The composer Handel, best known for the Hallelujah chorus and the Water Music, made a fortune from his investments despite losing a packet in the South Sea Bubble, says the Telegraph (Investment Management).
Unlike Sir Isaac Newton, who lost all his money in the Bubble, Handel shrewdly sold out his shareholding the year before the crash in 1720, and after that stuck to investing in fixed interest bonds, mostly those guaranteed by the British government. By his death in 1759 he held £14,000 worth, the equivalent of about £2 million in today’s money. Handel was wise to learn from the failure of the South Sea Company, says the Telegraph, and stick to safer investments.
House prices keep on booming
House prices rose by more in March 2016 than in any month since the financial crisis, says the Mail, citing Office for National Statistics numbers showing the average UK home now to be worth £292,000, a rise of £8,000 from the previous month. Prices in London and the South East rose fastest with annual rates of over 12%. Experts said landlords rushing to complete purchases before a rise in Stamp Duty rates were largely responsible.
Beats me, guv
It may be hard getting the deposit together as a first-time buyer, but if you’ve got it, now is a good time to be seeking a mortgage, says the Sunday Times. There’s fierce competition between lenders and many are relaxing some of the criteria they used to apply to self-employed people and contractors without secure employment. Some of the ‘affordability’ rules are also being relaxed for residential buyers, but at the same time lenders are tightening them for buy-to-let purchasers.
Confusion over tax-free interest
The introduction of the Personal Savings Allowance has thrown up anomalies in the treatment of payments by banks and building societies, says the Sunday Times. From April, individuals have an allowance of £1,000 (£500 if they are higher rate taxpayers) of interest they can receive without paying any income tax on it. From April, too, banks stopped deducting tax at source from interest payments. But people are discovering that many payments by banks don’t count as interest, so tax is still being deducted from them. This applies to Halifax‘s payments on its Reward account, and similar payments from other banks.
Easier travel claims ahead
Changes to insurance law that will take place in August are good news for policyholders, says the Financial Times. It is the biggest update in UK insurance law for over 100 years and will clarify what information policyholders have to provide to insurers, as well as removing many grounds for non-payment. It’s estimated that 45% of all large business insurance claims are disputed and that in 60% of those, policyholders get less of their claim paid than they expect. Holders of travel insurance policies, too, are expected to benefit from a reduction in disputed claims
Investment Management and Financial Advice Bristol
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Churchill Wealth Management Limited is located at 13 Alma Vale Rd, Bristol BS8 2HL, United Kingdom.
About Us: Churchill Wealth Management is a team of independent financial advisors/financial advisers (IFAs) based in Clifton, Bristol. We provide independent financial advice, including pension advice, investment advice, inheritance tax planning and protection/insurance advice.