Investment portfolios are like teams. They should all work together harmoniously, with each member bringing their own strengths to balance out the others’ weaknesses so that no matter what happens, you wind up with a good result. That’s the theory. The art, science and skill of diversification is building an investment portfolio that makes this […]
The financial realities of getting older
Life is full of challenges and possibly the single biggest challenge of longer life expectancy is working out how to finance it. There are more options than “just” pensions and even if you do go down the pension route (which is often a very sensible approach), there can be all kinds of considerations involved in […]
Help to buy is extended (and limited)
The Help to Buy scheme has been both extended and limited. It’s been extended because it now runs to 2023. It’s been limited because it’s now only open to first-time buyers. Another new twist to the scheme is that the government has introduced new price caps for properties bought under the scheme. Only London keeps […]
The reality of average risk
Averages can be both interesting and informative, but they can also be misleading. Firstly, there are three different ways of calculating them (mean, median and mode), which can produce significantly different results. Secondly, even if “average figures” suggest that there is little likelihood of a negative event happening to you, it can still make a […]
Inflation and Investments
Inflation is basically another word for price increases. Its opposite is deflation. Inflation matters because it influences the cost of goods and services and hence how much income we need to support our lifestyle. Measuring inflation In principle, you can measure inflation (or deflation) by tracking the price of an item over time. In practice, […]
Accidents can (and do) happen
While words like “health and safety” tend to make people’s eyes roll, fundamentally health and safety is basically about taking sensible precautions to keep people safe and it, therefore, applies in the home too. As an added bonus, it also helps to keep your valued possessions safe. Here are some tips on preventing accidents in […]