Expert Wealth Management

There is always a temptation to fiddle around with a portfolio’s structure to try to position it ready for potential short-term global events, such as Brexit. Investors would do well to remind themselves that the core tenets of good investing hold true through all market conditions. It is also worth remembering that the efficacy of a portfolio’s strategy should be judged not on the post-event outcome, but in terms of the quality, validity and prudence of its construction discipline in the face of future market uncertainty. Portfolios are well-structured around inalienable investment truths, particularly the value of deep diversification.

For many investors – particularly those in retirement - the question ‘how long is long-term?’ could also be translated as ‘I’m getting on a bit, so should I still be investing in the stock market?’. When is comes to systematic investing – that is to say, capturing specific market risks in a disciplined and rules based manner – a subsidiary question might also be ‘should I still own value and small cap stocks, as their excess returns, relative to the market, can take some time to come through?’.

The world of financial planning can be complex and technical. It's sometimes easy to lose sight of why having a financial plan is so important! We recently came across this amazing video of Doris Day, singing in the 1950's and felt it was an apt reminder of what we're trying to achieve in the Expert Wealth family. Have a look!

Systematic, evidence-based investing often results in very little activity in a portfolio. It is wrong to think that this is the result of a ‘set-and-forget’ strategy.

December 2018 dished up a rather distasteful present for the holiday period. Many lines were written in the broadsheets about the global equity market falls, but were they really anything out of the ordinary? The challenge for investors today is that they have been spoiled by the run of strong returns since the Credit Crisis, with only one down year since 2008 until, that is, 2018.

Human beings are not well wired to be investors. Not only are we not very good with percentages - often accepting seemingly small percentage charges as immaterial - but we also grossly underestimate the impact of compounding these deductions from our portfolios over time.

Sharp eyed clients may have noticed guest content from the fantastic Abraham Okusanya of FinalytiQ contributed to our Expert Opinion section earlier this year. We're now pleased to be able to announce a new partnership between Expert Wealth and FinalytiQ that will allow us to further improve the standard of service we can offer our clients.

The world of financial self-serve technology is changing for the better, and we'll soon be making some significant improvements to our in-house systems. Find out more now.

It's an important part of Expert Wealth Management's vision that we make an active contribution to our local community. Around a month ago we saw an opportunity to purchase a Defibrillator unit for the Mickey Cranks Cycling Club.

We feel that by recording our interactions with you, we'll be able to increase our focus and engagement with what really matters... Your life goals.

Sometimes, having owned your Individual Savings Account (ISA) for a few years, you might notice that the underlying investments no longer give you what you need.

It is important to remember that equity market falls are an inevitable part of the process of building wealth through equity ownership. This note seeks to put market falls in perspective and offers some behavioural tips for surviving them.

Thirty years ago, securing an income in retirement was relatively simple; collect years of service in the company’s pension plan (or some government pension plan for public servants) and retire on a defined percentage of your final salary. A combination of poor government policy, weak investment strategy, and rapid increases in longevity has all but destroyed this type of pension.

Have you ever considered if the attempt to select and buy individual stocks is a worthwhile exercise? Is it better to stick with a disciplined approach to investing and look to win in the longer term? This vlog explores some thoughts on the matter (and there's a very cold dip involved!).

During my youth I quickly learnt to get ahead you had to play the ‘Winners Game’. Do you remember school sports day in the days when competition was actually allowed?

All you want is to get a decent return without too much worry, so what is diversification and how can it work for you? Many professional investors are experts in their field. They can specialise in a market and make informed decisions quickly. They buy and sell their shares at exactly the […]

What are the alternatives to annuities? Find out the best ways to plan for your retirement fund. The pension funds that an individual accumulates can be used to purchase an annuity from the pension plan provider or similar company. This typically happens during the early stages of retirement. For many people, this […]

So how do you invest to maximise your wealth in the long run? Here’s our advice for getting the most from your long-term investments. See also: How Deep Is Your Risk? Why Does Diversification of Investments Reduce Risk? What Are the Best Ways to Invest Sensibly? There are many reasons to invest for the […]

As dawn breaks, the morning light reveals yet another political gamble that has not paid off for the dice roller.  The UK has a hung Parliament, with no party holding an absolute majority.  Such is the unpredictability of a parliamentary democracy.  If you ask the people of the UK what they think, […]

Inheritance tax planning is something many people delay thinking about. Even those with a sizeable portfolio tend to neglect this area of their wealth management. However it is important to appreciate: the implications this can have for your estate, the impact inheritance tax can have on your loved ones, and the options […]