During the 19th century, the presence of a permanent maintenance crew on the Forth Rail Bridge gave rise to a well-used colloquial term for a never-ending job. ‘Painting the Forth Bridge’ has become a common phrase for describing a task that, once completed, is immediately out of date. Even though it’s only just finished, you have to start again. (Just as an aside, this was never true of the Forth Rail Bridge. The crew simply tended to more weathered areas of the bridge when required.) In many ways, a financial plan is the same as the famous Scottish bridge. As soon as the plan is made it is out of date, so the work comes in maintaining the plan, just... Read More

Regular readers will know that I’m not prone to writing about myself. I’d much rather talk about you and your needs than waffle on about what I have been up to! However, I had some exciting news earlier this month that I felt I had to share – mostly because I need to thank my clients who are entirely responsible. Each year, The Times and the financial advice ratings site VouchedFor team up to produce a list of the UK’s top-rated financial advisers and planners. More than 130,000 verified client reviews are considered, and the guide highlights those advisers who: Achieved an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 during 2019 Have received more than ten reviews Are a fully... Read More

However carefully you plan, it’s easy to be distracted by factors outside your control. And, in the last couple of years, we’ve had more than our fair share of events which may have left you thinking twice about aspects of your financial plan. On any given day, it’s easy to start worrying about the trade war between China and the US or what Donald Trump might tweet next. It can be distracting to consider what might happen if we don’t negotiate a trade deal with the EU before the end of the Brexit transition period, or the worrying performance of some of the UK’s major retailers. The truth, however, is this: you cannot control any of these events. You have... Read More

From superstar status to ruins in less than five years – it’s been six months since Neil Woodford’s flagship investment fund went into meltdown. Let’s recap on what happened. On the 4th June 2019, the fund manager suspended trading of the Woodford Equity Income Fund, sparked by a mass exodus of investors frustrated with poor performance. As the assets under management quickly shrunk the composition of the fund shifted significantly. The proportion of illiquid assets (which by definition are extremely difficult to sell quickly for their full value) rose so much it broke the Financial Conduct Authority’s rules on how much can be held. Kent County Council’s request to withdraw £260 million was the straw that broke the camel’s back.... Read More

It’s an acronym for Financial Independence, Retire Early and the movement has been especially popular among millennials online. In fact, the Reddit FIRE forum, which was set up in 2011, has more than 650,000 members. The basis of the theory involves frugal living and aggressive investing – it’s essentially pension planning turned up to 11! The idea of being able to retire in your 30s or 40s is obviously attractive for some, but is it really realistic? As we’ve witnessed with the recent political and economic landscape, the future can be very unpredictable. There’s no doubt that saving towards your retirement in any form is significantly beneficial, but is the FIRE movement promising too much? Let’s consider the pros and... Read More