At a time where it is becoming harder to save up adequate sums for retirement, a new study shows that the UK’s low interest rate environment is causing retirees to turn to riskier pension and investment products which could potentially lose them a significant sum. Risky business A poll from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme […]
Monthly archives: September 2021
News in Review
‘Against a backdrop of robust goods demand and continuing supply constraints, global inflationary pressures have remained strong’ In a unanimous decision, the Bank of England (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to maintain Bank Rate at its record low of 0.1% last week. The vote came as the supply chain crisis, largely driven by an […]
News in Review
“This is fundamentally a growth market, and we see it continuing to be that way” The travel industry has featured prominently in the news over the past seven days, with an easing of travel restrictions announced on both sides of the Atlantic. Last Friday, simplification of the traffic light system and testing requirements in England, […]
Residential Property Review – September 2021
Signs of solidity in UK housing market After reaching record highs in June, the housing market is now ‘taking a breather‘, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) August survey. New buyer enquiries fell for a second consecutive month, with the latest net balance dropping to -14%. Despite this slip in demand, supply […]
Commercial Property Market Review – September 2021
Robust figures for commercial property market Commercial property investment volumes reached £31.4bn at the end of July, according to the most recent UK Commercial Market in Minutes report from Savills. This was 32% above the same period in 2020 and 4% higher than the five-year average. Savills also noted a promising rise in the three-month […]
News in Review
“This rise will impact the wider economic recovery” Over the past seven days, government plans to raise National Insurance contributions to fund the health and social care system have continued to feature prominently in the news headlines. Last Wednesday, despite warnings of a mass Tory rebellion, MPs voted by 319 votes to 248 to approve […]
Don’t believe these mortgage deposit myths…
Taking out a mortgage is something thousands of us do every year, and yet misinformation about the mortgage process – and particularly deposits – is rife. So, here are a couple of deposit myths you shouldn’t believe: You need a huge deposit to be approved Many people believe you’ll only get approved for a mortgage […]
Long COVID – a problem for your pension pot?
The pandemic has affected almost everyone in numerous different ways, whether that is financially, medically, or socially; its death toll has been appalling and overshadows everything. Fortunately, the vast majority have come through the pandemic, but the speed of recovery has been variable. Medically, many patients have recovered well, but some have prolonged symptoms which […]
News in Review
“Following the most successful vaccine programme in the world, we’re beginning the biggest catch-up programme in the history of the NHS” On Tuesday, Boris Johnson took to the Downing Street podium, following an earlier appearance in the House of Commons, to set out the government’s intentions to “help our NHS recover from the pandemic and […]
Highest ever number of equity release products available
Equity release has become an increasingly popular option for many people, with a record number of products now available on the market. With over 500 equity release options available to consumers1, rates have also dropped by an average of 2% in the past five years. The maximum loan to value (LTV) has held steady over […]