Tuesday 24th August, 2021
Guide to investing: Part 1 - What are the 7 main asset classes?
"What is an investment asset class?" This is one of the many questions I get asked by friends and prospective clients around the basic fundamentals of investing. Many people are keen to invest, but often find themselves adrift in a flood of jargon and concepts that seem to make absolutely no sense. I have therefore put together a two part series of articles that look to explain some of the basic concepts that are crucial to understand, before taking the leap into actually investing your money. In the first part we will look at the building blocks that make up an investment portfolio: the asset classes. We will look at each asset class and discuss what it is and how it works. We will look at the advantages and disadvantages of each and how they can be used to build a well diversified portfolio. In part 2, I will look at asset allocation and diversification and how to build a portfolio that is suitable for you and what you are looking to achieve. I really believe that if more people understood these concepts, there would be far more individuals reaping the potentially life changing benefits of a well structured investment portfolio. More importantly, there would be far fewer new investors being taken in by the dishonest snake-oil salesmen who peddle investment scams around the world. If you are interested in investing, but would still like some help putting together a well balanced portfolio, then please don't hesitate to give us a call.
Read moreFriday 6th August, 2021
A guide to successfully exiting your business - Things to consider when selling your company
What do you need to consider when selling your business? I am frequently asked this question by clients who have been incredibly successful in building their business, but have given little thought to how they will eventually exit the business or what a successful exit will even look like. The reality is that selling a business can be as fraught with pitfalls as the actual process of starting the business up and making it profitable. I have therefore put together this guide which takes an in-depth look at: • When you should start planning your business exit • Your objectives when selling your business • Your options when selling your business • How to make your business more attractive to buyers • How to value your business • Which advisers and professionals you should talk to and how they can help • How a financial adviser can help with your pre and post exit planning I hope you find this guide useful, but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. We are always happy to help and have a broad range of contacts with other experienced professionals we can put you in touch with, who can make a huge difference to the eventual outcome of the process.
Read moreTuesday 3rd August, 2021
What is a pension? - A guide to the pension and retirement options in the UK
I was recently confronted with this question by one of my clients, who explained that in my articles I frequently assume a level of knowledge amongst my readers that simply isn’t there. I was shocked to hear this and quite frustrated with myself. Here I am, happily making articles and videos about the more complex areas of pensions, investments and Inheritance Tax planning, when it had never occurred to me to put together an article explaining the basics of what pensions actually are, what they do and the options they offer. We do have a free pension guide available under the resources section of our website, but this is largely a users guide to defined contribution pensions, with little focus on the other pension options available, like the State Pension and Defined Benefit Pensions. In order to address this oversight, I have put together this article where I will look at the most commonly asked questions I come across relating to pensions. In the article I will look at the following areas: • What is a pension? • The State Pension • Defined Benefit (Final Salary) Pensions • Defined Contribution (Money Purchase) Pensions When looking at the pensions, I will consider: • What they are • Eligibility • How they work • Your retirement options • What happens to the pension when you die?
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