magazine archive
magazine archive
Money Matters
The financial impact of term-time holidays
Thursday 19 Sep 2019Many parents will just have come back from their annual summer trip and will still be wincing at the cost of going away in the school holidays. You’re now fined for taking your children out of school in term time, but could it still pay to take a holiday once everyone else has gone back? Soaring...
Bank of Mum and Dad on the rise: how to navigate gifting
Thursday 05 Sep 2019Parents are increasingly helping their children get on to the property ladder – so much so that if they were counted alongside mortgage lenders they’d be a top 10 lender. Research from finance firm L&G found that parents have gifted £6.3bn to their children to help them buy their first home...
Your ‘lower risk’ options assessed
Thursday 22 Aug 2019As part of my day job I’m often asked to help readers of national newspapers come up with ideas for how to invest their hard-earned cash. One such question landed on my desk from Times reader Julie recently. In brief, Julie had spent the past 26 years working and living in Hong Kong and Singapore,...
How do you pay investment fees if you have no cash on hand?
Thursday 15 Aug 2019We’ve previously covered how much cash you should have in your portfolio , but how to do you manage the cash in your investment account? What happens if you owe fees and have no money, or if you want to buy and sell investments? We’ll answer some of the common questions asked. What happens if I owe...
Money saving tips for the over-60s
Thursday 08 Aug 2019Reaching your 60th birthday might seem like a daunting prospect for some, but you’ll get handed a surfeit of birthday presents as you’ll be able to access lots of discounts. Some of the over-60s discounts are pretty lucrative, so we’ve compiled the best list. SENIOR RAILCARD Anyone who uses the...
How to invest an inheritance
Thursday 01 Aug 2019Getting an unexpected inheritance can provide a valuable boost to your finances – but how do you work out what to do with the windfall? The average inheritance received is around £11,000, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics, but some people get larger, potentially life-...
Top tips for making your money go further on holiday
Thursday 25 Jul 2019Holiday season is looming. While you’re packing your bucket and spade and planning your sun-tanning schedule, it is vital you don’t get fleeced when it comes to your holiday spending money. The value of the pound against the euro has dropped in recent weeks, meaning those who are heading to Europe...
10 ways to check you’re happy with your investment funds
Thursday 18 Jul 2019The news of Neil Woodford suspending withdrawals from his flagship fund has dominated the media. But what can investors learn from the situation to help hone their portfolios? Investors trapped in the Woodford fund are understandably concerned about their money. While there’s nothing they can...
Inheritance tax system could see major overhaul
Thursday 11 Jul 2019Inheritance tax is the UK’s most hated tax and it’s also one of the most complicated systems. A new report is aiming to change at least the second of these two realities. The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) was tasked with digging into the current system and working out how to make it simpler...
Is it right to worry about property prices when investing for a first home?
Thursday 04 Jul 2019I ’ve got a Lifetime ISA, which I’m using to save for a house, paying in the maximum £4,000 a year. I’m 23 and I want to buy a house by the time I’m 30. I think house prices are likely to fall, and as markets and house prices are linked I think that means I should invest in defensive funds and...