How to get on the property ladder at an early age
I keep hearing and reading stories that young people are no longer able to buy properties, yet all around me I know a number of young people who have bought, or are about to buy properties over the last 12 months. So how have they…
The accumulation effect
I recently read the book The Accumulation Effect, which was written by a friend of mine, Stephen Oliver, who runs a successful company called The Will Company in Northampton. The basic principle of the book is that whatever you do, good or bad, the repetition…
The benefits of open banking for you
Open banking was first introduced in the UK on the 13th of January 2018. You’ve been able to let third-party providers such as budgeting apps access your bank account data since then and you are protected when you do so – as long as the…
Why debt is good for you
It is a commonly held view that debt is bad for you but there are certain circumstances in which debt can be good for you. Take for example mortgages. Most people need a mortgage to buy a property. Without the ability to borrow money most …
The bonkers strategy that produced returns of 5,662% over 22 years
I recently read a story about a company called Fund Expert whose investment strategy involves putting all of your money into a single fund every 6 months. It sounds like a recipe for disaster but the returns this strategy have achieved between 1 September 1995…
Launch of the latest edition of Wealth Magic
I am proud and delighted to announce that the latest revised and updated edition of my book Wealth Magic has now been launched. The latest edition includes a lot of extra material including an additional chapter on mindset. It has been totally updated for the…
The wonders of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet
I recently went shopping at Milton Keynes shopping centre with my daughter Devon, who has just turned 25. She was shocked when she was told at the counter that the shop didn’t accept Apple Pay! She told me she used Apple Pay everywhere to pay…
How to become financially free the easy way
The great aspiration for most pre-retired people is how to achieve financial independence early in order to live the life of their dreams. Well guess what? Financial freedom is easier to achieve than you ever dreamt possible! A great way to learn how to achieve…
The tale of the saver and the spender
One of my previous blogs covered the subject of needs and wants. It highlighted the fact that human beings are flawed addictive creatures. We have needs and wants and too often our wants get the better of us and our money! I explained that we…
The surprising benefits to you of the Curve card
I was chatting to a friend recently over a cup of coffee in a well-known coffee shop appropriately named with money in its title, you guessed it, Starbucks, when he showed me a bank card called a Curve card. I am pretty well versed in…
Our Exciting Fund Launch
I formed a fund management company called Minerva Money Management in 2015. After 3 years’ hard work getting the company authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), finding a fund administration company to work with called Carvetian Capital Management and obtaining the FCA’s authorisation for…
9 Tax Planning Tips
We all have to pay our taxes. Arguably we should be happy to pay a certain level of taxes to maintain the services we, and our families use. But why pay more than you need to? Especially when there are numerous ways you can maintain…