US: A costly presentation and continued focus on ‘The Fed’

The standout event was a plunge in the share price of Google parent Alphabet, which was down 10% during the week. At its first demo, Google’s new artificial intelligence based chatbot made a mistake, making investors, who had already been worried about Google’s ability to maintain its dominance in internet search, worry further. Whilst there weren’t any big economic surprises, investors remained focused on whether the Federal Reserve will continue hiking interest rates for much long...

Losing a friend or relative is never easy, and this traumatic period can be made worse when having to deal with their financial affairs after they die. Sadly, people often have to spend vast amounts of time and energy sifting through piles of paperwork to try and find key information about their relative’s finances.

As well as making a challenging time even more difficult, this laborious process also means some of your assets could go undetected. For example, you may have a life assurance plan that is due to pay out, but if the accompanying...

US: The Fed slows down as expected

Whilst Meta platforms released better than expected revenue numbers for the final three months of 2022, investor sentiment was tempered by more disappointing results from Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet. The US Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.25% points, which was widely expected, and warned to expect further hikes to keep inflation under control but acknowledged that inflation had eased and that they are seeing encouraging signs that price pressures were easing. This was seen as positive by investo...

Why should I use a mortgage adviser?

Simply put, we have the experience and expertise to help you navigate the 1000s of products available, and feel confident in what is likely to be the biggest purchase you'll ever make.

My bank can help me with my mortgage, and they won’t charge me an advice fee.

Your bank can indeed help you to navigate your way through the mortgage process, helping you select the best fit for you from their own range of products.  We, as advisers, source from 1000s of products from a range of lenders, giving you, the ...

From tax dates, energy prices, cost of living, rail fares, inflation and interest rates we’ve put together a summary of the key dates and changes in 2023 that could affect your personal finances.  We will be regularly updating our blog as more details become available.

January

31^st Tax return deadline

Self assessment tax returns for tax year 2021/2022 must be filed AND the first payment made.

March

5^th Rail fare rise

This year’s rise has been pushed back from January to March, with fares rising by up to 5.9%

15^th Spring Budget

Chance...

US: Economy appears to be resilient

Data showed that the US economy expanded more than expected in the final three months of 2022 and the manufacturing and services sectors appear to be contracting less than originally anticipated. However, the costs of producing goods and services increased in January, breaking a seven-month streak of falls. Other inflation data suggest that whilst still above the central banks target, inflation appears to be falling. The Federal Reserve is due to raise interest rates again this week.  

Japan: US economic...

Nothing is more important to us than the security of your investments. Although investing does come with some risk, we have processes in place to protect your money, backed by strong regulatory controls and oversight.

The Openwork Partnership launched in 2005 but we’ve been present in the UK for nearly 50 years. Our partnership comprises more than 4,200 financial advisers based in nearly 700 firms across the country, who are supported by 600 people in our central teams. We offer a wide range of financial products and services, including inv...

US: Recession worries mount

Worries about recession outweighed any relief that existed from signs that inflation was falling. Retail sales dropped 1.1% in December as Americans pulled back from non-essential purchases and a slowdown in sales at petrol stations. Industrial production also dropped sharply in December indicating a slowdown in the manufacturing sector.

Japan: China reopening boosts confidence

Investor sentiment was uplifted by the prospect of China’s reopening, boosting the global economy and hopes that the major central bank...

You are unable to carry any unused allowances over into the 2023-2024 tax year. If you are unsure on what ISAs are available to you and what they could do for you and your money, here’s how you can make the most of them.

ISA

An ISA is an individual savings account that allows you to save money tax-free in a cash or investment account, so you could end up getting more for your money. An ISA is a medium to long term investment, which aims to increase the value of the money you invest for growth, income, or both. There are a few different typ...