No-deal Brexit: The potential winners and losers October 15, 2019 As you read this, Brexit negotiators are working around the clock to come to an agreement that will enable the UK to leave the EU in an orderly way by the Halloween deadline. Both sides have said they are committed to working out a deal, but with time so short, nothing is certain. If they [...]
From Bloom & Wild to Moneybox, we meet the man who co-founded both October 14, 2019 What do a flower shop and an investment app have in common? More than you might think, says the co-founder of two flourishing British businesses, Moneybox and Bloom & Wild. The latter was featured in City A.M. in 2017 and remains one of the fastest growing tech companies in the country, according to Deloitte. “I [...]
Why your ethical fund may not be so ethical after all October 9, 2019 The launch of an ethical investment fund used to be a far rarer occasion than it is today. Around 21 ethical funds have been launched in the UK already this year, according to exclusive figures given to City A.M. by research house FE. Compare this to 2014, when just seven ethical funds were launched all [...]
Adventure capital: Young firms offer strong returns, so why aren’t pensions invested? September 25, 2019 Are you taking on enough risk? Because a common concern among money experts is that pension savers, particularly those who won’t reach retirement age for decades, are not. If you have opted for your pension provider’s default fund, it’s highly likely that you will be invested in companies that are well-established, but only give you [...]
How could the oil attacks in Saudi Arabia affect investment? September 24, 2019 Things are heating up in the Middle East following the attack on an oil field in Saudi Arabia just over a week ago. The kingdom produces 10 per cent of the world’s oil, and while state-owned company Saudi Aramco, which owns the damaged plant, is drawing on its inventories to prevent export levels from falling, [...]
For the tax avoidance of doubt: In light of the review into the controversial loan charge, what are the options? September 18, 2019 With reports of people losing their homes, going bankrupt, and even committing suicide, it’s clear that the government’s so-called “loan charge” is hugely problematic. Tens of thousands of freelancers and contractors are being chased for retrospective tax, with some expected to pay debts that date as far back as 1999. Why? Because they signed up [...]
What a con: Four common tactics used to scam pension savers September 11, 2019 The impact of pension fraud can be devastating, with victims losing an average of £82,000 last year. Even those of us who are savvy with our money can end up falling victim to fraud. In fact, it is estimated that five million pension savers in the UK are at risk, with 42 per cent of [...]
Just what the doctor ordered: The tech that is freeing NHS staff from pagers, landlines and WhatsApp September 10, 2019 When Lydia Yarlott started working as a junior doctor in 2015, she was handed a pager. With this retro piece of technology, she was expected to communicate with her colleagues in the hospital. For anyone unfamiliar with (or too young to know) how a pager works, the device beeps when someone wants to contact you, [...]
Mortgages, pensions and other savings products are not designed for self-employed workers – here’s what needs to change September 4, 2019 A growing number of us are choosing to go it alone. According to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics, the number of self-employed workers is now nearing the five million mark. That’s around 15 per cent of the UK workforce, and a million more people than the same period in 2009, with London [...]
Does Hargreaves Lansdown’s strategy cause too much money to pour into too few funds? August 28, 2019 Given that diversification is one of the most important principles of investing, we should question why the UK’s largest investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown doesn’t seem to be following this basic idea. This became apparent in the wake of the scandal around Britain’s most famous fund manager, as £1.6bn was funnelled into Neil Woodford’s still-suspended fund [...]
