The great adventure: How to navigate the world of equity crowdfunding as an investor June 18, 2015 Debt and equity crowdfunding have the potential to revolutionise small business funding. In 2012, The Breedon Report predicted a funding gap of £59bn for UK companies by 2016, if nothing was done. The government’s response was to make funds available via alternative finance providers and to enhance the benefits to equity investors via the Enterprise [...]
A quiet revolution in Saudi Arabia is unlikely good news – Animal Spirits June 18, 2015 Each month John Hulsman examines under-appreciated opportunities around the world, uncovering markets that it would be easy to overlook. Economics has never been the problem with Saudi Arabia. Investors have long eyed the petrokingdom as one of the world’s last-untapped frontier markets. Given its almost boundless energy riches, with GDP equalling $750bn, Riyadh amounts [...]
Britain’s still great: Opportunities abound from the Northern Powerhouse to infrastructure revamp June 18, 2015 EUROPE REFERENDUM To the relief of many, the UK election turned out to be a simple affair. But while we avoided protracted wrangling over the make-up of the government, the key risk facing the UK now is the referendum on European Union membership. It is due to be held before 2017 – but some business [...]
Investing in Europe: Which fund should I buy? June 18, 2015 Europe received a boost earlier this year when the European Central Bank began a QE programme, following in the footsteps of the US, UK and Japan. The long-awaited bond buying scheme was greeted with cheer by investors who now hope Europe’s markets will continue to rise. This follows a very turbulent time for investors [...]
The importance of income: Regular dividends will make a massive difference to your portfolio June 18, 2015 Most new investors build a portfolio in the hope of capital growth. You put money into shares, the price rises, and you sell out with a handsome profit. But investing in assets which make regular payments can make a real difference to the overall performance of your portfolio, and some of the world's most successful [...]
Cheap and cheerful: Your quick guide to low cost passive investments June 18, 2015 More and more people are shunning active fund managers and choosing to buy cheap “passive” market-tracking investments instead. The amount of money invested in these low cost alternatives has nearly doubled over the last ten years. Now 12 per cent of all money put into funds is invested in passives, according to the Investment [...]
How did they do it? The strategies of the world’s greatest investors June 18, 2015 WARREN BUFFETT THE MOST SUCCESSFUL INVESTOR EVER Now aged 84, Nebraska-born Warren Buffett was the most successful investor of the twentieth century. Known as the “Oracle of Omaha” for his wisdom, at one point he was the richest man in the world with an estimated net worth of $71bn. Buffett is a [...]
Simple ways to save your heirs from an inheritance tax headache June 16, 2015 Nearly 10 per cent of deaths will be subject to inheritance tax (IHT) by 2018-19, up from 4.8 per cent in 2013-14, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility. Originally designed to only be levied on the very richest, a combination of rising house prices and successive governments’ failure to substantially lift the threshold at [...]
Don’t let the politicians mess up your pension April 23, 2015 It can often feel like politicians are only there to get in our way. The coming General Election brings with it a host of sizeable risks – whether the threat of damaging new interventions in markets, the prospect of months of confidence-sapping uncertainty over the stability of the next government, or the possibility that a [...]
At home and abroad: Global numbers that matter and key election pledges April 23, 2015 From interest rate cuts and capital flight, to plunging currencies and growth wobbles, we highlight the numbers that matter this month KEY ELECTION PLEDGES THE CONSERVATIVES WILL… Raise the level at which people start paying income tax to £12,500 a year, from £10,600, and introduce a law to ensure no one on the [...]