magazine archive
magazine archive
Education
Why every investor should make sure they own a diversified portfolio
Thursday 16 Jun 2022It might sound odd, but diversification isn’t designed to maximise your returns, so you may well ask what is the point? Diversification is ‘the practice of spreading your investments so that your exposure to any one type of asset is limited’, according to US fund giant Fidelity. The idea is that...
Regular investing: how it works and the benefits of putting money aside each month
Thursday 21 Apr 2022People are creatures of habit, especially when it comes to the mundane things in life. Creating good financial habits can really pay off later in life and provide more flexibility and freedom. Feeding your ISA or SIPP (self-invested personal pension) every month could be one the best decisions you’...
What is the Vix ‘fear index’ and why does it matter to investors?
Thursday 17 Mar 2022The Vix is often called ‘the fear index’ and if you have ever wondered what different readings mean this article is for you. Before getting to the details, it is worth explaining the difference between uncertainty and risk because it is more than just semantics. Investment is all about managing...
Four good habits investors should try to cultivate
Thursday 17 Feb 2022Every now and then it’s useful to step back and look at your investment process to see what’s working and what isn’t working. Here are four good habits which we think investors should try to adopt. 1. STAY FOCUSED One of the most common mistakes investors make is to spread their bets too thinly...
How to buy US shares: the key points to consider
Thursday 20 Jan 2022Strong returns from the US market over the past decade have caught investors’ attention, particularly the performance of stocks like Tesla, Amazon and Apple. Fortunately, it’s easy to buy US shares, if you so wish. Many of the big stocks are available on UK investment platforms and you can buy and...
What happens to your personal pension when you die?
Thursday 09 Dec 2021The rules on how you can pass on your defined contribution pension scheme funds when you die changed in April 2015. They are now very generous and there is lots of flexibility in terms of both who can receive your unused pension fund, and how they can take the money. WHO CAN I LEAVE MY PENSION TO?...
Using your pension in retirement
Thursday 02 Dec 2021This article looks at the different ways you can access the money in your defined contribution pension. Examples of defined contribution pensions include SIPPs and personal pensions. The minimum age that most people can access their pension is currently 55. This will increase to 57 in 2028 and...
The importance of reinvesting dividends and why costs matter
Thursday 11 Nov 2021Reinvesting dividend income is fundamental to making the most of your investments and getting the full benefit from the effect of compounding. To give an idea of the advantage let’s look at how £100 invested over the last 121 years would have theoretically grown with and without reinvesting...
Why the opening price of a share can be different from the previous close
Thursday 04 Nov 2021There is no reason why a share must open at the previous night’s closing price. Daily price moves are determined by supply and demand for the shares and that in turn is affected by company news such as earnings updates, acquisitions, disposals, legal disputes, new product launches and so on. In...
Automatic enrolment: the key facts
Thursday 14 Oct 2021At the start of the century, the government of the time asked Dr Adair Turner to investigate poor pension saving rates. Turner’s Pension Commission suggested adopting automatic enrolment into a pension scheme. Since 2012, a new employee will automatically join the employer’s pension scheme, and...