magazine archive
magazine archive
Money Matters
How to get your investments to pay you £10,000 per year
Thursday 22 Mar 2018The idea of your stock market investments paying you a regular salary to cover day-to-day expenses is an attractive one – the ultimate example of getting your money to work for you. The amount you would need to put into the markets to set yourself up for an income of £10,000 from your investments...
Three ways to smooth your investment returns
Thursday 22 Mar 2018Investing in equities can feel like a bit of a rollercoaster ride when stock markets are volatile. Prices can swing wildly from one week to the next, causing even the most experienced investors to panic. If you’re worried about the impact of market volatility on your portfolio, you might want to...
The Government finally gets tough on pension scams
Thursday 15 Mar 2018Tuesday 6 March was a good day for retirement savers in the UK. After years of prevarication, the Government finally confirmed a ban on pensions cold-calling will be in place by June 2018. This is an important step forward in the fight against fraudsters who target retirement savers. Most pension...
How to pick an Innovative Finance ISA
Thursday 15 Mar 2018The past year has seen the launch of an array of Innovative Finance ISAs (IFISAs) that enable people to invest in peer-to-peer ( P2P ) loans in a tax-efficient way. There are almost 40 IFISAs currently available and they vary significantly in the returns offered, types of borrowers you’re lending...
How could a slowdown in life expectancy growth impact your retirement planning?
Thursday 08 Mar 2018It has become accepted wisdom that life expectancy in the UK will continue its unstoppable march upwards. However, two reports published within the last 12 months have caused some to question this assumption. The first, produced by influential academic Michael Marmot in July 2017, argued that life...
Why you should think about trimming large holdings in your investment portfolio
Thursday 08 Mar 2018It is really gratifying when an investment performs better than expected, but if a holding gets too big as a proportion of your portfolio it can cause problems in the long run. When a share or fund increases significantly in value, its weighting in your overall portfolio increases. This can make...
Scottish income tax overhaul – how will it affect your pension?
Thursday 01 Mar 2018If you’re a Scottish taxpayer, big changes are just around the corner. From April this year some people north of the border will pay a different rate of income tax to their counterparts in the rest of the UK. It is the first time the Scottish Government has used powers that allow it to set...
Is it worth moving SIPP provider and how long does it take?
Thursday 01 Mar 2018If you’re unhappy with the fees or customer service at your current SIPP (self-invested personal pension) provider then it could be worth transferring to a new provider. SIPPs vary significantly in what they offer, so you need to do your homework when deciding with whom to place your hard-earned...
Time is running out for this one-off Lifetime ISA transfer trick
Thursday 22 Feb 2018The clock is ticking for savers to swap their Help to Buy ISA for a Lifetime ISA and pocket an extra £1,100 in Government bonuses for the 2017/18 tax year. The Help to Buy ISA has proven popular since it first launched in 2015. The latest official statistics show 143,894 bonuses had been paid to...
Investing for kids isn’t just for the wealthy
Thursday 22 Feb 2018There is a common misconception that investing for children is the preserve of wealthy parents. It’s actually possible to build a decent-sized nest egg by saving small amounts of money each month into a stocks and shares Junior ISA. If you invest £30 a month from birth, your child could benefit...