Seeking advice on pension reforms
90% of UK businesses intend to seek external expert advice to help them understand the impact of the Government’s workplace pension reforms due to be introduced from 2012.
Commission, fees and transparency
Informed Choice chartered financial planner Martin Bamford was featured in an article in the Sunday Times today, exploring the subject of commissions, fees and transparency when investing money.
Five funds you can’t afford to ignore
Informed Choice chartered financial planner Martin Bamford was quoted in The Guardian today, in an article about the five funds you cannot afford to ignore.
Market numbers: Friday 19th February 2010
The FTSE 100 index of leading UK company shares finished the week at 5,358.17, up 33.08 points or +0.62% on the day and up 215.72 points (+4.19%) over the week.
Social Media and Higher Insurance Premiums
The launch and publicity this week surrounding a new website PleaseRobMe.com has highlighted some of the dangers of sharing too much personal information online.
Inflation acceleration
The latest price inflation figures published this morning show an acceleration at a speed not seen for over a year. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of price inflation is now 3.5% for the year to January, up from 2.9% the previous month. The Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure is now 3.7%, up from 2.4% the month before.
Property predictions
A new survey from Reita, the property investment association, has found that most IFAs expect commercial property prices to go up in the next 12 months.
Market numbers: Friday 12th February 2010
The FTSE 100 index of leading UK company shares finished the week at 5,142.45, down 19.03 points or -0.37% on the day and up 81.53 points (+1.61%) over the week.
Martin & Nick go head-to-head on forced annuitisation
Informed Choice directors Martin Bamford and Nick Bamford have appeared in Retirement Strategy magazine (February 2010) in the head-to-head feature, which this month asked do you agree with the Conservatives’ proposal to scrap forced annuitisation at age 75?
Buying into the big brands
Springwise has an article about a virtual stock investment portfolio based on the top twenty ‘most lovable’ brands. MyBrandz claims that their Brands Love Portfolio has outperformed the Dow Jones, NASDAQ and S&P 500 indices, with an annual return of about 64 percent.