and one [...]
Leaving London: Is moving out of the Big Smoke good value for money? The pros and cons June 11, 2015 With London homes so expensive, more people than ever are thinking of escaping to the country. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? We’ve teamed up with the help of property agent Savills to challenge the assumption that you’ll get better value for your money buying outside the capital. For some, the [...]