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Insight Financial Associates

Getting Crafty

5 ideas to keep the kids occupied if you’re self–isolating

Keeping children entertained can be difficult at the best of times. Keeping them occupied when confined at home, with strict restrictions, may seem nigh on impossible. But here are a few ideas we hope might help to fill some of the days: An obstacle race The Tokyo Olympics may have been cancelled for this year …

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UK Mortgage Market

Is the UK mortgage market still open for business?

You may be wondering what the current situation is with the mortgage market. Have providers stopped lending altogether? Are all new mortgage deals off? It’s true that some providers have withdrawn their higher loan to value (LTV) mortgage products. Nationwide, Santander and Skipton Building Society have recently announced that they’re only going to be offering …

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Video Conferencing

Technology bringing the generations together

One positive outcome of the crisis has been the way technology is helping us to stay in touch with each other, especially across the generations. Various apps are playing a vital role in keeping us entertained in lieu of all the social events and sporting activities being cancelled. As staying in becomes the new going …

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April Market Commentary 2020

April Market Commentary

Introduction In March, the coronavirus outbreak seemed to steal all the headlines, giving us almost hourly updates as it transformed our lives, and made the word ‘unprecedented’ feel like an understatement. Inevitably, there has been a serious impact on world stock markets, which have suffered their worst quarter since 1987. The figures that follow will …

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Market Update

Market Update – 26/03/2020

Read what Daniel Appleton, one of Insight’s directors and financial adviser, says about the current market conditions. 26th March 2020 During the last 4 weeks and in particular the last 2 weeks, markets have seen unprecedented levels of volatility, with every asset class coming under pressure. Equities have of course seen the greatest level of …

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Time to spring clean your finances

Time to spring clean your finances

The daffodils and crocuses are beginning to appear, the trees are blossoming and the days are getting lighter. Spring is definitely on its way. Traditionally, this was the time to do the big annual household clean. Now that fewer homes are heated by coal fires, with all their soot and grime, this is no longer …

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Property Ladder

How to get your child on the property ladder

It’s a tough environment for first time buyers. Rising house prices and stagnant wage growth have pushed up the average age of buying a first property to 33. What’s more, first time buyers need to borrow 18 times more than those in the 1970s. Given this context, it’s unsurprising that more and more parents and …

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Cashless Society

A new £20 note but are we heading towards a cashless society?

A new polymer “Turner” £20 note entered circulation at the end of February which the Bank of England claims is its most secure banknote ever. The new note replaces the ‘’Adam Smith’’ £20 note that has been in circulation since 2007. Artist JMW Turner is the new face of the £20 note. He is considered …

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March Market Commentary

March Market Commentary

Introduction Not the election of Donald Trump, not the US/China trade dispute. Not even Brexit. We cannot recall a single issue having so completely dominated a month’s news – or threatened to have such serious consequences – as the outbreak of Coronavirus in China. In February, the virus’ impact on the world stock markets was …

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Market Update March 2020

19th March 2020 We are sure you have been following the news about recent world events including Coronavirus and Oil and the impact this is having on the investment markets. With this in mind, we have asked two Discretionary Fund Managers, Newscape and Vestra, to comment on the situation and how it has affected their …

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