Structuring your investment portfolio throughout life
If low interest rates continue to remain, it really matters where you invest your money. Investing for income means choosing assets that are able to provide you with a regular income. This is in contrast to investing for growth, which focuses on how much your assets could gain in value.
Staying disciplined and sticking to your plan is key
The overall direction of developed stock markets is a relentless and continual rise in value over the very long term, punctuated by falls. It’s important not to let global uncertainties affect your financial planning for the years ahead. Individuals who stop their investment planning, particularly during market downturns, can often miss out on opportunities to invest at lower prices.
Asset allocation depends on your goals, your attitude to risk, your capacity for loss and market conditions. Understanding investment risk and determining what level of risk you feel comfortable with before you invest is an important part of the investment-decision process. Potential returns available from different kinds of investment, and the risks involved, change over time as a result of economic, political and regulatory developments, as well as a host of other factors.
The impact of inflation on savings and investments, especially of those retirees living on a fixed income, is an important issue. But it’s also not good news for other savers and investors, as it can erode the purchasing power of money.
At this time of year, we think about New Year’s resolutions, and it’s also a good time to start planning our tax affairs before the end of the tax year on 5 April. As you think about 2019 and your goals for the coming year, we can help to start you off on the right financial footing. It’s well worth spending some time in January to think about your money so you can achieve your goals as quickly as possible.