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Spread betting tax avoidance strategies (17 comments) > No, because passive investing isn’t trying to beat the market. but does it not change the stats? Not one iota? it is in the FTSE100 that I have the greatest fear that this distorts the results? [...]	ermine 2012-02-09 23:57:41
University has become an unaffordable luxury (47 comments) I understand the rant and you make some good and amusing points. Think on this, though. 1) Always study your passions, and I don't mean the girl/boy next door. If at 18 you don't have any passions, don't go to university and in particular don' [...]	John@MoneyPrinciple 2012-02-09 16:46:50
Weekend reading: Get a model education courtesy of Stanford University (for free) (14 comments) @Damien -- I know what you're saying, but I think the other poster was suggesting that the cost of education could come down by co-opting some of this free content. A cynical way of reading your take on why we need to get degrees is it's pretty much [...]	The Investor 2012-02-09 13:36:07
Historical UK house prices (27 comments) @gadgetmind - I am not sure about commercial property. Put it this way - people have to live somewhere even if they haven't got a job but businesses can fold much quicker than people move or die. There is many a high street around with a few or mor [...]	John@MoneyPrinciple 2012-02-09 09:44:18
How will Facebook affect index trackers? (4 comments) It would be a brave fella with a short memory who would buy on such a pe multiple. I don t buy stocks so don t have to worry about not touching it with a barge pole [...]	Ben 2012-02-08 20:42:59
The family BlackRock and the mysterious case of the elusive TERs (12 comments) Okay, first I would like to that you for having an outstanding site. I've been coming here for years but I don't think I've posted before. I have been wanting to redo my portfolio for a while, mostly for simplicities sake. I have 30 different invest [...]	Boo2 2012-02-08 18:06:23
Are you wasting your money on memories? (22 comments) just finished Haidt's 'Happiness Hypothesis'. Superb book and a must read for those who have an interest in linking up investing (in the abstract) and what investing is actually for... [...]	Ben 2012-02-07 22:38:47
The case for Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (20 comments) Interesting post. I bought into Standard Life Smaller Co's Trust just before the fall last year, and have lost 26% of my investment. I'm ok with that. Long haul etc. - I've never considered selling up. I'm itching to buy some more small caps, and [...]	tony collins 2012-02-06 15:44:58
How much interest do you earn on a million pounds? (10 comments) @Fred -- Sorry to here about your job loss. I'm afraid I can't give individual advice, for both legal and ethical reasons. What I will say is the only thing that is "safe" to invest is cash. Everything else involves risk. (Cash involves interest rat [...]	The Investor 2012-02-06 13:46:28
Avoid tax shocks by using reporting funds (14 comments) I'm somewhat confused by your comment as you say that you're not paying tax at source but then say you're paying $15 to the IRS. Regardless, if you're paying 15% to the US then under the terms of the DTA you can offset that 15% against your UK tax li [...]	The Accumulator 2012-02-05 20:26:14
Why do investment trusts trade at a discount or a premium? (3 comments) One of the things property companies expected upon conversion to REIT status in 2007 was that their shares would swing from trading at a discount to NAV to a premium to NAV. Could you outline some of the reasons behind this - what is the benefit [...]	Gary 2012-02-04 14:35:28
Weekend reading: The frugal mum who paid cash for her first house (13 comments) I have always been in the camp of buying for a house in cash - so congrats to her for getting it sorted out. That's what financial dreams are made of. [...]	Kagem 2012-02-01 12:32:06
Bad debts are rising at Zopa (13 comments) zopa update: just received an email from zopa as follows: 'Why leave money in a low interest savings account when you could just throw it away? It's quicker and easier. Many accounts offer under 1% - losing you money every day. Zopa has a si [...]	Ben 2012-01-31 12:41:24
The Slow and Steady passive portfolio update: Q4 2011 (22 comments) Shouldn't be for a Unit Trust / OEIC - which all of the above are. [...]	The Accumulator 2012-01-30 21:08:37
9 lazy portfolios for UK investors – 2010 remix (76 comments) Thanks "The Accumulator" very much appreciated. I will be coming back to this website again!! [...]	Juliet Bravo's Secret Lover 2012-01-28 19:27:21
Getting an investment income from investment trusts (20 comments) I have just started investing and find your blog absolutely invaluable. Although I am 9 years from retiring I am lucky enough to have one of those gold plated, copper bottomed final salary pensions which should pay about £27,000 p.a. and a lump sum [...]	Cliff1805 2012-01-28 14:42:22
How to invest on a (weeny) budget (34 comments) @rebecca i'd agree with TA on this - HL is too expensive for an S&S ISA unless your saving loads and already have a big pot Its not so bad for a SIPP as the associated charges here tend to be higher across all platforms I would aim to ov [...]	Ben 2012-01-27 10:05:39
UK commercial property trading at a discount (21 comments) OK, I currently have 15% of my SIPP in property/infrastructure, with First State Global Listed Infrastructure getting 27.5% of this and the rest spread between UKCM, LSP, HICL, JLIF and BBGI. I intend to reduce the FS fund over time, particularly whe [...]	gadgetmind 2012-01-24 12:49:09
Weekend reading: Some other fools who think the market is cheap (9 comments) Hello, I have found your blog on google and read some articles. I like what you write and i have added a bookmark. Keep up writing and i will keep up reading. [...]	alexandru 2012-01-24 08:39:45
Why I’m saving and investing for the disaster to come (28 comments) Have you built any streams of income outside of traditional equity/paper investments? [...]	Evan 2012-01-24 05:14:16
Avoiding capital gains tax on your investments (44 comments) @Heiko -- The tax year runs from 6th April through to 5th April next year. The statement is due in January for the previous year, but that's a bureaucratic form-filing detail. Make sure you've figured out what period the gains and losses occurred in. [...]	The Investor 2012-01-23 22:42:22
Weekend reading: How governments have previously inflated away debt (6 comments) I remember reading a while ago a lengthy article on the monetary devaluation by the various Roman administrations in the latter days of their empire. They Romans did it of course by steadily decreasing the silver and gold content of their coinage, ov [...]	101 Centavos 2012-01-23 12:54:29
How compound interest can save our pensions (20 comments) @matthew - If only it was as easy as going for maximum yield. Remember that yields are historical, whereas prices are now, so high historical yield shows that the price has dropped. If this is because the whole market has dropped, then great, but if [...]	gadgetmind 2012-01-20 21:15:30
Will Halifax take spread betting mainstream? (11 comments) I've heard it suggested that the reason that HMRC is happy to continue to allow spread betting to be exempt from Capital Gains Tax is that so few spread betters make any gains! Instead they make losses - and because spread bets are exempt from CGT, [...]	The Investor 2012-01-20 17:33:58
Investing in Caledonia Investments (22 comments) @Aston - Good spot. I did notice my Jabba The Hutt-like slug of these rising from their torpor. Unfortunately I can't on a quick scoot through the last 2-3 reports find any more details (at least not searching for 'buy back', it might be there with d [...]	The Investor 2012-01-19 11:36:43
Could Scottish independence upend your investments? (6 comments) Speaking as a Scot in Edinburgh, I really don't think there's much appetite for independence (at least, not from anyone I meet here). It's all very well at a high level, but once you get down to the nitty gritty - in almost every area, not just finan [...]	Dave 2012-01-15 09:46:35
Weekend reading: Morningstar's new investment trust ratings (2 comments) @Alex -- Can't remember, you might be right. Most don't, however. I keep meaning to have another look at FCSS -- it's gone from the silly 10% premium to at times a similar discount, roughly. Hard not to believe Fidelity won't throw quite a bit at it [...]	The Investor 2012-01-14 19:02:15
Reasons to buy a house instead of renting (33 comments) @michael -- Well, people have ownership rights to the house, and that house is pledged as security to the bank, as I understand it. But I totally agree with your underlying point, not least because if the house falls down you still owe the bank! Perh [...]	The Investor 2012-01-14 19:00:58
Is it worth sticking with Hargreaves Lansdown to get Vanguard funds? (36 comments) Cheers for the support, SB. Trying to create a haven aside from the mainstream hype is a huge part of what motivates us. [...]	The Accumulator 2012-01-12 21:12:03
Investment trusts explained (7 comments) @keith -- Dividends received and any capital gains are taxed just like another other equities: http://monevator.com/2009/11/10/how-uk-dividends-are-taxed/ However there are some limited tax advantages, in that the trust itself trades securities as a [...]	The Investor 2012-01-11 21:18:52
Young? Can't afford a house? You're getting shafted by the government (7 comments) @Mark It probably won't continue as there isn't any money to drive it (outside of central london) Eventually house price to earnings ratio will revert to the mean, hopefully even undershoot it and we can all buy mansions [...]	Ben 2012-01-11 16:41:20
Video: The end of oil (18 comments) We had civilization before oil and we'll have it after, of course. Declining production might actually fix many environmental problems. What scares me about Peak Oil is the radical change it will bring. The process will be destructive and caus [...]	Mark 2012-01-11 16:03:31
Weekend reading: Are REITs right when saving for a deposit? (15 comments) @ben - The bankers themselves, as with the fund managers, make on the ups and don't lose on the downs. As long as this remains true, we'll continue to see mad gambling to try and boost bonuses, which will always come crashing down again. [...]	gadgetmind 2012-01-11 09:49:53
What causes corporate bond prices to fluctuate? (1 comments) Don't forget supply and demand. If the market is "risk on", bond prices move down, the yields up. [...]	Compounder 2012-01-11 00:50:00
How to stick to your saving goals (5 comments) I fail at my savings goals because sometimes they are too lofty but then when I forget about it for a while but keep putting money away without checking it all the time, I feel like I have saved more. It must be a psychological thing. [...]	Kagem 2012-01-10 13:12:16
Pros and cons of being wealthy (32 comments) Thanks for the article. I'd sometimes wondered whether it was worth becoming rich, and for which reasons. It's hard to discuss since a lot of people say "yes" automatically, and don't understand that there's some effort involved, and this may or may [...]	Cato 2012-01-10 04:14:35
Portfolio diversification (10 comments) The simplest example of diversification is provided by the proverb : "Don't put all your eggs in one basket". Dropping the basket will break all the eggs. Placing each egg in a different basket is more diversified. There is more risk of losing one eg [...]	Sraiya 2012-01-07 21:09:53
Watch out for withholding tax on your dividends (8 comments) @ Mike - yes, withholding tax is paid on the assets contained within funds that hold overseas securities. But if you hold assets in an Irish or Luxembourgian fund they won't levy withholding tax on the distributions you take back to the UK. So for a [...]	The Accumulator 2012-01-07 12:16:45
FirstBuy scheme to offer cheap mortgage money to first-time buyers (15 comments) I agree with Rob. I am too a first time buyer who can afford a mortgage but am finding it difficult to save the deposit. I bit my tongue!! and thought this may be my only option to actually get myself on the property ladder!! The thing im finding [...]	Emma 2012-01-05 12:36:18
Low cost index trackers that will save you money (37 comments) Hi Michal, If I use UK trackers (or UK-marketed trackers based in Ireland or Luxembourg) then I needn't pay any withholding tax. If your US trackers don't have reporting status in the UK then capital gains will be taxed as income tax. Trac [...]	The Accumulator 2012-01-03 21:36:14