12 February 2026
The dangers of hopping on the latest hot themeAs I write it feels like the world has gone gold crazy. The precious metal not just taking out all-time highs in nominal terms but also trading way above its ‘real’ or inflation-adjusted highs before turning sharply lower.
This column is not going to attempt a guess at where gold might go next but it is just the latest in countless examples of...
12 February 2026
Bonds are flying under the radar: are passive or active funds best for exposure?Equity markets have kept investors on their toes in the last year. Between a stream of tariff announcements, policy shifts, and AI speculation, there have been more than enough factors to keep track of.
While equity markets often take the spotlight, bonds have been chugging along in the background with their own share of changes. So, what do...
12 February 2026
Has Fundsmith lost the Midas touch?If you ask professional fund selectors what the most challenging part of their job is, deciding what to do about an underperforming fund manager will come near the top of the list. DIY investors often face the same conundrum, which is unjustly made harder the more thorough you have been with your fund selection. If you do your homework properly...
12 February 2026
Is now the time to shine a light on emerging markets?Ask the experts. Russ Mould is on hand to answer your queries about the financial markets. If you'd like a question considered for a future edition, send it in now .
Amid all the talk about Trump it feels like emerging markets are being ignored, what is their outlook like in the current market environment?
Michael
Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment...
12 February 2026
My daughter’s in the Navy — where should she start with her pension?Ask the experts. Rachel Vahey is here to answer questions on pensions. If you’d like a question considered for a future edition send it in now .
My daughter has just completed her first year in the Navy and is considering setting up a personal pension because she has an excess of cash, what can you suggest?
I have a SIPP with you but not sure I...
12 February 2026
How Google is looking to storm into the lead in the AI raceGoogle-owner Alphabet has enjoyed a renaissance over the last 12 months with the shares gaining 71%, handsomely outperforming the technology-focused Nasdaq Composite index.
The strong rally has recently pushed Alphabet’s market capitalisation through the $4 trillion mark, becoming only the fourth company in history to achieve this milestone...
12 February 2026
What to expect from a Buffett-less Berkshire HathawayFor the first time in six decades Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway will release its fourth quarter results on 27 February without Warren Buffett at the helm, after he stepped down as CEO at the end of 2025.
Under his leadership the company’s value has seen a cumulative gain of over 5,500,000% compared with 39,000% for the S&P 500 index. Incoming...
12 February 2026
Out-of-favour stocks with quietly accelerating earningsStock prices can move around quite a lot in the short term, usually driven by emotional factors and popular narratives.
This is one of the reasons why stocks trend, both up and down, with strong/weak price momentum creating a positive feedback loop, leading to further gains/losses.
However, it is always worth remembering investor Terry Smith’s...
12 February 2026
My retirement pot is in cash, why should I invest with UK stocks at all-time highs?Ask the experts. Paul Angell is on hand to answer your questions about investments. If you'd like a question considered for a future edition, send it in now.
My SIPP holding is currently all in cash. Why should I invest now with the FTSE at such a high?
Simon
Paul Angell, AJ Bell Head of Investment Research, says:
Whether your SIPP (or other...
12 February 2026
How I invest: taking responsibility for managing the pension potFor the past few decades, Ian’s life has been a whirl of raising two children with his wife and trekking up the corporate ladder to become a chief technology officer, while fitting in a few nice holidays along the way.
But now, he’s taking some well-deserved rest. Ian is in his late 50s and both of his children have flown the nest to start...
12 February 2026
Trainline shares have gone off the rails: can they get back on track?Towards the end of 2024, Trainline was chugging along quite nicely. Finally trading solidly above the 350p at which its 2019 IPO was priced after years of ups and downs. The company having been heavily disrupted by the pandemic and facing undulating concern over competitive threats.
Then, on 4 December 2024, news of the Labour Government’s Great...
12 February 2026
Is it worth chasing the best savings rate or should I just pick and stick?Ask the experts. Laura Suter is on hand to answer your personal finance questions. If you’d like a question considered for a future edition, send it in now .
I know that lots of people will move their savings around each time a new top deal lands, to get the most from their savings, while other people leave it sitting in their current account or...
12 February 2026
Mining merger mania: The story behind the red-hot commodities sectorIt has been an eventful start to 2026 for the mining sector with extreme levels of volatility in global metals markets and talks over a blockbuster $260 billion merger between Rio Tinto and Glencore.
While a Rio/Glencore merger is off the table for now, both of these developments reveal a truth that, for all its reputation as an ‘old economy’...
12 February 2026
Remove pension stress with a pre-retirement checklistRetirement should not mean spreadsheets and sleepless nights. While you might not be able to control markets, inflation, or interest rates, you can control how prepared you are, and a bit of admin now could buy years of confidence later.
Here are seven things that you can check off now to help you get organised before you enter retirement, whatever...
12 February 2026
How REITs let you use the stock market to get property incomeProperty has long been a popular choice for people looking to achieve a regular income. Buy-to-let properties were particularly in demand in the first half of the last decade but an increase in tax and regulation has resulted in many people abandoning this option.
Research from the estate agency Hamptons shows the share of homes bought by a...
20 January 2026
A spring clean not New Year’s resolution might be the best bet for your investingAt this time of year investors are frequently bombarded with messages about New Year’s resolutions for their money.
This is often well-intentioned and useful advice but it would be understandable if some people responded with an internal groan and why on a broader basis adopted at this time of year resolutions often fail.
It’s dark, it’s cold...
19 January 2026
How do private equity trusts shape up as an investment?Investors can get FOMO about private equity; an industry wrapped in old-school allure. Even if it is a small portion of a large industry, private equity firms are known for investing in F1 teams and the NFL. It’s not a stretch of the imagination to picture deals being celebrated on yachts and in Michelin star restaurants.
Some investors want to...
19 January 2026
I’m a cash lover, what do the Budget Cash ISA changes mean for me?Ask the experts. Laura Suter is on hand to answer your personal finance questions. If you'd like a question considered for a future edition send it in now.
I’ve seen the changes to Cash ISAs announced in the Budget, and I’m worried about how it’ll affect me. I max out my Cash ISA every year by putting in the full £20,000, so any change to the...
18 January 2026
What to expect from big tech as AI fever subsidesSix of the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’ are set to report their earnings between the last week of January and the first week of February. Combined these companies add up to a combined $17 trillion of market valuation – or around 30% of the entire value of the US market’s flagship S&P 500 index.
The mood music feels like it has already shifted from...
18 January 2026
What will happen with my pension if I go into a care home?Ask the experts. Rachel Vahey is here to answer questions on pensions. If you'd like a question considered for a future edition, send it in now.
If you go into a care home and have a drawdown pension the local authority can compare the income you take from pension drawdown against the income you would receive if you bought an annuity on a single...
17 January 2026
How to screen for the very best companiesJust as when you’re buying a new jacket or set of kitchen knives, paying attention to quality when you are investing in a company’s shares is often a decision which can pay off in the long term. With this in mind, we are exploring how you can go about identifying some of the UK’s very highest quality companies.
While there is no generally accepted...
17 January 2026
Three ways to protect your investments from a stock market crashThere is a recurring question being posed by investors right now: is there going to be a stock market crash? There is a very simple answer to this question: yes there is. Booms and crashes are part and parcel of the market cycle.
It might be simple, but this truism isn’t especially helpful. What people really want to know is whether a correction in...
16 January 2026
Why hitting 75 still matters when it comes to your pensionsWhen the pensions lifetime allowance was abolished in 2024, it was widely seen as good news for people with larger pension pots. But it also created a bit of a myth; that age 75 no longer matters in the world of pensions.
It’s true that there is no lifetime allowance test at 75 to worry about, but it remains a key point where HMRC draws a line...
16 January 2026
What do sky-high government debt and records for equities and gold mean for investors?Ask the experts. Russ Mould is on hand to answer your queries about the financial markets. If you'd like a question considered for a future edition, send it in now.
Equities and gold are close to all-time highs, while government debt has also sky rocketed. What does this mean for investors?
Simon
Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director, says:The...
15 January 2026
How I invest: from being paralysed by indecision to passing on the investing habitFive years ago, Lily turned to investing mostly out of frustration. Interest rates were floating around 1%, and her savings were barely growing. In fact, when you factored in inflation, she was losing money.
Her thought process was simple: “This is not good enough”. She hadn’t considered investing as much previously, partly because she was saving...
