Currency Fluctuations
August 15th, 2017
Currency Fluctuations Reducing the sudden ups and downs of investment over the long term The summer months are usually the only time when we think about different currencies and their values as we consider what money to take on our holidays. Where should we get our euros or dollars? How much will we […]
Is it time to prepare for an interest rate rise?
July 31st, 2017
Is it time to prepare for an interest rate rise? The headline of this blog will be familiar to readers, who may well be thinking: ‘Didn’t I read this in 2011, 2012 and then 2014?’ What has happened since these headlines appeared? UK interest rates have been cut to a record low of […]
Funding Future Care Costs
July 25th, 2017
Funding Future Care Costs The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young ‘With the UK’s population ageing, more people will be living with long-term care needs. Oscar Wilde once said: “The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is […]
Inheritance Tax Rule Changes
July 19th, 2017
Effective estate planning can safeguard your wealth for future generations ‘If you want to have control over what happens to your assets after your death, effective estate planning is essential. After a lifetime of hard work, you want to make sure you protect as much of your wealth as possible and pass it on […]
Savers ‘banking on ISAs’
July 7th, 2017
Savers ‘banking on ISAs’ Weighing up the tax-efficiency versus flexibility More than one in three retirement savers are planning to rely on Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) for the majority of their retirement income. ISAs don’t attract the upfront tax relief that pensions enjoy. However, unlike retirement savings plans, there is no tax to […]
Advice Matters
July 6th, 2017
Advice Matters Do you have the time to keep fully up to speed with everything that’s going on? With a burgeoning choice of products on the market, and considering the busy lives we all lead, it can be difficult to find the time to keep fully up to speed with everything that’s going on – […]
Keep Calm and Carry on
July 4th, 2017
Keep calm and carry on It would be a fair statement that the last 12 months have proved to be a politically volatile period. Starting with Brexit in June 2016, followed by Donald Trump’s surprise US election win, several European elections and the most recent shock announcement of a hung UK parliament at the […]
Investment Quorum CEO wins international business award for leadership in UK Wealth Management
March 30th, 2017
Investment Quorum CEO wins international business award for leadership in UK Wealth Management This year, the 7th annual Le Fonti IAIR Global Business Awards were held in the extravagant district of Downtown Hong Kong at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers. The event took place on March 10th, 2017 and mainly welcomed Asia’s top performing […]
Investment Quorum Client Liaison Director, Paul Goodrich Timeline
March 28th, 2017
Investment Quorum Client Liaison Director, Paul Goodrich Timeline We are often asked by clients, potential clients, journalists and other interested parties of our business experience and the journey we have been on whilst serving our clients and continuing to maintain Investment Quorum as a leader in wealth management. Whilst it would be impossible to […]
The Chancellor’s first – and last – Spring Budget
March 9th, 2017
The Chancellor’s first – and last – Spring Budget The 2017 Spring Budget will be the last of its type. Probably. The publication of the Finance Bill in the spring/summer of this year will presage a change in Parliamentary proceedings. A second Budget in autumn 2017 followed by a Spring Statement in 2018 […]
Careful succession planning softens the blow of ‘star’ fund manager departures
December 14th, 2016
Careful succession planning softens the blow of ‘star’ fund manager departures ‘Careful succession planning softens the blow of star fund manager departures’ is a guest post for Investment Quorum and will appeal to those particularly keen and informed upon investment matters. For many asset management firms, a movement away from having a ‘star’ […]
Taking the P? Sending up ‘Price’ in Fund Selection
November 28th, 2016
Taking the P? Sending up ‘Price’ in Fund Selection Taking the P is a guest post for Investment Quorum and will appeal to those particularly keen and informed upon investment matters. Like Supersonic flight, the beginnings of fund selection can be traced back about 70 years. At the Association of Professional Fund Investors (APFI) […]
Autumn Statement 2016: all change for the Chancellor
November 24th, 2016
Autumn Statement 2016: all change for the Chancellor The UK has experienced plenty of political upheaval this year with the EU referendum followed by a change of leadership. The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, delivered his first Autumn Statement on 23 November– which also turned out to be his last. His surprise announcement was that after […]
Investment Quorum wins Gold Standard Award
November 17th, 2016
Investment Quorum wins Gold Standard Award At the Houses of Parliament yesterday Investment Quorum ably demonstrated our desire to constantly improve and to be assessed in all that we do as were awarded our twelfth successive Gold Standard Award. We have not missed out on an award since 2007 as well as having been […]
Investment Quorum Operations Director Lisa Ryall Timeline
October 25th, 2016
Investment Quorum Operations Director Lisa Ryall Timeline We are often asked by clients, potential clients, journalists and other interested parties of our business experience and the journey we have been on whilst serving our clients and continuing to maintain Investment Quorum as a leader in wealth management. Whilst it would be impossible to […]
Investment Quorum CIO Peter Lowman Timeline
October 18th, 2016
Investment Quorum CIO Peter Lowman Timeline We are often asked by clients, potential clients, journalists and other interested parties of our business experience and the journey we have been on whilst serving our clients and continuing to maintain Investment Quorum as a leader in wealth management. Whilst it would be impossible to list everything we […]
Investment Quorum CEO Lee Robertson Timeline
September 19th, 2016
Investment Quorum CEO Lee Robertson Timeline We are often asked by clients, potential clients, journalists and other interested parties of our business experience and the journey we have been on whilst serving our clients and continuing to maintain Investment Quorum as a leader in wealth management. Whilst it would be impossible to list […]
Brexit, what Brexit?
August 24th, 2016
Brexit, what Brexit? Brexit, what Brexit? is a guest post by award winning freelance journalist Adam Lewis and will be of interest to private client investors. In the immediate aftermath of the UK’s shock decision to go it alone, you could be forgiven that the four horseman of the Apocalypse were ready to […]
The march of the robo-advisers: can you hear alarm bells ringing?
July 13th, 2016
The march of the robo-advisers: can you hear alarm bells ringing? ‘Robo-advice’ has continued to gain traction in the UK since it became harder for a portion of the population to gain access to financial advice. The so-called ‘advice gap’ was exacerbated by the Retail Distribution Review (RDR), which came into force in […]
EU Referendum Statement
June 24th, 2016
EU Referendum Statement The recent EU referendum result will no doubt be difficult for the whole country to absorb and reflect upon. For investors this will most definitely be true. However as professional wealth managers and investors, it is our role to assist you in times like these – unusual and historic as they […]
Investment Innovator
June 16th, 2016
Lee Robertson reveals his best and worst investment calls of the last year, how he finds new funds and the changes he is making to clients’ portfolios in the run-up to the EU referendum with The Edge. Lee Robertson, CEO Investment Quorum is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct […]
Time to break an investment commandment
May 17th, 2016
Time to break an investment commandment Time to break an investment commandment is a guest post by award winning freelance journalist Adam Lewis and will be of interest to private client investors. A similar version of this article also appeared on Your Money.com. Time to break one of the investment commandments? […]
A conversation between Investment Quorum and FundCalibre
April 14th, 2016
A conversation between Lee Robertson of Investment Quorum and Darius McDermott of FundCalibre on the role of the ratings agency
The way financial data is presented
April 13th, 2016
The way financial data is presented can affect people’s investment choices The way financial data is presented can affect people’s investment choices is a guest post courtesy of Pieria.co.uk and is written by Andrew Lyddon who is a fund manager at Schroders. The founding fathers of behavioural finance hail from two disciplines […]
Panic over
April 12th, 2016
Panic over, but what next for Markets This article, Panic Over, is by Keith Wade Chief Economist at Schroders and first appeared on Pieria on April 6th 2016 and should be viewed as a guest post. It is reproduced with the kind permission of Pieria. Having recovered their composure after a tumultuous […]
Wealth management is an ongoing process
March 30th, 2016
Wealth management is an ongoing process Wealth management is an ongoing process is a brief overview of the recent Budget around pensions and how it is important to keep personal finances under review. So another Budget has passed with the usual pre-Budget leaks and rumours surrounding pension savings and how the tax reliefs […]
Investment Quorum Portfolio Snapshot
February 15th, 2016
Investment Quorum Portfolio Snapshot The following visual graphic is designed to give our private clients a snapshot of the risk assets or equities currently held within our main portfolios. All information is indicative only and supplied for reference purposes. We seek to be transparent in all that we do and this data graphic is […]
A lighthearted look at our 2015 in wealth management
February 2nd, 2016
A lighthearted look at our 2015 in wealth management We thought that you might want to have a look back with us and take a lighthearted look at our 2015 in wealth management. From new team members to award wins, award judging, client events and team events feel free to […]
Investment and The Rule of 72
February 1st, 2016
Investment and The Rule of 72 … or the Eighth Wonder of the World Investment and The Rule of 72 outlines a basic arithmetic rule of thumb and will appeal most to those fairly new to financial planning or are less confident in financial matters. Investment and The Rule of 72 […]
Pensions in 2016
January 3rd, 2016
Pensions in 2016 This article touches upon some of the changes that have already happened and outlines some of what may be to come in 2016. Pensions in 2016 will be of particular interest to private clients undertaking pension planning, either pre or post retirement. Prefer to listen to Pensions in 2016 rather […]
The Fed Sees Green
December 18th, 2015
The Fed Sees Green “After seven years of holding rates at effectively zero, the Fed has now lifted its target range for the Fed funds rate by 25 basis points” Finally, all the members of the Federal Reserve Bank have unanimously agreed to raise interest rates for the […]
Thoughts on our Investment Process
December 16th, 2015
Thoughts on our Investment Process Thoughts on our investment process is written by our Chief Investment Officer, Peter Lowman At the core of our investment process is the understanding that clients are not necessarily averse to taking risk but that they are particularly sensitive to capital losses. This delicate, yet important, […]
The Investment Quorum App
December 3rd, 2015
The Investment Quorum App is now available to download for Android users from the Google Play Store. We are pleased to announce that the new Investment Quorum App is now available to download for Android users from the Google Play Store. It is crammed full […]
Eastern Promise
December 1st, 2015
Eastern Promise Eastern Promise Eastern Promise is a guest post by Hugh Young of Aberdeen Asset Management on issues in and around the Asian markets. It will be of interest to private client investors. Asia has had a rough year. Growth is sluggish. Disinflation – a slowing in […]
Gold standard independent financial advice
December 1st, 2015
Gold Standard Independent Financial Advice At the annual ceremony to mark some of the very best companies working within financial services in the UK we were very pleased to be awarded a Gold Standard Award for Financial Advice, our seventh consecutive award in this category. We have also previously won Gold Standard Awards for Discretionary […]
The Investment Quorum App
November 23rd, 2015
The Investment Quorum App is now available to download from the App Store We are pleased to announce that the new Investment Quorum App is now available to download from the App Store. It is crammed full of wealth management news, commentary, videos, podcasts and much […]
Time to pack up?
November 16th, 2015
Time to pack up and run away, or go active? Time to pack up and run away, or go active? is a guest post by award winning freelance journalist Adam Lewis. Time to pack up and run away, or go active? Sell your house, get out of developed stock […]
Investment Quorum Investment Committee notes November 2015
November 11th, 2015
Investment Quorum Investment Committee notes November 2015 Investment Quorum Investment Committee notes November 2015 The following are brief notes from the Investment Quorum Investment Committee held on the 10th November 2015. They are designed to inform you of our current thinking around the world economies and other issues which […]
Proceed with caution when investing
November 2nd, 2015
Proceed with caution when investing Sadly, it has become even more important to understand just who you are investing with and what you are investing into and with whom so we would always advise you to proceed with caution when investing. “Not all advisers are created equal” Not […]
Investment Quorum CEO wins wealth management award
October 28th, 2015
Investment Quorum CEO wins wealth management award The following is a press release outlining how Lee was honoured this week at the definitive UK wealth management awards held at the Savoy Hotel in London when he was named Asset Manager of the Year for High Net […]
Looking out for icebergs
October 16th, 2015
Looking out for icebergs Looking out for icebergs in the Global Economy is a guest post by Anne Richards, Chief Investment Officer of Aberdeen Asset Management on a wealth management topic for Investment Quorum. The story of the Titanic shows us that, despite their size, icebergs can […]
Property – the British Obsession
October 5th, 2015
Property – the British Obsession Property – the British Obsession is a guest post by award winning freelance journalist Philip Scott The British obsession with all things property related is showing no signs of abating. The latest numbers from the Halifax show that annual house price […]
The Fed sees Red
September 18th, 2015
The Fed sees Red The Federal Reserve Bank last night voted 9 to 1 to keep interest rates unchanged leaving markets and its investor nervous for yet another month at least. Indeed, whilst it was expected that the Fed would leave interest rates on hold, there were still […]
Guest economic insight for August
August 27th, 2015
Guest economic insight for August This guest economic insight for August is kindly provided by Lucy O’Carroll of Aberdeen Asset Management for private clients of Investment Quorum. Monthly highlights: China casts a cloud over the global outlook Global activity looks set to slow this […]
Keep calm and don’t panic
August 25th, 2015
Keep calm and don’t panic Keep calm and don’t panic is a guest post by financial journalist Adam Lewis “So, just how bad is this Chinese meltdown going to affect us?” Nope not a headline in the financial press, a text I received from […]
Can wealth managers rise to the decumulation challenge
July 14th, 2015
Can wealth managers rise to the decumulation challenge Can wealth managers rise to the decumulation challenge is a guest post by Danielle Levy aimed at wealth management clients. The government’s decision to axe compulsory annuities marks a watershed moment, as ordinary people grasp the opportunity to take […]
Bond bubble is a most unhelpful analogy
June 30th, 2015
Bond bubble is a most unhelpful analogy is a short guest post by Brad Crombie, Global Head of Fixed Income at Aberdeen Asset Management Bond bubble is a most unhelpful analogy Financial bubbles have existed for only marginally less time than investment markets themselves. This is because our […]
The Lifetime Allowance
June 15th, 2015
The Level of the Lifetime Allowance We are all becoming very aware of just how difficult it is becoming to build a amount of reasonable pension capital under this government. The level of the lifetime allowance is now being continually revised downwards making it very difficult to plan properly […]
Emerging markets stutter
June 15th, 2015
Emerging Markets Stutter There was a real emerging market stutter last week as we saw large outflows from these markets. Investors pulled just over $9 billion from emerging-market funds and this is largest withdrawal rate seen since the financial crisis of 2008. It may all feel a little like 2013 […]
Global Equity Income
June 5th, 2015
Global Equity Income Global Equity Income is a guest post by award-winning freelance financial journalist Philip Scott With interest rates stuck at an all time low of 0.5% for more than six years and counting savers in their thousands have been piling into the stockmarket in a […]
Dazed and confused in Asian markets
June 3rd, 2015
Dazed and confused in Asian markets is a guest post by Hugh Young of Aberdeen Asset Management ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.’ Famous words written about an earlier […]
How to rate a passive fund
May 13th, 2015
How to rate a passive fund? How to rate a passive fund is a guest post by financial journalist Adam Lewis Passive funds have been making the headlines again in recent weeks with the launch of FE Trustnet’s Passive Crown Ratings system. In the past, […]
Thoughts on an investment trust launch
May 6th, 2015
Thoughts on an investment trust launch Thoughts on an investment trust launch is a guest post by Danielle Levy History has shown investors that where there is a record investment trust launch, there is scope for disappointment. The rise and fall of the Mercury and Kleinwort […]
To incorporate or not to
April 13th, 2015
To incorporate or not to – that is the question! ‘To incorporate or not to – that is the question’ is a guest post for business owners. I am doing perfectly well as I am, I don’t employ anyone directly and life is simple and clear. My accountant […]
Post budget tax year end
April 4th, 2015
Post budget tax year end Post budget tax year end is a guest article by freelance financial journalist and presenter, Sam Shaw. As I write, I note the date and realise it’s clearly too late to be making recommendations about anything that needs to be in place […]
The age of responsibility
March 23rd, 2015
‘The Age of Responsibility’ is a guest post by freelance journalist and presenter, Sam Shaw The age of responsibility Savers may have to face up to some harsh realities as long-standing perceptions of retirement sit quite contrary to the facts, or such was the key message coming out of […]
Woodford performance fee
March 16th, 2015
Woodford performance fee unlikely to cause an Investment Trust revolution This is a guest post on Investment Trust fees by award winning financial journalist Adam Lewis The countdown to the launch of Neil Woodford’s first foray into the world of investment trusts is well and truly on. After […]
Pension contribution rules
March 9th, 2015
Pension Contribution Rules With pensions very much in the news currently it is important that we understand the pension contribution rules. Everyone is aware that pensions, even after they have been much curtailed in recent years, continue to offer very generous tax reliefs which are designed to encourage saving for […]
A double wealth management win
February 20th, 2015
A double wealth management win for Investment Quorum We have always believed in being bench-marked against our peers. This helps us judge how appropriate our services are for our clients. By being bench-marked for awards we have to ensure that we are at the very top of our game as […]
Annuities in retirement planning
February 9th, 2015
Annuities in retirement planning Annuities in retirement planning took a potential big hit when The Chancellor announced the most far reaching changes to the UK pensions landscape with the words “no one will have to buy an annuity”. George Osborne’s statement on the 2014 pension reforms caught just […]
Parting Ways
February 3rd, 2015
Parting Ways with an existing shareholder is a gust post by Christopher Jenkins of Ecovis Wingrave Yeats on a business theme. Parting ways with an existing shareholder Nine essential things to remember The Partners you start your business with and the shareholders you take on in the […]
IQ CEO’s 2014 year end statement
January 22nd, 2015
IQ CEO’s 2014 year end statement Welcome to the IQ CEO’s 2014 year end statement. As in every year, 2014 was incredibly interesting for those of us working in wealth management on behalf of private clients. The UK recovery continues as does the US, Europe continues to […]
The wealthiest one per cent
January 10th, 2015
The Wealthiest One per Cent We often hear about the ‘wealthiest one per cent’ in our newspapers, we hear about them in news bulletins and if we following the business news or any form of economics or social justice stories we have definitely heard about them. “The […]
Seven financial planning imperatives
January 8th, 2015
Seven financial planning imperatives I am bound to say this but it is always good to make time and a very good idea to review your financial planning. However, time available is often short and the inclination to sit down and review your situation can […]
Powering investment portfolios
January 3rd, 2015
Powering investment portfolios It was fifteen years ago that the FTSE 100 hit it’s all-time high of 6930. This was on the Eve of the Millennium, when much doom and gloom had been forecast to happen with computers all due to pack things in and all sorts of dire […]
Our most popular blog posts in 2014
December 30th, 2014
Our most popular blog posts in 2014 As 2014 comes to a close, we are all very grateful to all of you, our clients and readers who continue to visit our News Page and view more and more and a special thank you is due to those of you […]
Gold Standard Independent Financial Advice
November 28th, 2014
Gold Standard Independent Financial Advice Investment Quorum awarded a Gold Standard for independent Financial Advice Investment Quorum are delighted to have received an award for Independent Financial Advice at the Gold Standard Awards 2014, in a ceremony held at the House of Commons on the 26 November, […]
Financial education good deeds are rewarded
November 17th, 2014
Financial education good deeds are rewarded At the recent Personal Finance Society annual conference and chartered awards dinner held at the ICC in Birmingham Investment Quorum was very much in the spotlight. I took part in a panel session on advisory business strategies which turned out so popular that […]
Pension bank account hype?
November 12th, 2014
Pension bank account hype? The press was full of ‘pension bank account’ stories in October. But will it really be that simple? Unlikely if past experience of pensions legislation is anything to go by. The Taxation of Pensions Bill, which will put most of the Budget 2014 […]
Booms bubbles crisis and returns
November 11th, 2014
Booms, Bubbles, Crisis and Returns Over the longer term investing in the stock market has been a rewarding strategy. However, over the centuries there have been many crises that have disheartened investors, and to that end, they have either panicked, or simply sold out, under the stressful fear […]
Wealth management: Lasting powers of attorney
November 10th, 2014
Wealth management: Lasting powers of attorney This article deals with the vexing subject of Lasting powers of attorney. They have been around for a while now but many people still find them and their uses confusing. This detailed article outlines how, when and why. Wealth management: Lasting powers of […]
Armed Forces widows rules relaxed
November 10th, 2014
A welcome move as armed forces widows rules relaxed Regular readers will know that armed forces pensions are a particular hobby horse of mine and that I have written other articles on forces pensions in the past. Amongst many injustices to those serving and leaving the armed forces in […]
Fund managers go boutique
November 3rd, 2014
Fund managers go boutique Fund managers go boutique is a guest post by Danielle Levy The 15 October has become a fated day in asset management. Let me take you back to 14:17 on 15 October of 2013 when the unthinkable happened. Renowned fund manager Neil […]
A radical budget for pensions
October 27th, 2014
A radical Budget for pensions The 2014 Budget proposals have been described by some retirement planning experts as a pensions revolution. The radical proposals came as a surprise and are designed to change the retirement landscape by breaking the link between pensions and annuities. As wealth managers we […]
Equity Release on the increase
October 27th, 2014
Equity Release on the increase Equity Release is an area of financial planning that we are sometimes called upon to assist older client with. Whilst we have not seen an increase in this type of enquiry, the FT has reported that tens of thousands of home owners are turning to […]
Making a Will
October 24th, 2014
Making a Will – some notes to help you consider this wealth management cornerstone A detailed look at how your will allied to good wealth management and financial planning can optimise your chances of success in both taxation and succession terms. Having a valid Will is one of […]
A letter from Qatar
October 15th, 2014
A letter from Qatar The content of this post first appeared as an article by me in Portfolio Adviser Magazine October 2014 I have recently returned from a trip to Qatar and came back but thought I would share the following impressions of a country I did not […]
London wealth manager rides for charity
September 3rd, 2014
A London wealth manager rides for charity This is a a personal blog post by Anura Nanayakkara Sadly, my mum was diagnosed with having cancer in November 2013, and the news came as quite a shock to our family. As a family we rallied around, doing what we […]
Pensions for children
September 2nd, 2014
Pensions for children This is an area that often comes up and I thought a brief reminder of some of the options for pensions for children might be timely. During our discussions with clients with children or grandchildren there is, understandably, reasonably regular consideration and discussion during our […]
Current difficulties seeking income
September 1st, 2014
Current difficulties seeking income This post by IQ CEO Lee Robertson first appeared on the Mindful Money website. Since the recovery from the global banking crisis in 2008 and apart from the odd stumble along the path investors have generally been very well rewarded for […]
Big v Small
August 25th, 2014
‘Big v Small’ is a guest post by freelance journalist and presenter, Sam Shaw Big v Small A favoured business cliché from the 1970s and 80s was that “no one ever got fired for buying IBM”. Which genius at IBM actually coined the phrase, I’m not quite […]
Pennies from Heaven
August 3rd, 2014
Pennies from Heaven is a guest post by Christopher Jenkins of Ecovis Wingrave Yeats on a business theme. Pennies from Heaven It has always been fun trying to guess which will be the next business to collapse, however no-one deserved a prize for guessing that Blockbuster Video wouldn’t […]
Pensions liberalisation comes a step closer
July 23rd, 2014
‘Pensions liberalisation comes a step closer’ Pensions liberalisation comes a step closer is a guest post by independent pensions consultant Rachel Vahey Freedom and choice in pensions came a step closer to reality this month when the Treasury published its blueprint to the changes to retirement income. […]
Emerging Market Strengths
July 15th, 2014
Emerging Market Strengths “The fundamental strengths of the Emerging Markets” We are often faced with the dilemma of whether to invest monies into the emerging markets, over those of the developed world, but how did the term “emerging markets” evolve? Seemingly, the phrase “emerging markets” was […]
From ISA to NISA
July 14th, 2014
From ISA to NISA 1 July 2014 marked the end of ISAs and the beginning of NISAs. It was less than four months ago that George Osborne announced that ISAs would be replaced with ‘New ISAs’ (NISAs). The news was overshadowed by the pensions reforms, so as a […]
Tax Efficiently Investing
July 1st, 2014
TAX EFFICIENTLY INVESTING TO MEET THE COSTS OF EDUCATION , HIGHER EDUCATION AND FIRST HOME PURCHASE Tax Efficiently Investing to meet the costs of education, higher education and first home purchase is a guest post by Tony Wickenden of Technical Connection You are a parent or grandparent […]
Short lived relief?
June 24th, 2014
Short lived relief?: a change for home owners Short lived relief?: a change for home owners is a guest post by Sarah Noake at North Star Law LLP and will be of value to private clients. The March 2014 Budget brought in a range of tax changes relating […]
The cost of financial advice
June 24th, 2014
The cost of financial advice The cost of financial advice is a guest post by Neil Shillito There has been a lot of comment in recent months, particularly in the Personal Finance pages of the press, regarding the cost of financial advice (much of it unnecessarily negative). […]
Platforms, Products, Plans and Pricing
June 19th, 2014
Platforms, Products, Plans and Pricing Platforms, Products, Plans and Pricing is a guest post. Here is a warning about labelling – or, if you prefer, a short description of how dumbing-down helps no-one. When we launched Transact in 2000 it was the only business doing what it did in […]
Does size matter in wealth management?
June 16th, 2014
Does size matter in wealth management? The Queen’s bank Coutts has sent shock waves through the financial services industry after warning all of its UK clients that portfolios may not be suitable. Coutts is perhaps best associated with oversized branded cheque books amongst the rich and the […]
A guest post on Neil Woodford
May 29th, 2014
Thoughts on Neil Woodford and his new venture – a guest post by Gary Corcoran Investment Quorum Introduction Neil Woodford whilst at Invesco Perpetual was one of the UK’s most widely recognised fund managers. His funds often featured in client portfolios of Investment Quorum and it is likely that they will do again […]
Considering investment risk
May 22nd, 2014
Considering investment risk A very brief overview for potential clients as to just how much care we take to understand and categorise the risks involved with investment. Ensuring that we and our investors explore this important area before actually committing capital for investment is fundamental to a good working relationship moving forward. Considering investment risk […]
Barter and ‘Money’s Worth’ Deals
May 16th, 2014
Barter and ‘Money’s Worth’ Deals – How to avoid them going wrong! What could make more sense than swapping a small stake in your business for services of an equivalent value that you would otherwise have had to pay hard cash for? Everyone wins out and we all go home happy, surely? […]
Business financial planning: Why on earth would you want to sell your business?
May 16th, 2014
Business Financial Planning: Why on earth would you want to sell your Business? There are plenty of reasons why we eventually decide to sell up the business that we had started a few years back. It may be that it’s important to catch the technological wave in your industry before it subsides; or […]
Wealth management: Pension flexibility update
May 9th, 2014
Wealth management: Pension flexibility update Another pour yourself a cup of coffee moment, this may take a moment or two of your time. This time our latest financial planning post is around the increased flexibility which is being brought to at retirement pension planning. Following on from the most recent Budget HMRC have published further guidance relating […]
Wealth management: technology, DIY and decking
May 6th, 2014
Wealth management: technology, DIY and decking I attended a conference recently where the theme was ‘success through integrated wealth planning’. While the thread running through the day was one of technology, given it was a conference hosted by a company called – sensibly – Distribution Technology – […]
ISAs: an update
May 6th, 2014
ISAs: an update on the recent budget announcement HMRC have recently issued statistics showing the ISA decisions that were being made in recent years. HMRC take their time to deliver statistics, so it was not until late April 2014 that the details of ISA subscriptions in 2012/13 emerged. They revealed: The total amount […]
Financial Advice
May 3rd, 2014
Financial Advice: The Emergency Cash Fund One of the first recommendations we make to clients as part of their financial planning is to ensure that they retain capital outside of their investment portfolio as ready use or emergency funds. It is one of the pillars of sound personal financial […]
Sierra Leone – here we come
May 3rd, 2014
Sierra Leone – here we come This is a personal blog post discussing the Street Child Charity and our upcoming trip to support this charity and their important work in Sierra Leone. Existing clients may recall that in previous years I went out with my husband Bart and my […]
The New ISA or NISA
April 25th, 2014
The New Individual Savings Account (NISA) – an outline summary The background In the recent Budget it was announced that with effect from 1 July 2014 all ISAs will become New ISAs (NISAs). This is the biggest ever increase to the ISA allowance and the government states that this is part of their policy […]
Investor sentiment in the UK
April 25th, 2014
Investor sentiment in the UK I have just finished reading an excellent piece of work from the Blackrock Investor Pulse survey and I thought it worth sharing some of the main themes that have emerged. This survey is conducted by interviewing more than 17000 investors across the world but […]
A topical financial advice round up
April 25th, 2014
A topical financial advice round up Here is another quick topical round up of financial advice topics and themes. I have set them out by category and I trust that you find them of interest. For savers and investors Fixed Interest Bonds can be bad Investment advisers are starting to question whether fixed interest […]
A cautionary tale in financial advice
April 16th, 2014
A cautionary tale in financial advice as not all advisers are created equal I hope that it goes without saying that we have always prided ourselves on delivering excellent service and giving the very best advice that we can for our clients. We fully understand the trust that has been placed in us to deliver […]
A huge financial challenge
April 15th, 2014
A huge financial challenge in the great race to retirement We are all faced with a huge financial challenge in later life and this is to have accumulated sufficient capital to provide for a comfortable standard of living in the great race towards retirement. This has become the largest financial challenge facing most people in […]
Notice Periods – a guest post
April 11th, 2014
Notice periods – What’s the deal? – a guest post When an employment relationship ends, there are a number of different ways the departing employee’s notice period can be dealt with. This can be a key decision to make as it can impact on the business significantly. So what are the main options? Option 1: […]
Coffee and Financial Advice
April 10th, 2014
Coffee and Financial Advice We strive to bring you interesting and involving content around your wealth management requirements. This can range from longer pieces on current financial advice and sector issues from Lee to the shorter snappier The Lowdown on investment topics and themes from Peter and, of course, my regular financial planning posts. This […]
Lets not repeat past mistakes
April 7th, 2014
The budget has just proven to be a retail savings game changer. I had rather become used to budgets which just squeezed people, with very few real incentives for the hard working, committed investor. Those who had committed to long … Read More
Retirement risks
April 6th, 2014
Retirement risks Much ado about something new. With the announcement by the Chancellor that retirees, or those in money purchase arrangements at least, will have access to their pension fund as and when they choose from retirement age subject to their marginal tax rate I thought it worth exploring the risks that you might face […]
That was the week (or two) that was!
March 30th, 2014
That was the week (or two) that was! So the shock waves have not yet settled from the recent Budget when the Chancellor, albeit amongst many other things, announced that those in personal pensions (jargon alert – money purchase or defined contribution) would be allowed to take their full pension fund subject to the […]
Pension reforms
March 23rd, 2014
Pension reforms Now we really are seeing some pension reforms. The chancellor has delivered really radical reforms to the at retirement decision making of those who have saved through a money purchase pension plan for their retirement. In fact many are calling it a pensions revolution. It has certainly caught the opposition off guard and […]
Budget Summary – March 2014
March 20th, 2014
Budget Summary – March 2014 At the end of this very brief Budget Summary you will find a link to our full guide to the Budget. We are pleased to provide you here with our summary of the key announcements in George Osborne’s Budget of 19 March. Many of the changes revealed were re-announcements from […]
Young professionals: a big missed opportunity
March 19th, 2014
Young professionals: a big missed opportunity for financial services? – A guest post by Danielle Levy Young professionals are one of the poorest served segments by the UK’s financial services industry. A simple google search suggests there are little to no specialist financial advisers actively targeting this market right now. The challenges facing generation Y […]
Don’t be scared of specialist investments
March 18th, 2014
Don’t be scared of specialist investments – a guest post by Damian Davies of The Timebank Tax is something that, sadly, is entirely ubiquitous and I have yet to meet anyone who says, ‘make sure I pay the maximum tax possible’. What is important about tax planning is to not try to be too clever. […]
Size matters in financial advice
March 18th, 2014
Size Matters – a guest post by Clive Waller of CWC Consulting Rarely does regulation of financial services make exciting news, for which most of us are no doubt grateful. An exception has been the Retail Distribution Review. This grabbed the attention of the money page scribblers as the changes meant that the UK would […]
The most popular fund sectors of 2013
March 17th, 2014
The Investment Management Association has revealed the most popular fund sectors of 2013 At the end of January the Investment Management Association (IMA) published its summary of fund sales for 2013. This covers nearly 2,500 UK domiciled funds, with a total value at the end of 2013 of £770bn. 2013 was a much better year […]
Financial news round up
March 17th, 2014
Financial News Round Up Financial News round up 17th March The Chancellor of the Exchequer will give his Budget to Parliament on 19 March 2014 George Osborne has pledged to produce a Budget for business, as survey data shows the recovery is gathering pace. The Chancellor went out […]
Base rate
March 16th, 2014
The 0.5% base rate is celebrating its fifth anniversary this month. On 5 March 2009 the Bank of England halved base rate, from 1% to 0.5%. As the graph shows, base rate had already been on a precipitous decline, having been 5.0% in October of the previous year. The move in March 2009 was an emergency measure […]
The Budget
March 15th, 2014
19 March marks The Budget Day It is little more than three months since the Autumn Statement, but here we are in March with another Budget due in the middle of the month. Nearly all of the 2014/15 tax and national insurance numbers were published alongside the Autumn Statement, so there are unlikely to […]
Another annuity review
March 15th, 2014
The pension annuity market had been in the spotlight for some while and the another review, from the Financial Conduct Authority, shows why. Annuities have had a bad press in recent years. Rates are close to all-time lows, thanks to low long term interest rates and improving longevity. Matters have been made worse by regulatory […]
Benefits of long term investment
March 15th, 2014
The historic benefits of long term investment have once more been underlined by the Barclays Capital Equity Gilt Study. The Barclays Equity Gilt Study (EGS), now in its 59th edition, is one of the most frequently quoted sources of long term stock market performance. Barclays’ data on UK investment performance goes back to 1899, giving […]
Mind the Behaviour Gap
March 12th, 2014
Mind the Behaviour Gap – It’s Costing You 2.49%pa in Investment Returns A guest post on wealth management matters from Abraham Okusanya. It’s highly unlikely you will read this in the money section of your Saturday newspaper, but if you are anything like an average investor, you’re losing 2.49%pa to ‘behavior gap.’ Behaviour gap (or performance […]
Settlement Agreements
March 3rd, 2014
The first question most people ask when they are being made redundant is: How much money am I going to get? The answer is: it depends. Your age and how long you have been employed by a business will all be factors in determining how much you are […]
Impact Investing – from ‘good’ investment to ‘Great’ Britain
March 3rd, 2014
From ‘good’ investment to ‘Great’ Britain There’s something truly amazing that’s happening in the world of investment and it goes under the title of ‘social investment’, it’s inspiring and its captivating. I had a really interesting conversation with a very wealthy individual the other day. He has worked extremely hard for 40 years running […]
Inducements
March 3rd, 2014
Inducements – a guest post After recent updated guidance on inducements in financial services from the FCA, financial journalist Sam Shaw, muses about how things may not always be as simple as they at first appear. My father once told me that “more business was done on the golf course than it was in the […]
Caught by the pension lifetime allowance protection changes?
February 24th, 2014
To protect or not to protect Yet again, there is to be a diminution in the availability of reliefs and opportunities within pension planning for higher earners or those who have accrued significant pension savings. The latest cut in the … Read More
Annuities
February 21st, 2014
Annuities There is a lot of discussion around annuities at the moment and how many members of the financial sector, the financial press, the government and the public feel that they are not great value. Similarly many feel that providers are not keen to tell their investors that they have the right to shop […]
Life insurance for you and your family
February 21st, 2014
Life insurance – protecting what matters most Life and health insurance protection is the underpin of most good financial planning. It always forms part of our financial advice audit with clients. These types of insurance can ensure that if the worst should happen, the right amount of money will reach the right hands at the […]
The Pension Plan – taking control
February 19th, 2014
The Pension Plan – taking control If you add together all the money you have in pension arrangements, the total may well dwarf every other investment you ever make. Despite this, many people are happy to leave their pensions in the schemes of old employers and insurance company ‘managed’ funds, which may be fine for […]
The Rising Tax Burden on Income
February 14th, 2014
The Rising Tax Burden on Income If you find more and more of your income is taxed at over the basic rate, you are not alone. The higher rate threshold – the point at which you start to pay 40% income tax – has been cut by £1,025 to £41,450 for 2013/14. Had the threshold […]
A New Risk Odyssey
February 13th, 2014
A New Risk Odyssey – A guest post from Shaun Sandiford of AXA Elevate I am not a scholar of Greek literature but we all use the expression Odyssey from time to time. It was a 10 year journey that started some 10 years after that clever rouse of the Trojan horse was used to […]
What does ‘Estate Planning’ mean to you?
February 10th, 2014
What does ‘Estate Planning’ mean to you? For many people, estate planning is one of those things they know they must do, but is pushed to the bottom of the ‘do later’ list, like tax returns. Estate planning is also a subject that requires you to contemplate your own demise – hence the reluctance to […]
Key Financial Planning Stages
February 7th, 2014
Key Financial Planning Stages Financial Planning addresses a wide range of issues. We are multi-award winning wealth managers and our wealth management services covers financial planning and investment management. So what is that a financial planner actually does and how might he or she be able to help? A good financial planner can […]
Platforms and Wraps in financial planning
February 7th, 2014
Platforms and Wraps in Financial Planning Platforms and wraps (platforms) are online, investment portfolio management and administrative services, which enable us as financial intermediaries and you as our clients to consolidate, view, analyse, quantify and manage any and all of the designated platform assets. These oversight benefits which this brings us as advisers are great […]
Boutique wealth management – A right to reply
January 22nd, 2014
Boutique Wealth Management – A Right to Reply I would commend the Cap Gemini World Wealth Report to anyone interested in the metrics and trends going on in the world of private client wealth management. As ever, it is full of great quality data and information relating […]
2014 – a unique year in Platformland?
January 21st, 2014
2014 – a unique year in Platformland. A guest post. Welcome to January – a month of abstinence and frosty mornings. My bold prediction for this year is that it will be a year of peace and tranquillity. Why do I say that? We are not starting the year trying to implement a new way […]
Is it simply a case of active versus passive investing?
January 6th, 2014
Active versus Passive – a personal reflection This topic is one that runs and runs in the investment world and as costs come increasingly to the attention of investors and the financial regulator it is probably right to revisit the debate. … Read More
Child Trust Fund to Junior ISA transfers
January 3rd, 2014
Child Trust Fund to Junior ISA Transfers A green(ish) light for Child Trust Fund (CTF) to Junior ISA transfers from the chancellor. Millions of parents will fairly soon be able to transfer money from a Child Trust Fund to a Junior Individual Savings Account for the first time, the government has announced. This rule change […]
IQ CEO’s 2013 year end statement
December 20th, 2013
IQ CEO’s 2013 year end statement This year has proven to be a very interesting year for Investment Quorum with the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) coming into force at midnight of the last day of December 2012. This marked the final implementation for 2013 of around five years work by the then regulator, The Financial […]
Why on earth would you want to sell your Business?
December 17th, 2013
Why on earth would you want to sell your Business? There are plenty of reasons why we eventually decide to sell up the business that we had started a few years back. It may be that it’s important to catch the technological wave in your industry before it subsides; or you may need the capital […]
Autumn Statement 2013
December 6th, 2013
Autumn Statement 2013 This review by Investment Quorum covers to following topics: Corporate and Business Tax Employment Tax Personal Tax and will give a brief commentary on how it may affect your financial planning, personal taxation and investment management. Against a background of generally optimistic economic data, at least on the domestic front, the […]
The Difference
December 4th, 2013
When Lee and I were having initial discussions around the new Investment Quorum website, three elements were identified as key to making this refreshment successful. 1. It would not look, feel or behave like a financial institution website 2. Design with a mobile-first approach 3. Unique and relevant will drive traffic So, how did we […]
Gold Standard Wealth Management
December 3rd, 2013
Fantastic news just in – Investment Quorum continues to deliver Gold Standard Wealth Management to private clients. As well as being assessed as delivering Gold Standard financial planning to clients since 2007 we have been assessed as a Gold Standard Wealth Manager in the inaugural Wealth Management category. We now have the hat-trick and are […]
The taxman or the family?
November 24th, 2013
It may come down to the taxman or the family. We have always believed that financial planning is best done on a collaborative basis. Both between advisers and client but also by the involvement of the wider family wherever possible. If more families had more open and frank conversations around their wealth then more families […]
Honouring the military pension
November 17th, 2013
This is a personal blog post and I should declare that I am an ex-serviceman although have not been impacted in any way by what I am about to discuss. I understand that not everyone is close to the military or feels quite the same way I do. However, I […]
Lifelong investing
November 10th, 2013
These five tips should help you with lifelong investing – a discipline which needs to be addressed early, even with modest amounts as these will compound over time. There is nothing earth shatteringly insightful here, it just a brief reminder of how important it is to know what to do, then do it and to keep […]
Behavourial Finance and Investment Decisions
November 3rd, 2013
Behavioural Finance and Investment – A guest post by Sam Shaw There’s a growing buzz around the concept of behavioural finance and investment decisions and the quickening rate at which that buzz is permeating the industry has a lot to do with our friends over in Canary Wharf. When Martin Wheatley set out his stall […]
The True Meaning of Value
November 3rd, 2013
The True Meaning of Value – a guest post by Rowan Jackson of Changemasters International In a conversation with my financial adviser recently I was struck by how she used the word value. In the financial industry, value is commonly used to mean profit. This, of course, is a very narrow definition of value; others […]
Too much cash in my business?
November 1st, 2013
Too much Cash in my Business? What’s not to like about that? One of the problems we all suffer from when we first start up a business is that we run it by its Bank Statements. Why bother about Profit and Loss Accounts when we haven’t yet started to make a profit? Well, cash may […]
Award winning wealth management
October 29th, 2013
Coming hot on the heels of our recent news that we had, for the fifth successive year, been assessed by a heavyweight panel of judges as the UK’s Leading Wealth Adviser Practice at The Aberdeen Platform Awards we have just been informed that we have, for the second year running made the Citywire Top 100 […]
Ethics and good behaviour
October 25th, 2013
Ethics and good behaviour This article first appeared in Mindful Money on October 24th, 2013 A sandwich at the desk is accompanied by my usual lunchtime headline trawl around the financial websites. I was drawn to an article on an interesting speech by Martin Wheatley, Chief Executive of the FCA, at The Mansion House discussing ethics […]
ISA ISA MAYBE
October 17th, 2013
ISA ISA MAYBE There is a bit of a buzz around at the moment after the Sunday Telegraph reported that the Government is putting some thought behind capping what investors can get into their ISAs with a cap of being imposed. A reduction in overall ISA allowance to £100,000? The Treasury has moved quickly to […]
Will or won’t?
October 14th, 2013
Will or won’t? The use of wills within financial planning Will or won’t? By this we mean whether your wishes will be adequately achieved if the unthinkable happens. This is a question we always ask clients during a financial planning meeting. Within our financial planning services you will find we are always very keen to […]
I am retiring
October 10th, 2013
I am retiring No don’t worry, I am not about to disappear into the folds of a deckchair (who actually retires like that anymore in any case?) nor am I actually really retiring. The reason I say I am retiring will become clearer later in this article. The 2013 Aberdeen UK Platform Awards http://www.ukplatformawards.co.uk/ As […]
Instant Gratification in Wealth Management
October 6th, 2013
Its almost impossible to deliver instant gratification when discussing long term savings but we do deliver timely and accurate portfolio reporting on demand.
Who actually needs wealth management?
October 6th, 2013
Who actually needs wealth management? I am a bit of a financial geek, you would probably expect though as it is my job, I am a wealth manager. I love to read the financial pages, technical pension and tax briefings, financial blogs, visit financial websites and the like. I do this because I am really […]
A Question of Trusts
October 3rd, 2013
A question of trusts The tax benefits of writing life insurance in a trust have been widely publicised, but other assets can also benefit from this type of protection. What is a trust? A trust is a legal agreement that lets you transfer the ownership of your assets to another person. Who is involved in a […]
Saving for retirement is hard
October 1st, 2013
Saving for retirement is hard according to award winning wealth managers Investment Quorum and will take discipline.
Fingers crossed!
October 1st, 2013
Fingers crossed! Some fantastic news just in. We have been told that we have been shortlisted for Leading Adviser Practice once again at the prestigious Aberdeen sponsored UK Platform Awards. http://www.ukplatformawards.co.uk/winners_13.html We have won this award for the last four consecutive years and it is an award we are incredibly proud of. The judging process is […]
Lowman’s Lowdown
October 1st, 2013
Lowman’s Lowdown to 27th September World Markets at a Glance In this week’s issue German and US political events become the backdrop for last week’s market sentiment. The stand-off in Washington over the US budget and debt ceiling takes its toll. German and US government bond markets benefit from a steady […]
Troubling times
September 25th, 2013
Troubling times call for highly tailored financial planning to address today’s important issues.
How we interpret the Tapering decision
September 19th, 2013
Following the FOMC meeting and Ben Bernanke’s decision not to begin any tapering programme in September took the financial markets by surprise as it was thought generally that the taper would be to reduce the monthly buying of treasuries and MBS’s from US$85.0 billion to around US$75.0 billion. However, the cautious Fed chairman obviously thinks […]
I hate marketing
September 18th, 2013
Lee has asked me to write a piece for his shiny new website. As many clients of Investment Quorum are successful business people in their own right I thought I would offer some thoughts on marketing which may be of some use or interest as you browse around the site.
The moral dilemma which never was – dealing with poor advice about Arch Cru
September 2nd, 2013
Advisers complain about the cost of the compensation scheme, where good advisers (and ultimately their clients) compensate the clients of bad ones. But faced with clients who had been disastrously advised to put all their money into Arch Cru, Lee … Read More
Weighed and measured
August 19th, 2013
We are always willing to be weighed and measured to ensure that we continue to develop and improve our services to our clients. Part of this is a willingness to submit to scrutiny by our peers and our clients. You can see how we have done to date in this publication. your browser doesn’t support […]
Trust and the consumer
July 23rd, 2013
Lee Robertson discusses a new financial services industry consumer confidence campaign. I had a recent meeting with the chief executive of the Personal Finance Society, Keith Richards, near my office and was very interested to hear of a new campaign … Read More
Social media marketing in action in wealth management
July 22nd, 2013
At our recent Client Advocates Breakfast at Corrigan’s in Mayfair we were very fortunate to have Justin Urquart Stewart as our keynote speaker. His pithy and witty comments on markets, the economy and the politics around finance were incredibly well received by clients. During his talk I noted clients taking his picture and thought little […]
Another experience of a lifetime!
June 17th, 2013
To all of your who have so kindly supported us in a number of different ways we as a family wish to thank you from the very depth of our hearts. We returned having had another experience of a lifetime. We managed to complete the 5km run – Alec and Rosie did it, as usual, […]
Fourth successive year – twice!
June 17th, 2013
We are extremely proud to let you know that Investment Quorum has been listed for the fourth successive year amongst the annual 2013 FT Private Client Wealth Management Survey of the UK’s Leading Wealth Managers. As you can imagine we are incredibly proud to make the list for the fourth successive year and to figure […]
The dangers of super clean share classes
June 12th, 2013
Lee Robertson, chief executive of City advisory and wealth management firm Investment Quorum points out a few of the downsides in the trend towards clean share classes for investment funds. I trust that those who are familiar with my musings … Read More
Who keeps the half per cent ‘cancelled’ trail commission? It should be investors.
June 12th, 2013
With the retail distribution now in force, some product providers have switched off trail commission previously paid to advisers. Lee Robertson, CEO of Investment Quorum argues that if the trail commission isn’t paying for advice in some way, it should … Read More
Pomp and circumstance
May 8th, 2013
I admit it, despite being a lover of all things pomp and circumstances (we ex service types usually are) I had forgotten that it was the State Opening of Parliament this morning. This led to a massively circuitous route to an appointment in Westminster but thankfully I arrived in the nick of time for the […]
What do we know?
April 2nd, 2013
In what we view as a sign of our growing reputation within investment markets Lee was invited on to Sky News this morning to discuss the latest UK economy figures with the highly respected Joel Hills on the business bulletin.
Spear’s recognises Investment Quorum in latest listings
March 8th, 2013
IQ CEO Lee Robertson has been named as one of the UK’s top twenty UK High Net Worth Wealth Managers in the latest Spear’s Wealth Management Index Listing.
A new guide to Investment Risk from IQ
January 18th, 2013
We have produced our new guide to Investment Risk for private investors and hope that you find it useful.
A whole new way of delivering retail financial advice – or is it?
December 20th, 2012
January 1st 2013 brings huge changes to the way that retail financial and investment advice is delivered to private clients in the UK.
Why we feel the Gold Standard Awards matter
November 30th, 2012
As clients know we recently attended the Houses of Parliament to pick up not one, but two Gold Standard Awards.
Winning Ways – Part Two
November 22nd, 2012
At a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament yesterday evening Investment Quorum were awarded two Gold Standard Awards.
Winning Ways – Part One
November 21st, 2012
Investment Quorum have always contributed to our community and we also like a bit of sport so last year we began sponsoring a real boxing prospect, Phil Gill.
IQ CEO live on Reuters TV discussing European Rescue
October 18th, 2012
As markets appear to be more benign in Europe we take a look back at our discussions on Reuters TV and wonder just how much has changed over on the Continent.
