Our relationship with paying for things has changed significantly in a relatively short period of time. Here in the UK the Bank of England was established in 1694 and just 23 years later the first form of cheques were introduced. It wasn?t until 1965 that the first cheque guarantee card was introduced, a way of ensuring that the amount that the cheque was written out for was certain to be paid. I am sure many of you will have [...]

As the long school summer holidays are upon us it is very easy to get concerned about both how to keep your youngsters entertained and more worryingly how much the next six or seven weeks are going to cost. Whilst undoubtedly there will be additional expenses to meet with a little forward planning and imagination these expenses can be kept to a sensible level. A simple starting point is to visit a museum. There are many free ones around. [...]

Recent volatility in investment markets leaves many people sitting on the side lines and waiting for things to calm down.? The alternative to investing is to hold savings in cash. This may seem sensible but the one factor against this objective is knowing when is everything more stable and when is it right to invest? Getting timings wrong could result in missing out on significant returns. Another factor to consider when waiting for volatility to calm is the effect [...]

Over the last few months we have seen a lot of volatility in investment markets. This will have come as a shock to many people who have only invested in the past few years as stock markets have shown positive returns since the big crash of 2008. It is often cited that ?uncertainty? causes volatility in investment markets which often leaves investors feeling vulnerable. A natural reaction is to consider a switch into cash to wait until the uncertainty [...]

The growth of cyber-crime is something we are all aware of and have either been affected personally or at least know somebody who has fallen foul to the scammers. But scams can take a more traditional route as well. Recently the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and The Pension Regulator (TPR) have launched an advertising campaign to highlight the growing issue of pension scams. Their figures highlight that scammers are specifically targeting those age 45-65 and the sophistication of their [...]