When it comes to student loans, the media focus is usually on tuition fees (outside Scotland), but there’s another loan that shouldn’t be overlooked – and that includes Scotland. In January 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) issued a press release headlined Cost of living boost for students. However, the ‘boost’ was more akin to […]
Identity theft Identity theft happens when fraudsters access enough information about someone’s identity (such as their name, date of birth, current or previous addresses) to commit identity fraud. Identity theft can take place whether the fraud victim is alive or deceased. If you’re a victim of identity theft, it can lead to fraud that can […]
ESTATE PLANNING – TOO IMPORTANT TO PUT ON HOLD All too often, people put off estate planning. This is understandable as, rather than preparing for the here and now, it requires you to consider what will happen when your life is over, hardly something most of us rush to contemplate. Consequently, estate planning often becomes […]
In 2022, most of the world’s major share indices had their worst year since 2008, but the UK’s FTSE 100 was a star performer. Yes, the table is correct. In the year of three Prime Ministers, four Chancellors, a catastrophic ‘mini-Budget’ and double-digit inflation, the UK stock market was one of the world’s best […]
If your employer pays for the fuel in your company car, it may cost you more than you expect. As the Autumn Statement was not a Budget, detailed publications that would normally emerge as the Chancellor sat down have taken time to appear. For example, the HMRC projections of how many more capital gains tax […]
Inflation surged in 2022, but can it reverse in 2023? Forecasters of inflation were way off target for 2022. For example: In December 2021, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee said “CPI inflation was expected to remain around 5% through the majority of the winter period, and peak at around 6% in April […]
From January, National Savings & Investments (NS&I) will increase its premium bond prize fund rate to 3% and reduce £25 prizes, instead increasing the number of higher-value prizes that are up for grabs. In January 2022, about 98% of all the premium bond prizes paid out by NS&I were just £25. You were lucky if […]
Although fraud and cybercrime comes in many forms, there are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself. 1) Do not give any personal information (name, address, bank details, email or phone number) to organisations or people before verifying their credentials. Always question unsolicited calls, texts or emails requesting your personal or financial information (name, […]
Sensible investing is about taking on sensible risks in your portfolio, which starts with owning equities over cash. Historical data and logic tell us to expect a premium for doing so. In the long run this has been in the region of 3% to 4% per annum. It may not sound much, but when compounded […]
