In the 1970’s there were 132 listed British sitcoms. From the 1980’s to the 2010’s it increased from 143 to 172 sitcoms. But this decade so far there have only been 54. An academic writing in a new book is claiming that some of those sitcoms make sense of the political attitudes that prompted Brexit…
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Don’t retire until you want to
The sweet spot in retirement
A big list of things to do over the next 12 months while you’re in the sweet spot.
This White Paper calculates the different outcomes of investing for income via FTSE & MSCI World trackers, traditional 60/40 portfolios and investment trust dividends, from 1986 to 2022. It applies four amounts of income against each strategy, and applies inflation to income drawn so investors can see the reality of the £-numbers separated from the mist of theory created by institutional research being mis-applied to personal portfolios. It further compares annuities over that time, and the resulting capital values for all investment strategies, and all income choices.
Read MoreIt’s important to get what you’ve already paid for throughout your life, including your full state pension. If you haven’t done so already, then you can follow the outline below from Ian, our project director, who has had spells working in both the US and Switzerland. Here’s his take on how to find out and fix any gaps.
Read MoreBilly No-Mates is the poignant title of Max Dickins new book in which he explores the problems men can have with maintaining friendships. Women it seems, are much better at it. When Max proposed to his girlfriend, he realised…
Read MoreA rumbling of concern about electric cars came from an unlikely source earlier this month in the form of a piece in Mail Online by Rowan Atkinson. Unlikely, that is, until you are acquainted with his credentials.
Read MoreInflation: CPI vs RPI. Saving with banks whose names you can’t pronounce, and living on a budget
Read MoreI won’t be seeing any of my four offspring on Father’s Day, and I don’t mind a bit. I have a similar attitude to birthdays. I won’t see any of them on Christmas Day either. Of course, I love spending time with my kids but…
Read MoreI came across the story in the New York Times last week; I can’t add anything to the explanation, so I’ve just quoted. You’ll agree that such Trumpian errors are scary…
Read MoreGas and water bills, council tax and house insurance – some expenses are utterly predictable and though not guaranteed to be charged to us, the rational expectation is that they will be. Technically speaking every company in the FTSE 100 could pay no dividends this year, however the rational expectation is that they will: ‘rational’ because…
Read MoreRod Liddle’s Sunday Times article headlined, “We slurped up loads more sugar and salt in the Seventies. So why are we fatter now?” He went on to bemoan Tony Blair’s government for bullying food manufacturers into reducing sugar and salt and in the process ruining the flavour of teatime favourites like Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup and Spaghetti Hoops, to the point where “nobody eats that stuff anymore.” Maybe he’s right?
Read MoreAs the sun begins to make a more frequent appearance and the temperature rises, ice cream sales are also on the up. News so important that it featured in Radio 4’s bulletins, that Cadbury flakes, now made in Egypt, are too crumbly! Then there’s the matter of Percy Pig ice cream and Golden Gaytime…
Read MoreWhen King Charles was a prince there was a long-running tale that he never carried money; that was probably correct as he has always had people to do that for him. I suspect, however, that he has probably never…
Read MoreSince its founding, Black Hills has paid a dividend to its shareholders every year, for 81 consecutive years. This endows Black Hills with a place in the US’s Dividend Kings, though the longest run of increases belongs to American States Water at 67 years. Looking across the pond at dividends we see that
Read MoreI have known my colleague and friend for about twenty years. He trained as an accountant, has a neat haircut, smart appearance, and lives in the home counties. Having spent a great deal of time in his company I thought I knew him pretty well, but it seems he was hiding a dark secret.
Read MoreMy 26-year-old daughter recently encouraged me to watch a film called “End to End” about singer songwriter George Ezra's charming Cross-Britain hike. Have you seen it?
Read MoreFinancial advice from my Cypriot barber (credit card machine out of order again…), and how to walk like a duck called Warren Buffett.
Read MoreGrowing up in Yorkshire, it seems there was a chippy on every street corner. Less so now, but there are still some brilliant exponents of The Noble Art, complete with awards. However there was a rather dramatic turn of events at two of my locals recently…
Read MoreIf you looked at the UK charts only in February ’74, you’d be excused for believing the quality of music in that year was – hmmm – odd. If you viewed 1974’s music by the best-selling albums for the whole year you’d have a completely different view. How does that relate to your investments?
Read MoreI'd like to have had a go at someone for time wasting and daft questions, but Chatbots have thick skins and don't care.
According to Forbes 86% of people prefer a human to talk to, and I'm one of them.
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