My two eldest children’s first school was Little Missenden Church of England Infant School, an idyllic establishment catering for just 45 pupils. The next-door churchyard was separated from the playground by a low iron railing fence and often an elderly looking gentlemen would chat to the children at breaktimes. None of the children really knew who he was, but the teachers did.
Read MoreIn January this year, Kseniia, our Ukrainian analyst, ran comparisons over the last ten calendar years of the Vanguard FTSE tracker (cost 0.09% pa) versus a unit trust JO Hambro UK Equity (cost 0.67% pa) versus the Merchants Trust (cost 0.61%). Kseniia ran two scenarios, both covering 2013 to 2022…
Read MoreFishing is, by a distance, the biggest participation sport in the UK with over 1.5 million taking part each year.
I am no fisherman but have enjoyed a fishing trip three times in the last three years when on holiday. On our latest encounter we…
Read MoreBeing independent, we are agnostic in our choice of assets, products, managers, platforms, strategies – we have the luxury of being able whatever we want in creating client portfolios. We live and die by the sword though – if the income a client needs isn’t delivered then the relationship is very short lived, so our job is finding the optimal solution to meet your specific needs.
Read MoreSpending money – your retirement money – starts off being a science and then moves to the emotional. How people invest money is hidden, not visible, but how it is spent is the opposite and that may be more insightful. Money is a utility, it’s for a purpose; if it is…
Read MoreI came across a tv news story of a chap in New Zealand, who, on his first day of retirement cut the lawn. The next day he cut it again.
He then scarified, treated and reseeded it.
While waiting for nature to catch up he…
Read MoreIf you’re nearing or at retirement, you should be aware of two new taxes that were introduced alongside Pension Freedoms back in 2015. And the two things your retirement depends on.
Read MoreIn my youth I’m not sure I paid much attention to climate change, a hot summer’s day in Yorkshire was a treat and not something to be concerned about.
Then we were in New Zealand’s largest city Auckland last Friday when it experienced its most extreme rainfall on record…by a distance…
Read MoreI noted on a DIY investor site this week that they were running a story on people who run their lives – top to bottom – on being able to retire when they reach 40. I wonder if they have understood what retirement really is? It's not just the length of retirement that’s important, it’s also the breadth…
Read MoreUnless you only visit high end restaurants where it’s still difficult to get a table unless you book three months ahead it seems, you might have noticed a distinct absence of staff in catering establishments across the board. So much so that…
Read MoreThis week David Stevenson wrote about us in Citywire, asking why don’t more people realise trusts are great pension income providers if you care more about steady income than steady capital growth.
Read MoreMy wife is a Kiwi and so combining a winter holiday with visiting relatives and friends is a double win. After a family gathering in Wellington, we took the ferry to the South Island and the start of a five-day hike along The Queen Charlotte Track…
Read MoreWorking with people like you all day, every day, we run several continual, repetitive conversations so I’ve outlined for you here the three dilemmas every client gets caught with, and why the questions are non-binary. There’s a point to noodles, but more importantly we outline for you the three main ways of drawing income from your pension.
Read MoreThis time I cover two aspects of retirement for you – one is what to do with the free time and your Third Age, the other is how to pay for it.
Read MoreFirst a quick look at the fun part of retiring, the whole point – stepping away from the desk brings 24/7 freedom so what’s your plan? Here’s what Steve & Judy from the BBC did in the mid-50’s as a change of tack (pun intended) and plan for filling retirement years.
Read MoreAs we approach The Season of Goodwill and Peace on Earth to all men….and women… it seems the narrative is more hostile than ever. Is it social media or are we simply less kind than we used to be?
Read MoreToday we’ll have a quick look at some items we have come across recently – we’ll show you what Russian bots on the web actually look like and the simple error Norway has made on its wealth tax.
Read MoreThis week we have been running annual updates and valuations for all our clients – the updates include the month by month record of the actual income, and these annual tables are stacked with the prior years to provide clients with the reassurance of just how reliable the income is in reality. You can’t pay bills with optimistic asset allocation.
Read MoreAs an island nation where the seasons come and go, it’s little wonder that we are always talking about the weather. We are famous for it, ridiculed even, but we are addicted to the topic and just can’t stop. As a child growing up in Yorkshire, I can remember…
Read MoreThis was the catchphrase of The Rag Trade, the 1960’s TV comedy series filmed in black and white which was repeated in colour in the 1970’s. Starring Reg Varney, Sheila Hancock and Barbara Windsor the show shed light on gender politics and class war on the factory floor. The female textile workers led by the male foreman and business owner went on strike in just about every episode. Strikes were funny then.
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