Planning for a secure financial future

January 5, 2024
Over the past 12 months, the cost-of-living crisis has put significant pressure on household budgets and knocked many people’s confidence in their future financial prospects. Research, however, shows that planning is a key driver of positivity about our financial futures; so, as a new year [...]
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Residential Property Review – December 2023 

January 2, 2024
Sellers knock £18,000 off asking prices Sellers accepted an average discount of £18,000 on their property sale in November 2023 – the highest average price cut in five years. This is according to property portal Zoopla, which stated that high mortgage rates are continuing to [...]
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Gender division extends to money matters

December 29, 2023
Despite women’s earning power increasing significantly over recent decades, the division of financial responsibilities does not appear to have evolved. A survey1 of 4,000 UK adults earlier this year found that women still typically have greater oversight of domestically focused financial matters, such as household [...]
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‘Spot the dog’ fund

December 21, 2023
According to the latest data1, the number of ‘dog’ funds have increased by 27% since February this year, that represents 56 equity investment funds versus 44 earlier in the year, but a reduction on the 86 dog funds identified in January 2022. A ‘dog’ fund [...]
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Economic Review – November 2023

December 14, 2023
OBR cuts economic growth forecast Revised forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) suggest the UK economy is set to grow more slowly over the next two years than previously predicted. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled the independent fiscal watchdog’s latest projections during his Autumn [...]
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Autumn Statement 2023

December 5, 2023
On 22 November, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt unveiled the government’s latest tax and spending plans saying “we back British business” announcing 110 growth measures which he said would boost business investment by £20bn a year. The Chancellor said the government had taken difficult [...]
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Residential Property Review – November 2023 

November 30, 2023
Residential supply and demand less downbeat According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) October UK Residential Market Survey, demand is still falling faster than supply. New buyer enquiries posted a net balance of -28% during October, marking eighteen successive months in which this [...]
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The complexities of succession planning

November 16, 2023
Succession, the hugely popular TV show, highlights the complexities of wealth transfer. There’s a lot to think about when passing on your wealth – as well as the risk of family disputes, tax implications need to be taken into consideration. Preserving, planning and communication As [...]
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‘Megatrends are defining the future’

November 9, 2023
The emergence of new trends and advancements such as the advent of AI, electric vehicles and other ‘big picture’ global innovations are set to shape our future, presenting opportunities to investors interested in capturing these themes in their portfolios. The United Nations Economist Network has [...]
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Economic Review – October 2023

November 3, 2023
Inflation rate holds steady The Bank of England (BoE) Governor has described the latest batch of inflation statistics as “quite encouraging,” adding that he expects a “noticeable drop” in the headline rate when the next set of data is released later this month. Figures recently [...]
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