Turbulence and tailwinds: how savers can seek returns and save the planet February 14, 2019 Isa season is upon us. With just a few weeks left to go before the end of the 2018/19 tax year, canny savers are scrambling to use up their tax-free allowance before the 6 April deadline. The task became more of a challenge this year after the government, in a bid to bolster Britain’s savings culture, [...]
First-time buyer mortgage approvals hit 10-year high despite higher UK house prices January 2, 2019 First-time buyer mortgage approvals hit their highest level in more than 10 years in 2018, the latest data shows. An estimated 367,038 first-time buyers took out mortgages last year, up from 362,800 in 2017, according to analysis from Yorkshire Building Society using UK Finance figures. The number exceeded 2007 levels, when 359,000 first-time buyers secured mortgages, [...]
Seven top tips if you want to retire early October 24, 2018 Picture this: a life of lie-ins and long holidays – all when you’re still spritely enough to enjoy the free time. For many of us, the prospect of retiring early will seem like a pipe dream. It’s true that there is no magic formula – whether you can afford early retirement is usually a question [...]
Why the ethical finance industry is still behind the curve October 4, 2018 Ten years on since the financial crisis, there has already been a great deal of focus and contemplation on how financial services have changed over the past decade. For many consumers, banks are still distrusted, not helped by mis-selling scandals or paltry returns on savings accounts. There has been a notable shift in not only [...]
Crypto-craze: Why a third of London investors back digital currencies September 24, 2018 Londoners are twice as likely to invest in cryptocurrency than the rest of the country, new research has found. A total of 30 per cent of London investors are planning to invest in digital currencies in the near future compared to 13 per cent nationwide, according to a survey by Rathbone Investment Management. Read more: Regulate 'Wild [...]
1 in 3 Londoners have no retirement: How property could be the answer to a fruitful retirement July 11, 2018 | Sponsored Most people dream of a comfortable, long retirement, but with the current state pension sitting at just £125 per week, and the full new state pension (for a man born on or after 6 April 1951 or a woman born on or after 6 April 1953) just £168 per week, the reality is somewhat sobering. [...]
How the UK’s regulatory framework protects P2P investors December 7, 2017 | Sponsored The peer-to-peer (P2P) lending market was established in 2005, when Zopa became the first platform to connect individual lenders directly with borrowers. Since then, the market has evolved rapidly, as have the regulations underpinning investor protection – and this looks set to continue. In the UK, the sector has been overseen by the [...]
Including peer-to-peer lending in the new innovative finance Isa will provide boost for millions of Brits August 26, 2015 Something momentous has happened to the UK peer-to-peer lending industry, as the government finally confirmed its plans to introduce a new type of Isa covering peer-to-peer loans. This boost for the sector comes a decade after my company Zopa pioneered the concept back in 2005. Read more: Peer-to-peer lending isn’t shadow banking – it’s now [...]
How peer-to-peer lending can help wean the UK off artificially cheap credit July 13, 2015 The Budget contained headline-grabbing announcements on banks and pensions. But there’s been little commentary on the chancellor’s declaration that “the government is against unfair subsidies wherever we find them”. This immediately got me thinking about some of the disparities in the financial system and, in particular, the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS). It’s almost [...]
Where to find the best value cash accounts: They won’t trump equities, but zero inflation makes them more attractive June 9, 2015 The UK is a nation of cash savers, with half of Britain’s collective wealth sitting in instant access accounts. Inflation may stand below zero at present (it was -0.1 per cent in April), making cash a reasonably attractive option, but it will not stay there forever. Indeed, research released earlier this week by Henderson [...]