5 signs your investment portfolio is in great shape
In this episode, I’m sharing 5 signs that your investment portfolio is in great shape.
As we move ever closer to an uncertain Brexit outcome, positioning your portfolio for success is more important than ever.
We’ve also got two special reports from our correspondent Kitty, discussing National Apprenticeship Week and how pensioners of tomorrow are underestimating the cost of their retirement, facing a significant shortfall as a result.
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Personal finance news
-An independent review has warned that access to cash in the UK risks “falling apart” with a new guarantee needed to make sure cash can continue to be used in the future. The Access to Cash Review was written by former financial ombudsman Natalie Ceeney, funded by cash machine network operator Link.
-Council tax bills are set to rise by an average of 4.5% across England from April. The tax rise will result in annual council tax bills exceeding £1,800 in some parts of the country.
-Nearly 700,000 households will be automatically switched onto expensive ‘default’ tariffs in the first quarter of 2019 if people choose not to act. In January, February and March 2019, there are 140 fixed energy tariffs coming to an end, according to new research by comparethemarket.com, with a total cost of £143 million hitting those households affected.
-New research published by Direct Line for Business has found that for 1.6 million of the UK’s small businesses it is normal for their revenue to double or halve in certain months of the year. These large fluctuations in revenue make business and cash flow management difficult.
-Phone scammers pretending to be from HM Revenue & Customs have risen sharply in the past year. HMRC received around 60,000 reports of these scams involving landline phones in the second half of last year, up 360% on the previous six months.
National Apprenticeship Week
It’s National Apprenticeship Week, coordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service and is designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.
Our correspondent Kitty Vine spoke with Anita Ibrahim, Business Development Director at AVADO and Arch Apprentices, to find out more.
5 signs your investment portfolio is in great shape
These are unsettling times. The Brexit saga continues to rumble on. India and Pakistan are at each other’s throats. President Donald Trump is still somehow in the White House, despite his former lawyer testifying the president had advance knowledge of his son’s June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians and that WikiLeaks was preparing to release damaging information about Democrats.
All of these factors and many more can have an impact on your investment portfolio. During a few conversations with clients this week, we’ve been chatting about the signs that an investment portfolio is in great shape. After all, it’s about far more than simply the performance of your portfolio. How your monies have performed during the past one, three or five years is only one small consideration in the assessment of a great investment portfolio.
So here are my 5 signs that suggest your investment portfolio is in great shape. How many of these can you tick off when it comes to your own investment or pension portfolio?
1 - It’s performing as you would expect it to perform
2 - It’s not costing you the earth
3 - You’re not changing them too often
4 - It pays a good income
5 - It lines up with your goals
Underestimating the cost of retirement
If you’re retiring in the future, you risk a shortfall of more than £68,000 as a result of underestimating the cost of later life.
Our correspondent Kitty Vine speaks with Jason Hurwood, Nationwide’s Director of Home Propositions, sharing details of a poll which found pensioners need an average of £885 a month – £380 more than the £505 state pension.
Useful links
-Company of One by Paul Jarvis
-Small Giants by Bo Burlingham
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