Property Market Review – May 2020
CITY TRANSACTIONS DROP AS INVESTORS TAKE STOCK According to Savills’ latest City Investment Watch publication, transactional volume in the City saw a sharp decline in April, with just three transactions, totalling £149.4m, taking place. This was significantly down on March’s figure of £477.75m. 2020 investment volume was down 39% in April, compared with the same […]
The Week in Review – 26 May
“We must renew our efforts” With another sunny bank holiday weekend approaching, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, took the opportunity at the Thursday briefing to remind the public, “We must renew our efforts…Over the course of this pandemic, people all across the UK have been making difficult but vital sacrifices for the greater good. So, let’s […]
Five million self-employed
Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the number of self-employed in the UK has reached record levels, at five million people, which represents around 15% of all people in employment. If you are self-employed, you won’t benefit from auto enrolment, but you will still qualify for generous tax relief on any […]
Pension woes: the tale of Gen X
The changing financial pressures facing members of different intergenerational groups has been a recurring theme in recent years, with the narrative usually proclaiming how younger generations have lower income, assets and prospects than their older counterparts. However, there has been relatively little consideration of the potential retirement woes facing people born between 1966 and 1980 […]
Life insurance for astronauts?
The first astronauts had a problem, especially in the early days of the Apollo missions to the moon, as their lives were literally uninsurable. No insurance companies would consider insuring anyone about to embark on a potentially lethal mission. NASA came up with an idea to arrange ‘insurance covers’ whereby the crew autographed a number […]
The Week in Review – 18 May
“This is a supremely difficult balance to strike” Further details of the government’s next steps in the fight against coronavirus were laid out in a statement in Parliament on Monday, accompanied by a 50-page three step plan. The Prime Minister continued to emphasise the conditional nature of the plan, “This is a supremely difficult balance […]
Early financial education gives children a head start
According to The Financial Capability Strategy, part of the Money & Pensions Service, children’s attitudes to money are well-developed by the age of seven. In an ideal world, therefore, primary schools would be encouraging children not only to recognise the pounds and pence needed to buy their weekly Haribo rations, they should also be preparing […]
The Week in Review – 11 May
“It is coming down the mountain that is often more dangerous” Over the bank holiday weekend, the ‘stay at home’ message remained firmly in place, as a range of celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day were held. A nation in lockdown paused in a moment of unity and remembrance on Friday, as […]
Economic Review – April 2020
INFLATION SET FOR FURTHER FALLS The headline rate of inflation in the UK fell in March with economists expecting a continuation of this downward trend over the coming months. Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) 12-month rate – which compares prices in the current month with the same […]
The Week in Review – 4 May
Last week was a busy one for the Prime Minister. On Monday, he was back at the helm and kicked off by addressing the nation from Downing Street. He thanked the people of this country “for the sheer grit and guts you have shown and are continuing to show.” He warned that the UK is […]