March 30, 2016 When the Isa was launched in 1999, alongside its impressive tax benefits, its virtue lay in its simplicity. And the Isa has remained a firm UK favourite ever since, with almost 14m people using the wrapper to shield their personal savings from tax. With the end of the tax year approaching, and given that, once [...]
UK’s Isa options are too risky for investors, according to research exposing “major mismatch” March 30, 2016 The UK's Isa portfolios are too risky for the appetites of investors, new research has found. Some 70 per cent of the nation's investment Isa portfolios are in sectors with top risk ratings, according to online investment platform Rplan.co.uk. And this has created a "major mismatch" between Isas and investors. Read more: Do you really understand [...]
Peer-to-peer lending: What will happen in a downturn? March 30, 2016 Speak to any fund manager about their interest in peer-to-peer lending, and they all say the same: “it really needs to go through a business cycle, then I’ll look at it properly”. During the financial crisis, only one P2P lender was in existence – Zopa. Since then, it has been joined by industry heavyweights Funding [...]
How to get a better deal on a new Isa March 30, 2016 Getting a better deal on a new Isa is pretty simple – you just need to shop around. However, new research has shown a whopping 43 per cent of people feel they should be doing more research before setting up a new Isa or savings account. Similarly, one in five admit to never shopping around for the [...]
How the investment industry splits on Brexit March 30, 2016 The investment and asset management industry is sharply divided on the impact of Brexit, mirroring the views of individual investors. A February survey by the Share Centre found that 63 per cent of personal investors would vote to leave the EU, up from 44 per cent in August 2015. But how do the opinions split? [...]
Taking clients to a new job: Know your post-exit rights March 30, 2016 Imagine this scenario: you’re in a job that you once loved, or at least enjoyed. But now you’re tired of it and particularly fed up with your boss. You start to look elsewhere, read your employment contract, and then you alarmingly discover that you’re somewhat stuck. Yes, you’ve got some rather nasty post-termination restrictions in your [...]
Gold bullion is rising and shares in gold miners have powered ahead too. Are mining stocks the shining investment of 2016? March 30, 2016 Gold bullion has been among the best-performing investments so far this year, as prices rose 18 per cent from the start of January up to mid-March. Since gold’s low of $1,050 an ounce in December 2015, it has risen over 20 per cent, “a percentage turnaround generally regarded as signalling the reversal of a major trend”, [...]
London to face biggest changes from buy-to-let lending clampdown: As landlords brace for tougher mortgage checks, experts say investing in buy-to-let will be tougher in the capital March 29, 2016 Landlords are facing tougher rules on mortgage borrowing following an announcement from the Bank of England – and the biggest impact will felt in London, experts say. Buy-to-let has grown massively and now there are concerns about a “bubble emerging in this market,” Chancellor George Osborne said. The Bank believes overly indebted landlords pose a risk [...]
National Savings & Investments is messing with Premium Bond prize odds again – and it’s blaming the Treasury March 29, 2016 Three short years after the Premium Bonds prize fund was cut, get ready to do some more heavy fist-shaking: National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has decided to change the odds again – and it's blaming the Treasury. Is there any end to the wrath George Osborne is to endure? In a statement today, NS&I said new requirements for net [...]
Millennials are so healthy they’ve started rejecting bacon, according to new survey from Glotech Repairs March 29, 2016 In a potential threat to the traditional English fry-up breakfast, new research suggests millennials are spurning bacon in favour of healthier alternatives. A survey of breakfast eating habits has found more than 25 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds have removed bacon from their first meal of the day. As well as shunning bacon, scrambled is overtaking [...]
