What to write about this month? Victor Hill has already – and brilliantly – covered Catalonia, and I have banged on about Longevity long enough (pun intended). But the latest book (Juvenescence) is now out – at last – and the launch party for journos, collaborators as well as friends and family, at the Oxford…
I was recently interviewed about my life all the way back to when I was born. The goal was to find out anything that could have influenced my success as an independent financial advisor (IFA) helping thousands over the last forty odd years to aim for well-funded “want for nothing” retirements, early or otherwise. When…
The problem with trying to kill an idea, whether religious or political, is that the task is impossible. Hitler tried and failed and so also did Stalin. So what possesses the Madrid government to think it can thump the Catalans into submission goodness only knows. Needless to add, the EU commission sees its authority being…
What happens in Catalonia this Sunday could, even more than Brexit, cause massive headaches in Brussels… 2014 reimagined… Imagine, if you would, an alternative history of the events in the UK in 2014. The Scottish Parliament votes to hold a referendum on Scotland’s independence from the UK. The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, condemns such…
While shares generally make up the bulk of most people’s investment portfolios, some investors may be tempted by alternative assets. They could include items such as rare stamps, classic cars or fine wines, for example. As well as offering diversity, such assets could deliver high returns in the long run. For example, over the last…
Dyson to electrify the West Country: I think Sir James Dyson’s intervention in the electric car market is very telling. He is clearly very intelligent and the public believe in him. He could float Dyson vehicles right now. Of how many people could the same be said? Not many. He will have had the advantage…
The easiest way to improve your investment returns is to invest in a tax efficient account like a pension or ISA. These allow you to minimise your tax liabilities so that you get to keep more of the income and capital gains for yourself. If you are saving for retirement the best option is normally…
Moody’s have reduced the UK government’s credit rating from AA1 to AA2. Their argument is that Brexit will make it harder for the UK to repay. This is surely nonsense since all the Chancellor of the day has to do is take out his pen and sign a few cheques. Any fool can do that…
Over the past decade, the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending sector has gone from strength to strength. A number of government measures have shown just how much they are behind the idea – not least with the introduction of the Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) from April 2016, for the first time allowing tax exemption on interest and…
Last weekend, in his 4,000 word essay on Brexit in the Daily Telegraph, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resurrected the claim, much touted during the Brexit referendum, that the UK pays Brussels £350 million every week. This prompted howls of protest from the mainstream media and even from the head of the Office of National Statistics.…
