As this illustrates, the value of monies in such a modest interest environment is eroded by the cost of inflation, something no one notices until a 10p Chomp costs 30p (outrageous!), or going to the cinema costs more than buying the DVD and sitting at home watching in your pyjamas with a takeaway. Essentially many savers are going backwards in terms of wealth.
Stock market investment has traditionally been considered the best home for long-term savings, and provided an investor has the capacity for risk and a suitable time horizon - able to ‘ride-out’ the bumps of the economic cycle – this is still considered to be true. My personal position means I’m not looking to access my savings in the short-term, so I have been happy to seek investment growth through exposure to the markets, despite the shocks. It is sensible to consider the time-horizon for portions of your savings – known requirements need a capital preservation priority, but the funds earmarked to support your retirement journey, say, could be diminished significantly over the 10 + years if such a cautious approach is taken.
For those seeking investments with reduced volatility, and less correlation to the ‘dramas’ of the financial markets, there are more options available than people realise. The opportunity to invest in commercial or residential property seeking a steady return from long leases and loan repayments, has proven to be particularly popular… regardless of economic performance we must pay the mortgage; more’s the pity! These investments won’t ‘shoot the lights out’ but an annual return of around 4% from an area the FCA deems lower risk is an attractive proposition; and mitigates Inflation Risk to an extent.
There are further alternatives that invest in infrastructure, in renewable energy, lend to business and/or fund healthcare facilities – the impact of some of these schemes has been job creation, environmental improvement and increase in standard of living. Furthermore, each of these investments seeks to grow your money in an environment that is not susceptible to the ups and downs of the financial markets and often benefit from government subsidy or incentive.
The additional benefit of these types of investment is their ability to diversify an investor’s overall asset exposure. Diversification typically reduces risk.
We strongly believe in the benefits of developing long-lasting relationships with our clients.
We aim to be approachable, easily contactable and offer a broad, inter-discipline, assessment of client needs. We are happy to meet via telephone or virtual meeting, but still prioritise face-to-face meetings where possible.
We work closely across our departments to ensure that specialist knowledge and experience is accessed; when queries arise, there will always be someone available who understands and can deal with your concerns.
We are also keen to work alongside other key stakeholders and individuals; land agents, accountants, your existing solicitor or financial adviser, and of course, your family.
As a firm we are keen to promote and involve ourselves in the community, and to support local charities and initiatives, such as Jeremiah’s Journey, St. Lukes, the Plymouth Argyle Community Trust (Project 35), Emotional Logic and the Ivybridge Brewery.
The South West is a beautiful places to live and we are proud to be based here, we’re therefore keen to help where we can.
Start the process using this form and one of our expert team members will be in touch with you shortly.
