Five qualities an IFA brings to your investment portfolio

Monday, 02 April 2012 08:25 Written by traceyevans 0 Comments

Let’s assume for a moment that you’re in the happy position of having £100,000 to invest. What would you do? Play absolutely safe and put the money on deposit? Or go all out for capital growth and put your windfall into a fund that could give you a sky-high return – but that carries an equally high degree of risk?

Deposit accounts – the good, the bad and the ugly

Wednesday, 16 November 2011 15:32 Written by traceyevans 0 Comments

On Thursday March 5th 2009 the Bank of England reduced its base rate to 0.5% where it has remained ever since – and with fears about European defaults and a possible double-dip recession stalking the economy, it is unlikely to rise in the near future. Indeed, some economists are predicting that any rise before 2014 is now unlikely.

If you’re a borrower – especially one whose mortgage is linked to base rate – that’s great news. But supposing you’re a saver? In particular, supposing you are a cautious saver – someone who doesn’t like taking risks and prefers the security of a deposit account?

Ethical Investment – an overview

Wednesday, 09 November 2011 08:49 Written by traceyevans 0 Comments

With the recent emphasis on sustainability and climate change, it would be easy to think that ethical investment is a relatively modern phenomenon. In fact, its roots can be traced back to 1758, when the Society of Friends (the Quakers) banned members from investing in the slave trade.

Stock Market Volatility – it’s not all bad news

Wednesday, 21 September 2011 11:13 Written by traceyevans 0 Comments

To say that the stock market has been volatile lately is an understatement. The FTSE (“footsie”), as it’s commonly known started life in January 1984 with a base level of 1,000 and peaked at an all time high of 6,950 on 30th December 1999. Since that high point it has fallen back below 4,000 and several times been above 6,000. At the time of writing, it stood at 5,368.