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Why its important to have a will

Why it’s important to have a will

If you haven’t got a will, you don’t have control over what happens to your money and assets after you die. That means your wealth may not go to your chosen beneficiaries, and could cause lots of lengthy and costly legal issues for the loved ones you leave behind. Here are our top reasons why …

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Make the most of your investments

How to make the most of your investments

Investing is a good way to make your money work hard for you, so you can build wealth faster than you could if you put it in a savings account. But the value of your investments can go down as well as up and can expose you to a greater level of risk than leaving …

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Financial Market January 2023

Market Commentary January 2023

Introduction As 2022 drew to a close, there was a mixed picture worldwide as major economies sought to respond to soaring energy prices, rising living costs and the continuing impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In our first round-up of the year, we look at where we left off in 2022 all across the world… …

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Market Commentary

Market Commentary December 2022

Introduction War? Soaring energy and food prices? Covid surging in China and people taking to the streets in protest? Worries about a prolonged recession here in the UK? In November, there was plenty for world stock markets to worry about – but, as we will see below, the markets largely shrugged aside the concerns, with …

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The Autumn Statement

The Autumn Statement Overview 2022

Introduction “A week is a long time in politics,” as Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson famously said. What, then, is two months? Or to be more exact, 55 days? On 6th September, Liz Truss, having defeated Rishi Sunak in the ballot of Conservative members, became Prime Minister. She duly appointed Kwasi Kwarteng – a man …

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Should I Consolidate My Pensions

Should I Consolidate My Pensions?

If, like many people, you’ve had several jobs throughout your working life, you’ll have picked up multiple workplace pensions. But these can be hard to keep track of, both in terms of how much you’re paying for them and how well they’re doing, so you might be thinking of consolidating your pensions into just one …

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Equity Release

Is Equity Release a Good Idea?

Early last month, City AM had a dramatic headline: ‘Cash-strapped homeowners turn their properties into personal cash machines.’ They reported that equity release was ‘booming’, with homeowners releasing a total of £4.8bn from their homes in 2021. Ten years previously, the amount released was just £790m with only two years out of the ten – …

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Interest rates and inflation

How are interest rates and inflation linked?

The Bank of England’s aim is for the country to have low and stable inflation – and it works to a target of two per cent. Changing interest rates are the Bank of England’s mechanism for achieving its inflation target, and in the current climate of high inflation, it believes raising rates is the right …

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Market Commentary November 2022

Market Commentary November 2022

Introduction Where did we leave the soap opera that is British politics? At the end of September, Liz Truss was the Prime Minister, and Kwasi Kwarteng was her Chancellor. As we reported last month, Kwarteng presented his ‘fiscal statement’ on Friday 23rd September. Three weeks later, he was gone and Liz Truss had to endure …

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