“The economy contracted slightly in October, with services showing no growth overall and production and construction both falling” Key takeaways The UK economy contracted again in October, according to official figures released on Friday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The unexpected fall of 0.1% marked two consecutive months of negative growth for the […]
Author archives: servicedemoevolvesites
Buy-to-let market update: Trends and insights
The UK buy-to-let (BTL) market has seen notable changes recently. The number of new BTL mortgages granted has decreased sharply. This decline is largely due to higher interest rates and stricter taxation measures, which have served to cool investor enthusiasm. Additionally, the overall size of the BTL mortgage market has contracted. Investors are encountering more […]
Why should you care about correlation
If you want your investment portfolio to strike a good balance between risk and return, it’s worth knowing how correlation can impact your investments. If two different investments are perfectly correlated, their value will rise and fall by the same amount, at the same time. Investing in highly correlated assets can increase your losses, because […]
News in Review
“Mark my words: with this Plan for Change, we will stick to it. Country first, party second” Key takeaways Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer delivered a speech last Thursday at Pinewood Studios on the government’s ‘Plan for Change.’ In it, he set out “six milestones” to be completed before the next general election, with new […]
A third of Gen X think they will never retire
Recently released research1 suggests a significant proportion of working age people are no longer planning a traditional ‘hard stop’ retirement, with 45 to 54-year-olds most likely to feel they will continue working beyond pensionable age. Work work work According to the survey, more than a fifth of working age adults think it unlikely they will […]
Many young mortgage holders do not have life cover
Research has found that 28% of young UK homeowners do not have life insurance1. It is estimated that 1.7 million adults aged 18-40 do not have appropriate cover in place, despite having a mortgage. This oversight puts their dependants in a precarious financial position in the event of their death. Why risk it? Of those […]
Don’t just plan – protect your money
Are you confident you have all the relevant cover in place to protect your finances? Having a financial plan should go hand-in-hand with a conversation about insurance. The statistics We may not like to think about death, but the reality is it is inevitable; however, data has revealed that only 29% of UK adults have […]
News in Review
“Housing affordability has improved over the past year, thanks to stabilising property prices, strong wage growth, and easing interest rates” Buying a home is becoming more affordable relative to income, according to the latest Halifax Affordability Review released last Thursday, as the house price to income ratio continues to fall. Strong wage growth combined with […]
Economic Review November 2024
Interest rates set to fall more gradually Last month, the Bank of England (BoE) cut interest rates for only the second time since 2020 but also warned future reductions were likely to be more gradual due to the prospect of inflation creeping higher next year. Following its latest meeting, which concluded on 6 November, the […]
Self-employed? Remember your pension
Over one million individuals have entered self-employment since 20201, so it is important to ensure you are still planning for retirement by making regular pension contributions. A growing sector In 2023, there were 4.2 million people in the UK’s solo self-employed sector – 3% higher than the previous year. Overall, the solo self-employed contributed £331bn […]
