It's been a while since I've posted here, but things are settling down now. The past few years have been personally very challenging and very busy (injury, bereavement, house renovations and more) so the blog has unfortunately taken a bit of a back seat. But I am now hoping I can make a more concerted effort to keep the website up-to-date with topics from the...
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We monitor financial markets on an ongoing basis, and one of the tasks we undertake regularly is to compare the performance of our client's portfolios against a variety of benchmarks. We have been doing this for more than eight years, and over that time, one theme has emerged with surprising consistency - the woeful performance of discretionary fund managers (DFMs). DFMs are companies that manage client portfolios...
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Much like peeling an onion, financial services can make one's eyes water. Particularly when it comes to costs, which have traditionally been buried under layer upon layer. Thankfully, the onion that is financial services in the UK has already had a number of layers peeled off over the years. Initially, through commission disclosure ('this is how much we make from you'); then the transition from commission...
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As the price of one Bitcoin soared past $7,000 yesterday evening, we thought we should dig out the following article from of the archives (originally posted in December 2013) to maintain some perspective. It is our slightly contrarian approach to asset bubbles: The Six Rules of Asset Bubbles Asset bubbles are highly topical at the moment with bubbles supposedly developing in London property, contemporary art and US...
Read MoreI am delighted to say that we have once again been short-listed for the prestigious Moneyfacts Investment Adviser of the Year award for 2017. We were last short-listed for the exact same award in 2015. This is a national award and other firms on the short list include firms considerably larger than ours, like Hargreaves Lansdown and Tilneys. Please wish us luck in this David-versus-Goliath encounter....
Read More[no_blockquote text="“DON’T JUST DO SOMETHING, STAND THERE.” JACK BOGLE" show_border="yes" show_quote_icon="yes"][vc_separator type="transparent" thickness="1" up="25" down="0"] I couldn’t resist posting this video, from Vanguard founder Jack Bogle, on why the ‘traditional’ finance industry has got it all the wrong way round....
Read MoreWelcome to the latest edition of the Kennedy Black Quarterly Private Client Newsletter. First off, we are delighted to be able to say that Kennedy Black Wealth Management recently won not one but two prestigious awards: Boutique Wealth Management Firm of the Year and Financial Planning Product of the Year (for our INTELLIGENT WEALTH MAP planning tool). As well as that announcement, we also cover a few interesting...
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As we approach the end of the tax year, Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) and “Seed EIS” (SEIS) will be high up the agenda for a number of our clients. These are high-risk investment vehicles that attract significant tax benefits because they invest in small businesses. The government has repeatedly asserted its commitment to EIS in recent years. While tax avoidance has become a sensitive issue lately,...
Read MoreWelcome to the latest edition of the Kennedy Black Quarterly Private Client Newsletter. We summarise yesterday's Autumn Statement, we talk about Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) and when they seem to make most sense. Plus we look at a couple of insurance-based topics, including why you need to be careful about relying on employer-based protection cover. November 2015 KBWM Private Client Newsletter Don't hesitate to get in touch if you...
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RECENTLY UPDATED: to 30/06/2015 Please see below the updated performance figures for three of our risk-rated model portfolios. These model portfolios typically form the cornerstone of our client's investment portfolios. We will continue to update this information on a half-yearly basis. We compare performance against what we consider to be the leading industry benchmarks with comparable risk profiles. If you would like to find out how your own investments have...
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