Worldwide Financial Planning

In the US, negotiations over the debt ceiling appear to be making some progress and this helped the positive sentiment towards US equities. However, bond markets remain far more sceptical.

Often financial advice looks straight at the money side of things, but that isn’t really in the right order. What’s the point in turning the heat up in a house when the windows are broken? So, we should sort the attitudinal pieces first, then fine tune the finances.

Unemployment is very low and wages are rising, but signs of weakness are emerging - particularly in employers’ preference for temporary staff over permanent hiring. As the Bank of England has conceded that inflation will remain higher for longer markets now expect several more hikes before it is ready to pause for reflection.

Skipton has just brought back in the 100 per cent mortgage. You must have proof of rent paid for 12 months in a row within the last 18 months, along with the household bills and you can’t have any credit issues.

The sell-off in US banks resumed following the collapse of another regional bank. Last week First Republic reported the scale of deposit outflows in the first quarter and this spooked investors and caused a further outflow of deposits. By Monday it has been seized by US regulators and sold to JP Morgan Chase.

"Not having a will is just…. well…I can’t describe the pain. Just go for it. Not having a will at all is also very expensive, let alone an irreparable family break up." Peter McGahan