Money Management articles from November 2002

Money Management archives from November 2002

Giving it the personal touch; Although Alan Pickerings report into pensions simplification recommended that the number of products be reduced to just three, there is no prospect that Sipps will cease to exist. Will Hadfield finds out why the power of self investment is so critical.
November 1, 2002... Pensions simplification is a worthy goal. But not if those with significant assets to save for their retirement must lose the power of self investment. This summers Government commissioned Pickering report, A simpler way to better...

If it has to be equities; Many see any new investment in equities as throwing good money after bad. Colin Maloney, unitised pensions development director at Jupiter Unit Trust Managers, explains how to invest SIPP money in equities to the long term benefit of the fund.
November 1, 2002... In the past two years the FTSE All Share Index has fallen by more than 40%. This has frightened off many investors from investing in equities. The SIPP investor in particular has been looking around for alternative investments such as fixed...

Managing on your own; As the stock market increasingly resembles a casino where you can only lose, a steadily growing number of investors are opting to manage their pension savings themselves. Will Hadfield looks at how to make the most effective use of self invested personal.
November 1, 2002... Do it yourself pension investing should not be gaining in popularity. If they were at the forefront of investment strategies and asset allocation decision making, the life and pensions offices would already be providing the most up to date...

Administering your assets online; After years of limited IT development, SIPP administrators are committing themselves to an electronic future. Will Hadfield assesses the progress being made by the different players.
November 1, 2002... Ten million pounds is a lot of money to spend on upgrading an existing IT system. Yet this is the amount that both PPML and James Hay Pension Trustees, which are the two largest third party pension administrators, claim that they have...

THE FINANCIAL PLANNER OF THE YEAR 2002 JUDGES COMMENTS; Jacqueline Elliott FIFP CFP, James Martineau FIFP CFP, and Janet Walford, editor of Money Management, sum up the entries for the 2002 Financial Planner of the Year Awards.
November 1, 2002... Money Management and all three judges send their congratulations to all those IFAs who entered the 2002 Financial Planner of the Year Awards. The judges were very pleased to see the continuing increase in both the number and quality of the...

WINNING ENTRY; These are the three case study answers submitted by Gillian Cardy from Professional Partnerships, London, which, in the opinion of the judges, was the best entry received for.
November 1, 2002... Case study 4: Saving for children Background Jill Lambert (23) a non smoker, and David Middleton (24) a smoker, have been living together for three years. Jill has just given birth to their second child, a son, Samuel. Their first...

WINNING ENTRY; These are the three case study answers submitted by Gillian Cardy from Professional Partnerships, London, which, in the opinion of the judges, was the best entry received for.
November 1, 2002... Case study 5: Investment planning Background Debbie (60) and Jonathan (58) Shwink retired several months ago. Debbie was a newspaper editor and Jonathan worked in the marketing department of a major car manufacturer. Their current...

WINNING ENTRY; These are the three case study answers submitted by Gillian Cardy from Professional Partnerships, London, which, in the opinion of the judges, was the best entry received for.
November 1, 2002... Case study 7: Investment TRUST planning Background Rachel (32) and Stan Burgess (38) have been married for three years. They have a two year old daughter, Emma, who has taken to playing her violin like duck to water. She is truly...

PLAYING THE FIELD; We are all being encouraged to participate more in sport to keep fit, but if an injury occurs it can have the reverse effect. Helen Pridham looks at the protection options.
November 1, 2002... With the football and rugby seasons in full swing again, the chances of amateur sportsmen sustaining an accidental injury are high. This can lead not only to medical problems but financial difficulties if someone has to take time off work. For...

Taking Stock; Stock markets determine what return we get from our savings, and sadly not our need for income nor indeed our hopes for the future, says former investment banker Russell Taylor.
November 1, 2002... Central bankers and their political masters appear sanguine about the world economy. True, all developed economies seem slow to revive but, sooner or later, the worlds reduced interest rates should do the trick. Perhaps they also hope that a...

Check your charges.
November 1, 2002... Anyone with an old style personal pension plan should check whether the charges have been reduced to stakeholder levels. The question of charges on personal pension plans sold prior to the introduction of stakeholder pensions has flared up...

Love the house youre with; With the moving costs rising relentlessly, more people are remortgaging to improve their property and much more says John Hancock.
November 1, 2002... It was once the case that the best way up the property ladder was to move house. However, the financial and lifestyle costs of moving are now so great that, for growing numbers it seems financially and personally less daunting to borrow more...

Investing Offshore; The benefits of going offshore can be illusory. Anna Bawden investigates and finds that there is still a place for offshore investments.
November 1, 2002... Investing offshore has often perceived as a safe haven. Offshore not only provides fiscal gains, it also generates better returns and provides access to a wider choice of asset classes. Or so the argument goes. But in the face of fears...

INVESTING IN CASH.
November 1, 2002... As the worlds markets have suffered a sustained nosedive over the last two years, people have increasingly turned to cash, seeking safe harbours for their savings. But there is more to the humble cash fund than just the money market...

FINANCIAL STRENGTH TO THE FORE.
November 1, 2002... Volatility and uncertainty in global equity markets during 2002, and a general decline in share prices over the past two years, has demonstrated, perhaps for the first time since Standard & Poors began reporting on the UK life sector, the...

Are your profits crumbling away? With profits endowments payouts are falling inexorably but are still making money for their investors. Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon finds that the choice of life office makes all the difference.
November 1, 2002... It is official. We are now in the longest bear market since the seventies. At 33 months, we have just overtaken the prolonged slide that was 1973-1975. Although the falls are comparable, the market peaks and troughs at that time were greater (...