‘Lack of confidence’ to blame for gender investment gap May 28, 2019 More than a third of wealthy women do not invest due to a lack of confidence, according to new research. A total of 35 per cent of high net worth women do not have an investment portfolio, a survey of 500 wealthy individuals found, compared to 17 per cent of men. Read more: When women [...]
Vodafone dividend cut: which UK shares might be next? May 28, 2019 By Tom Bailey from interactive investor. Vodafone's cut might be a canary in the coalmine for FTSE 100 shares. Over the past year the market has increasingly cooled on Vodafone (LSE:VOD). The company has a long list of problems, including the high cost of 5G investment, being squeezed by competition on the continent and high [...]
UK mortgage approvals hit two-year high following Brexit extension May 28, 2019 The number of mortgage approvals for house purchases in the UK reached a two-year high in April, a survey showed today, suggesting the country’s housing market may be recovering from a recent slowdown. Read more: Mortgage approvals fall as lending to businesses also drops UK banks approved 42,989 mortgages in April, the highest figure since [...]
Taking the higher ground rent: How homeowners can stop themselves falling victim to dubious leasehold contracts May 28, 2019 Finally able to buy your first home, you skip away from the rat race that is the rental system, proudly boasting the much-revered title of “homeowner”. And yet, if you’ve bought a leasehold property, it might not be the picket-fenced dream that you’d bargained for. Millions of UK properties, typically flats, are sold as leasehold. This [...]
The tenant fee ban is good news for landlords May 28, 2019 From 1 June, it will be illegal for tenants in England to be charged letting fees, with deposits capped at six weeks’ rent. Anyone who rents their home will see the benefits in the tenant fee ban, with tenants expected to save an average of £400 per move. More importantly, this policy marks the beginning [...]
Sluggish economic growth to continue as demand for lending falls May 28, 2019 The UK economy’s sluggish growth shows no signs of letting up, with all three major lending classes set to grow less than two per cent this year, new figures have revealed. Despite an uptick in real incomes, demand for consumer credit is forecast to grow just 1.6 per cent this year and two per cent [...]
Esure and Directline founder Sir Peter Wood leads insurance start-up funding round May 28, 2019 Esure and Directline founder Sir Peter Wood has led a £2.5m funding round in insurance start-up Pikl. Wood received £360m when he sold his stake in Esure to private equity firm Bain Capital last year. The serial entrepreneur also founded Directline in the 1980s, allowing customers to buy insurance over the phone, later selling his [...]
UK peer-to-peer finance company Lendy collapses amid investigation May 25, 2019 UK property finance firm Lendy has collapsed and administrators from RSM have been appointed following a court order on Friday afternoon. The lender is under investigation by financial regulators, and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the appointment was made "following action taken by the FCA". Read more: Treasury launches probe into FCA's review of London Capital & Finance "There is [...]
Gaps between tenancies can be a real money sink. Here’s how to avoid them May 24, 2019 Most experienced landlords will know that the biggest real losses come from long periods between tenancies, where they can end up haemorrhaging money if the presentation and marketing of their property isn’t well managed. The areas that are often the cause of these voids are: Difficulty in access for viewings Poor presentation Too high a [...]
Theresa May’s legacy? Contortions of logic and tin-eared obstinacy May 24, 2019 It’s the EU exit, stupid. This, to paraphrase Bill Clinton, is what Theresa May’s tenure as Prime Minister has been all about. The tempestuous journey to try to get Britain out of the EU will undoubtedly be her legacy, whether she is remembered in the history books as the architect of a national disaster, or as a [...]