Share Sounds. related to Investing in Funds - Europe

Happy new year, happy new lockdown. 2021 has seen off 2020, but schools and large chunks of the economy have shut down again and people have been ordered to stay at home, as across the UK the nations adopt their own version of lockdown. It’s probably been the gloomiest start to a year for as long as many can remember and a tough winter for people, businesses and the economy lies ahead. So what happened? The UK stock market jumped, of course. Contrary as this may seem, there is some logic to investors buying into the hope that better times lie ahead. We have Covid-19 vaccines being rolled out that will hopefully make this national lockdown the last people have to endure – and we also have a Brexit deal. On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at what the fresh lockdown means for the economy and why investors are choosing to look straight through it and develop a new appetite for buying British. Are UK shares undervalued and a great opportunity for 2021 and beyond – and will a strong consumer rebound once the economy is reopened prove the catalyst the FTSE needs? The team also discuss the potential implications of the Brexit deal for people’s finances and businesses. Meanwhile, the FTSE 100’s gains may have been substantial for a week on the stock market, but they are nothing compared to bitcoin’s continuing rise. The cryptocurrency cracked $40,000 this week: what’s going on, are people making real money out of this, and is there any idea what could happen next? Also, on this week’s podcast, the team talk moving home and getting your property looking attractive for a sale and with everyone stuck at home again, how to improve your wifi.

For women (59%), the resounding role of wealth is being able to provide comfort and security for themselves and their family. But many women neglect to plan and invest sufficiently to provide for their retirement; currently women lose nearly £1million over the course of their lives through a lack of investing. COVID-19 has dramatically impacted financial security, changed the ways in which we work, and the way we think about life, the future, and retirement. As the age of retirement keeps rising and we find ourselves in uncertain times, we should all be thinking about how we want to spend our lives and be armed with the knowledge needed to make the right financial choices to fuel the future we want. In this episode, Tamara Gillan is joined by Wealth Director of Brewin Dolphin, Carla Morris, to share her knowledge and expertise on pensions and female prosperity – both now, and in the future.

Stock markets crashing tend to put savers off investing in shares, but there has been a sizeable rise in new investors in Britain during lockdown, reports suggest. That came as savings rates plummeted (again) and people decided to go hunting for a bargain amid the stock market turmoil in March and April. But who are these novice investors and what do you need to think about to get started? On this week's podcast This is Money editor Simon Lambert tells host Georgie Frost what first timers need to know about building an investment portfolio - and gives some tips on easy ways to get started and why British isn't always best for investors. Managers can invest in their own fund or investment trust, but how do you find out if they do - and whether they're buying or selling, and does it matter? Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs backed Marcus Bank has pulled its best buy easy-access savings account – assistant editor Lee Boyce reveals why and how we are set to see rates tumble even further. Should you gamble on taking a European summer holiday in July, August or September and if you are tempted, what do you need to know? Euro 2020 should have been starting today, but at least for sport-starved fans Premier League football returns next week. However, you'll need a major tournament-style wallchart if you plan on catching the action, with Amazon Prime, BBC, BT Sport and Sky Sports all having games on – how do you watch for the cheapest price? And finally, property sales in England have started to edge up but apparently million-pound-plus homes in the country are leading the way. Are buyers really swapping Millionaire's Row for Millionaire's Lane?

Should you save cash and accept low interest rates, or invest and take the risk that you could lose money? This is the perennial dilemma for those with some money to set aside, who are looking to build their wealth. And it’s not been made easier by a rollercoaster 20 years. Since the turn of the millennium, we’ve had three hefty stock market crashes, but we’ve also had the past decade of historically low interest rates. In response to paltry savings rates, more people have been encouraged to invest in shares for a better return, but the coronavirus crash has left the UK’s flagship stock market index, the FTSE 100, below its level on 31 December 1999, and burnt the fingers of many recent investors. So, is it worth investing, or should you just stick with the relative stability of cash? On this episode of the This is Money podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at our exclusive statistics on who is investing, who is bowing out of the market, and what the new generation of younger investors are doing. They also dive back into the question asked last week: how long do you need to invest for to avoid losing money? With some charts and data sent through to the team by Duncan Lamont, head of research and analytics at Schroders, they compare how putting money into either cash or the stockmarket fared over the past 150 years against inflation – and what the likelihood was of losing money over varying time periods. The team also look at what might happen next to house prices after the coronavirus lockdown put the property market into a deep freeze. Simon dives into the varying predictions of how much property prices could fall – and the bullish suggestion of one estate agent that it’ll all be fine. And finally, we discuss the businesses that we spoke to this week who are fighting veteran insurer Hiscox, because they believed they should be covered against coronavirus with policies that cite infectious or contagious disease… but it says they are not.

Will markets carry on rising this year? Is Gold the best insurance policy against something going wrong? And how will the ETF industry evolve? Will ESG be the big theme of the year? Ed Bowsher finds out from James Butterfill of ETF Securities, Adam Laird of Lyxor, David Stevenson of ETFstream and John Davies of S&P Dow Jones.

In the latest Money Makers podcast Trevor Greetham, responsible for multi-asset investment strategy at Royal London Asset Management, one of the UK’s biggest pension fund and with-profits investment firms, explains what is driving the firm’s current thinking and why he thinks the current bull market in equities could continue for another 1-2 years. Mr Greetham is a 25 year veteran of the investment business, and one of the UK’s higher profile strategists, having previously worked at Fidelity and Merrill Lynch. Topics covered include not just stocks and bonds, but Brexit, inflation, interest rates, annuities and pension drawdown.

Welcome to the This is Money Show on Share Radio, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. It’s the start of a new financial year and with it a number of new tax changes and price hikes. Taking an Easter themed look through what all this means for the pound in your pocket Georgie Frost is joined by Personal Finance Editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce. Plus we put the biggest retailers to the test with the annual Easter taste test.

Welcome to the This is Money Show on Share Radio, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. Retirement just got more complicated this week with proposals put forward to raise the state pension age to 70 whilst further question marks hang over the triple lock. Pensions seem to be the subject of wider controversy though as we hear nearly a fifth of women are retiring without any personal or company pension. Saving up anything for retirement also got more challenging this week though with the latest inflation statistics. A temporary peak or will the Bank of England finally move on interest rates? Answering all this and more Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert and Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce. Also this week we find out how banks and cheques are getting a 21st Century upgrade.

Welcome to the This is Money Show on Share Radio, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. After its controversial announcement last week Philip Hammond has finally had to U-turn on national insurance hikes in an attempt to win back public trust. Whilst the Budget provoked considerable backlash less publicised has been changes in road tax coming in April which will see some drivers paying as much as seven times more. Meanwhile across the pond the US Fed has raised interest rates with attention now turning to what the Bank of England will do next. Speculating on where all this leaves our finances Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert and Personal Finance Editor Rachel Rickard Straus. Plus is a castle, a Star Wars themed cinema and beer Fridays really what it takes to be named Britain’s best boss? This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.

Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. With world stock markets continuing to surge despite global uncertainty this week we’re asking if the FTSE could really break the 10,000 barrier by the end of the year. Examining the views of some of the world’s biggest investors from Warren Buffett to Neil Woodford Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert and Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce. Also on this weeks show we look at a few backfires for the Government lately as many banks prove reluctant to roll out its Lifetime Isa whilst it continues to steam ahead with record hikes in probate fees despite only 2% support. This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.