Is the Innovative Finance Isa worth it? We look at the pros and cons March 6, 2019 At barely three years old, the Innovative Finance Isa still has some proving to do. And for some savers, it’s a product that is deemed too risky. But how risky is it really? Of course, the IFISA is merely a tax-free wrapper, so the risk actually depends on the underlying investments held within. And while [...]
Three reasons why investors should consider the UK stock market March 6, 2019 | City Talk By Tom Bailey from interactive investor. UK shares are now at their 'cheapest' since the First World War, says JPMorgan fund manager. It's no secret that the UK market is out of favour right now, and has been since the EU referendum in mid 2016. Fearing the still-to-be-decided outcome of Brexit and the potential for [...]
The Innovative Finance Isa didn’t get off to a flying start – so how’s it doing now? March 6, 2019 When the Innovative Finance Isa and its not-so-catchy acronym, IFISA, entered the scene back in April 2016, it’s fair to say that it didn’t get off to a great start. This was partly because, compared to its Isa cousins, the IFISA didn’t get much publicity (admittedly, the UK was two months away from the EU referendum, [...]
A clear choice for discerning investors March 6, 2019 | Sponsored Now nudging £5 billion a year, peer-to-peer and crowd lending platforms have entered the mainstream during a post-financial crisis era in which investors increasingly want a say in where and how their money is invested. Savers and investors now place a greater premium on transparency, choice and engagement – not to mention a (quite justified) [...]
The IFISA for entrepreneurial investors March 6, 2019 | Sponsored Crowd2Fund is the only technology-led platform allowing entrepreneurial investors to actively choose the individual businesses they invest in. Investors have the opportunity to choose loans across various sectors earning returns between 6% to 15% APR, before fees and bad debt, all within the tax-free Innovative Finance ISA wrapper. The IFISA that gives you genuine choice [...]
Government ‘very unlikely’ to hit apprenticeship targets, warns NAO March 6, 2019 Whitehall’s attempts to overhaul the apprenticeships system have so far lowered the number of apprentices starting schemes in the UK by one-quarter, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). The number of starts in the academic year 2017/18 was 375,800, 26 per cent lower than the 509,400 starts in 2015/16 before the introduction of the [...]
Pensions Regulator tells companies to prioritise pensions payments over shareholder dividends March 5, 2019 The Pensions Regulator has said employers who are unable to fill funding gaps in their pensions schemes should stop paying dividends to shareholders, amid concerned companies are prioritising shareholders at the expense of pension payments. The regulator said on Tuesday it was “concerned about the disparity between dividend growth and stable deficit repair contributions (DRC)”. [...]
Mark Zuckerberg tumbles down Forbes’ 2019 rich list as Bezos stays top March 5, 2019 Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg fell five places on this year’s famed Forbes rich list, having lost $8.7bn (£6.62bn) in a torrid year for his social media website. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos fared considerably better than his compatriot, topping the list for the second year in a row with a jaw-dropping $131bn fortune. Read more: American [...]
Lord Rothschild warns on market volatility after ‘difficult and treacherous year’ for investors March 5, 2019 Last year was the “most difficult and treacherous year for investors” in a decade, Lord Rothschild said today as his investment trust RIT Capital Partners reported shrinking net asset value. The company said Net Asset Value (NAV) per share was 1,821p in the year to the end of December 2018, down from 1,839p the previous [...]
To buy to not to buy? The pitfalls of online shopping when at work March 5, 2019 A furtive glance to the side, to gauge your neighbour’s gaze. A quick dart over the shoulder, perhaps a slight bob upwards in the chair above the rim of the screen, to check if the coast is clear. And then, the adrenaline building, comes the lightning-quick rattle of the keyboard, the double click and, yes, there [...]