Kennedy Black Wealth Management

The Six Rules of Asset Bubbles

Posted on November 2, 2017

in Behavioural finance, Investments, News

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...

RUNNER UP for Investment Adviser of the Year Award 2017

Posted on September 29, 2017

in News, Uncategorized

by Ben Smaje

I am delighted to report that we finished as RUNNER-UP in the Moneyfacts Investment Adviser of the Year Award 2017, receiving a nice trophy for being "Highly Commended." We were very surprised, given we were up against some very well-respected advisory firms. This came following a two-stage assessment, comprising a questionnaire about our business and why we thought we deserved to win, followed by feedback from clients,...

Moneyfacts Testimonials

Posted on September 28, 2017

in Awards, News

by Ben Smaje

One of the most pleasing elements of receiving a "Highly Commended" award at the Moneyfacts Investment Adviser of the Year Awards were the lovely testimonials left by clients and other stakeholders as part of the assessment process. Below we highlight a few. We are grateful and flattered in equal measure. “The attention to detail that I've seen Kennedy Black provide to their clients, time and time...

Finalist for Moneyfacts ‘Investment Adviser of the Year’ 2017

Posted on June 22, 2017

in Awards, Investments, News, Uncategorized

by Ben Smaje

I 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....

The Spring Budget 2017

Posted on March 9, 2017

in News, Pensions, Tax, The Budget/Autumn Statement

by Ben Smaje

Following his announcement in the last Autumn Statement, Philip Hammond today gave his first Spring Budget, but also his last Spring Budget. He will announce his first Autumn Budget later in the year, followed by a new Spring Statement, which will apparently be nothing like the old Autumn Statements. In the context of Brexit and the upcoming triggering of Article 50, this was always likely to...

“Don’t just do something, stand there”

Posted on May 20, 2016

in Investments, News, Proper financial planning, Video

by admin

[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....

Summary of 2016 Budget

Posted on May 3, 2016

in News

by admin

Here as usual is our summary of the main announcements in today’s Budget, with some thoughts and comments to boot. The build-up to this Budget suggested it could be far-reaching and highly memorable, but in the end it appears that political pressures linked to the EU referendum in June may have got the better of the Chancellor. There was a lot of fluff and not much...

Why we are programmed to panic

Posted on February 24, 2016

in News

by admin

Humans are terrible investors. Our brains are primarily driven by emotion and, in certain situations, it can make us act irrationally. This presents a problem for traditional economics, where there is a presumption that everyone acts rationally. To demonstrate this, imagine I offer you a game to play. A simple coin-toss: heads or tails. If you win, I will give you £1; if you lose, you...

“IF… you can keep your head while all around are losing theirs”

Posted on February 24, 2016

in Behavioural finance, News

by admin

2016 has started in spectacularly poor fashion, eerily reminiscent of 2008 – a story that didn’t end well. In the furore of doom-and-gloom headlines, we prefer to ask a slightly more unorthodox question: How does it make you feel? If all this uncertainty* makes you feel anxious then you should try to go back to basics and follow these three rules: 1. Understand your risk tolerance: research from...

An extra £250,000 ISA allowance?

Posted on February 24, 2016

in News, Uncategorised

by admin

April heralds a number of major changes to tax and pension rules (as outlined in previous editions of this newsletter). One, that has so far avoided most of the headlines, is the change to the taxation of dividends and the introduction of a new dividend allowance. From April, everyone will be able to receive £5,000 of dividends without incurring any extra income tax. In the right circumstances,...

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