This article was originally featured on the Align Financial blog on 18 December 2018. If you’re reading the investment headlines in the news around this time of year, then you might start to feel a bit of anxiety around whether your investments are well placed. Reading the news is one thing but acting on it […]
ESG Investing – what is it and how does it work?
In recent years, ESG investing (also called sustainable, ethical or responsible investing) has taken a more prominent role in management and investment decisions. But what exactly does ESG mean, and how does it affect your investment portfolio? ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance and is a way of measuring and assessing a firm’s sustainability […]
Currency Hedging
If your portfolio contains assets held in a foreign currency, there is a risk that returns might be impacted by fluctuations in exchange rates. As a result, it can be worthwhile knowing how currency fluctuations impact returns. But what exactly is currency hedging, and is it worth the extra costs? How do currency fluctuations affect […]
Interest rates are higher, why aren’t house prices lower?
Rising interest rates usually mean bad news for homeowners, as the cost of servicing existing mortgages goes up and consumers start to feel the pinch. You’d expect this to have a knock-on effect on house prices – higher rates should mean lower house prices as more people are pushed out of (or unable to enter) […]
Higher Minimum Pensions from 1 July 2023
The recent 50% reduction in the minimum Account Based Pension withdrawal requirement came to an end on 1 July 2023. This was a temporary measure during and after COVID and was designed to reduce the depletion of ABPs in times of lower investment returns. From 1 July 2023, the minimum withdrawal percentages are reverting to […]