October 2009

9 lazy ETF portfolios for UK investors

October 26, 2009

There’s a lot to be said for investing in the major assets via ETFs and then going to the beach.

24 comments

Weekend reading: Scare bear markets

October 24, 2009

Chartists expecting a new bear market aren’t just mystics – they’re mystics with short memories.

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Breaking up the banks is hard to do

October 21, 2009

The banks are both too big to fail and too profitable to be allowed to continue in their current state.

6 comments

How to calculate bond yields

October 20, 2009

How to calculate the running yield and redemption yield of bonds (or where to find a calculator!)

2 comments

Weekend reading: Bankers!

October 17, 2009

A rant about overpaid bankers, plus my usual weekly money and investing blog and newspaper links.

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Tax avoidance versus tax evasion

October 14, 2009

Don’t ask your accountant to help you ‘evade’ taxes. You could both end up in jail!

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Think you’ve spread your risk? Think again

October 13, 2009

Bad news for the nervous. Assets have become more closely correlated, making diversification harder.

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Weekend reading: Sell oil, buy drugs

October 10, 2009

Neil Woodford is selling his oil giants, believing the cost of exploration and extraction will eat up their cash while the economy stumbles.

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Don’t kill yourself over a job

October 10, 2009

France Telecom workers are killing themselves in despair at their working conditions. Why didn’t they quit?

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Corporate bond prices and yields

October 8, 2009

Here are some good places to visit if you want to research individual corporate bonds. Don’t expect the opposite sex to be impressed.

7 comments

ISA limit for over-50s is £10,200 from today

October 6, 2009

If you’re over 50 and you’re resident in the UK, console yourself on both fronts with the news that you can put more money into ISAs from today.

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David Cameron’s curse: To save the UK economy and be hated for it

October 5, 2009

The UK’s next Prime Minister will inherit a country spending way beyond its means, and as deep in denial as any spendaholic

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Weekend reading: Buffett stumped

October 3, 2009

If even Warren Buffett can admit he sometimes doesn’t understand a complicated investment, then surely we should, too.

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Is the RBS Royal Bond a good buy?

October 2, 2009

The RBS Royal Bond offers an attractive yield of 5.3%, and it matures in just six years. Is it worth buying?

5 comments

Emergency funds: The ten essential steps

October 1, 2009

Your emergency fund should be in easily accessible cash. Also, under no circumstances is a half-price trip to the Maldives an emergency.