When should you consider consolidating your pensions? City Talk Over the years you may have collected a variety of pension schemes, especially if you have had several jobs. For those who dislike the clutter of a mixture of pensions, consolidating many types of pension scheme into one modern pension can be a relatively straightforward exercise. In particular, a “defined contribution” scheme, such as a [...]
Revealed: the most expensive tracker funds City Talk Passive investments have been growing in popularity in recent years. In contrast to ‘active’ funds that employ fund managers to try and select the best performing investments, passive investments or ‘trackers’ simply aim to replicate the performance of an index, say, the FTSE 100, usually by holding all or most of the constituents. Investors are [...]
Six warning signs for fund investors City Talk Knowing when to avoid or sell a fund can be tricky. Rob Morgan highlights some of the warning signs Charles Stanley’s Collectives Research Team look out for and how they spot them. Fund manager change This is probably the most obvious warning sign, but it doesn’t necessarily make the fund a ‘sell’. Many funds [...]
Does your child have a forgotten £1,000 nest egg? September 7, 2018 Child Trust Funds (CTFs) were once a popular way to save for children. They were introduced in April 2005 to encourage long-term saving and give all children a financial boost by the time they reached 18. The government sent vouchers to parents of between £250 and £500 to give accounts a head start, and family [...]
August’s top and bottom performing funds September 4, 2018 The Turkish lira succumbed to a savage slump in August following a doubling of US tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminium in retaliation for the imprisonment of a pastor on terrorism charges. Concerns about the Turkish economy had been mounting for some time given President Erdogan’s increasingly autocratic rule and the appointment of his son-in-law [...]
Three major growth themes August 29, 2018 Scientific advances bring both threats and opportunities for investors. Technological progress can render some business models obsolete, but at the same time open up new avenues of growth and wealth creation. Taking a thematic approach is one way to try and profit from a changing world. This involves investing in a collection of companies in [...]
Investment Trusts can add a new dimension to a portfolio August 23, 2018 Collective investments such as unit trusts and investment trusts let you access investment opportunities and spread risk across dozens of different companies. Investors’ money is pooled together and run by a manager who buys and sells stocks and shares on their behalf to create a diverse portfolio. While unit trusts and OEICs are structured as [...]
Infrastructure Investment Trusts: are the complex risks worth taking? August 6, 2018 Infrastructure assets such as roads, power networks, hospitals and schools are often backed by long-term revenue streams from local or central government. More conservative investors are drawn to them in their search for reliable income streams that rise with inflation. A motorway river bridge can, for instance, represent a near-monopoly route, and may have scope [...]
July’s top and bottom performing funds August 2, 2018 The threat of global trade wars continued to weigh on sentiment towards Chinese equities during July. However, US stocks have remained resilient. President Trump has always said that America could withstand a trade war easier than most thought and the market, at least so far, appears to be in agreement. Mr Trump believes that because [...]
Eight retirement planning traps and how to avoid them July 26, 2018 1. Not reviewing your pensions It is important to review your pension situation regularly. If you find you have a shortfall, you may still be able to take steps to increase the chances that your pension pot will be able to achieve the income you want when you retire. The Money Advice Service has a [...]
