‘Big Tech’ firms are as evil and vilified by many as ‘Big Pharma’. Apple, Facebook, Amazon,...
Investments
“Directors banned after taking millions from investors”
Two headlines on the same day show how financial services regulation is still as ineffective as...
“FCA’s 180-day rule ‘spells the end’ for property funds”
Property funds are often promoted as being ‘safe as houses’; or, more accurately, offices, retail...
‘Covid has given us the chance to build a carbon-free future’
It’s not just Brexit which has become, perhaps conveniently, background noise in These...
“CGT shake up could ‘put people off investing entirely'”
We know that Rishi has to raise a lot of cash, and the rumour is that CGT will be hiked to help...
“FCA permanently bans mini-bond ads: are investors still at risk of losing money?”
I’ve said for ages that, were regulated advisers banned from recommending unregulated investments,...
“Mini-bond scandal drives £16m FSCS levy hike”
One of my pre-Covid bees-in-bonnet was the almost weekly recurrence of the same old scams,...
“Investors plough record £2.6bn into equity funds in April”
We’ve been advising, relatively gently, I think, that the last month or so has been ‘a good time...
“Mini-bond scheme collapses owing £45m to investors”
Another week, another too-good-to-be-true investment scheme collapses. Once again, so-called...
“FCA: retail investment market is failing consumers”
High risk, unregulated investments, recommended by stupid (charitable) or unscrupulous (realistic)...
“Wealth manager challenges market with ‘fair’ advice fee”
Apparently 6 million of the unadvised would be willing to pay for financial advice if they thought...
“FCA accused of aiding scammers through its register”
To try to stop bankers getting away with all the stuff they got away with 10 years or more ago the...
“M&G has bolted the door, but is any property fund safe?”
What could be safer than bricks and mortar? Property funds are easy to sell, or buy (without...
“The ‘ethical’ funds that plough your cash into tanks, tobacco and Big Oil”
I recently questioned whether ‘big Pharma’ companies such as Glaxo were ethical enough to be in...
“Woodford and Newman paid £20m in dividends last year – reports”
Despite the fact that he's an avid Brexiteer, I was feeling pretty sorry for Neil Woodford. He...