The title of this week’s money talk may seem strange but in reality it’s all I could think of! Of course there’s always something happening in the world of financial advice and markets but at the moment it just feels like we are all in waiting.
Waiting for what you may say?
Well to list a few there’s Brexit, this is always in the ness but somehow it doesn’t seem that much of a headline? It should be, there is plenty going on. Companies are making plans to open in other countries if it’s a hard Brexit, not good no matter how you spin it, and of course there is the divorce bill. The is estimated to be at £36bn, but of course the real headline could be vastly different.
For those of you with an interest in everything techy and Sci Fi there’s the apparent rise of Bitcoins, cryptocurrencies and blockchain transactions. The latest news is that Russian banks are now planning to adopt these new world payment methods. Meanwhile we are getting a new plastic £10 to go alongside our £5! I know very little about these new currencies as I suspect the majority of us do, but I predict our grandchildren will be using them in the future, along with hoverboards!
Then of course there is the interest rate debate, to raise or not to raise? For the majority a low interest rate environment is a good thing. We have had this now for almost 10 years, and for how much longer we do not know? At the last meeting of the MPC the vote was 6-2 in favour of keeping it a record low of 0.25%, so it doesn’t look like altering any time soon?
Then there is the continuing rumblings out of North Korea, which this week has led to a massive Trade embargo, proposed and led by our friends across the pond. Not financial headlines at the moment but these things often have an impact on world markets.
More proposed changes to the landlord/tenant world in the UK rentals market will bring additional rights for tenants and additional challenges in this market. Many landlords have sold up and moved on with increasing pressure from the tax man in this area. Ultimately this may lead to less availability of rental properties and more homes for sale.
In our world we continue to see increased interest in the pensions freedom market, a topic I have wrote about many times. Two areas of news here. The regulator is still coming to terms with the numbers of people wanting to do this and is busy changing its guidance and requirements. The other area is because of this massively increased public interest the companies who administer these pensions are swamped! This might not be officially news but it is worth bearing in mind if you are considering looking at your pensions.
More alarmingly is that over the last 6 weeks I have challenged many valuations (CETV’s) coming back from pension administrators three of these have been altered because they were incorrect, on by a staggering 238%!
So that’s it, the headlines and the news. If you would like to discuss any of the above, except cryptocurrencies, please get in touch because the headline I would like to leave you with is, Get Advice!