Commentary

University has become an unaffordable luxury

January 31, 2012

I think going to university is now too expensive, time consuming, restrictive and potentially soul-destroying for people with talent to bother with anymore. University has become a terrible deal, and most ambitious people shouldn’t go. There, I said it. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to admit to myself that tuition fees, [...]

45 comments

Will Halifax take spread betting mainstream?

January 19, 2012

Halifax is offering spread betting alongside its traditional share dealing service.

11 comments

Could Scottish independence upend your investments?

January 13, 2012

If Scotland was to achieve independence from the UK, what would it mean for investors in Scottish managed financial products, and for other investments?

6 comments

New London skyscrapers a big bet on the City of London’s future

December 8, 2011

The London I arrived in 20-odd years ago was fairly flat as world cities go. Not for much longer, as my quick tour about the City of London will show you.

13 comments

Gruel Britannia, but what about her investors?

November 30, 2011

Britain looks set for more years of slog, but our corporate sector should do much better, and besides, shares look cheap.

11 comments

Hargreaves Lansdown switching fees

November 21, 2011

Hargreaves Lansdown may charge a switching fee if you want to transfer your funds. Here’s our latest information on what it will cost you.

15 comments

The Iron Lady: Trailer of the Margaret Thatcher biopic

November 14, 2011

What do you think? Will you be taking popcorn into the cinema to see The Iron Lady come January – or sneaking in a bag of rotten tomatoes?

1 comment

Online financial advice in the future

November 3, 2011

Online financial advice is still in its infancy, though we’ve already come a very long way from helpful emails from a chap in Nigeria. What does the future hold?

10 comments

An investor among the anti-capitalists

October 28, 2011

I went to London to visit St Paul’s, and all I got was this crummy t-shirt saying money isn’t real but everyone should have more of it.

15 comments

Five things to remember after the FTSE’s latest fall

September 23, 2011

Markets are plunging again, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Concentrate on what you can control when you invest.

9 comments

Mayhem in London

August 9, 2011

Shares are still plunging. If you’re brave there are some tempting investments to be made.

5 comments

A good time to be investing: For governments, and for most of us

August 4, 2011

Should we be as worried as the markets are about equities, or should we more fear low bond yields? It really depends on our time horizon.

8 comments

The bull market hits a speed bump

August 3, 2011

It’s a torrid time for stock markets, but why would anyone sane prefer to buy government bonds at historically tiny yields?

8 comments

Act now to defuse capital gains on shares

April 4, 2011

Tax is a persistent pain when investing, slicing away at your hard-gotten gains. Here’s how to defuse future headaches when it comes to CGT.

7 comments

2011 to 2012 tax brackets and allowances

March 18, 2011

Moderately higher earners are going to have a lot less money next year in aggregate, thanks to lowered tax brackets and an NI hike.

13 comments

Do you hate your work?

September 15, 2010

People have been doing rubbish jobs and hating it for hundreds of years. Modern office angst is nothing special.

23 comments

The danger of small cap share tips

September 6, 2010

The FT’s John Lee is an excellent investor, whose views on shares are well-worth following – but just don’t track too close behind.

8 comments

Hedge funds lag the simplest portfolios

September 3, 2010

Why help some City whizkid buy his first million pound loft apartment when he can’t even do as well as a simple ETF portfolio?

6 comments

Are you richer than your kids, or poorer than your grandchildren?

August 26, 2010

Would you rather have been born in the 1950s to a stable society and The Beatles, or in the 1970s, to the Internet and Al-qeada?

18 comments

How to invest in German companies

August 17, 2010

Don’t mention the war – German companies are among the best in the world, and they’re booming as the world recovers under dark clouds.

14 comments

No lost decade: Why we’re not Japan

August 5, 2010

The lost decade in Japan haunts Western markets, as deflation stalks the land in the US and interest rates can’t go any lower. Here’s why you shouldn’t worry.

19 comments

What to do now you can’t buy National Savings certificates

July 21, 2010

National savings certificates offered attractive vehicles for our savings, but there are various alternative homes for your money.

8 comments

By George I think he’s done us proud with this emergency budget

June 23, 2010

CGT rises to 28% but we’ve still got our annual allowance – and more importantly the country is being tilted back towards enterprise.

15 comments

Two new personal finance tools for Monevator readers

June 11, 2010

Wondering how your money will grow? Pondering whether it’s worth over-paying your mortgage? Muse no more, my friends.

5 comments

Video: BP spills a cup of coffee

June 10, 2010

BP spills a cup of coffee, with calamitous results. (Funny comedians – I bet they get their petrol for free for telling jokes?)

11 comments

Ten things I don’t want to pay tax for anymore

May 25, 2010

If you’re upset that the Liberals and the Conservatives are sharing power in the UK, just be grateful I didn’t get elected.

22 comments

Video: The end of oil

May 21, 2010

Quit worrying about peak oil, it’s solvable. The world is much likelier to die a horrible death due to global warming or some other ecological catastrophe.

18 comments