Our MD Dennis Hall is presenting at the Life Planning Conference in London on the 4th February.
You can see a short press piece about the conference in Money Marketing. There is more information on the conference in the events section of the Kinder Institure website.
Dennis Hall appeared on BBC 2′s Working Lunch programme today before the Bank of England’s latest interest rate decision.
Dennis answered questions on the impact of a cut on interest rates on savers, whether it is a good idea to take out a fixed rate savings product to lock in higher rates, and the neede to keep rainy day money available in these uncertain times.
The winners of the Financial Planner of the Year awards 2008 were announced at a special gala dinner, held at The Dorchester on Park Lane and hosted by Gyles Brandreth.
Adding to his collection of industry awards, we are delighted to be able to say “congratulations” to our very own Dennis Hall, winner of the Investment Company Planner category. The award was presented by Annabel Brodie-Smith Communications Director of the Association of Investment Companies.
Organised by Money Management magazine (a Financial Times publication) in association with the Institute of Financial Planning, the awards aim to “showcase excellence within the industry and reward those excelling in their field.”
To get as far as the shortlist is an achievement in itself, as competitors have to submit a case study for review by a panel of judges, followed by an interview to determine the winner in each category.
You can read more about the Financial Planner of the Year awards and Dennis’s case study on the Money Management awards website.
Samantha Potter, 31, a geophysicist from Warrington, divides her time between her job on board a ship, her partner in China, and her friends and family in the UK. She has no rent or utilities bills to pay, but is concerned about her long term savings. “I don’t know whether I will have enough money to retire on,” Samantha says. “I don’t know what my options are apart from my pension, I also don’t own a property in the UK, and don’t know if I should invest in a buy to let.”
Three independent financial advisers offer Samantha their help this week including Dennis Hall of Yellowtail Financial Planning.
You can read the complete article on the Independent website.
Dennis gives advice to a student trying to cope with debt that must be repaid later.
Helen Stevens, 20, is keen to enjoy her remaining two years of student life before tackling the £30,000 debt she faces on graduation. She estimates she will owe this sum, made up of tuition fees and maintenance loans, on completion of her four-year degree in French and German at University College London (UCL).
“We’re always hearing about how awful debt issues are, yet in doing a degree you can’t avoid it,” says Helen.
You can read the complete article on the Independent website.
“Really, if you’re hanging on to your policy you want a degree of predictability… [t]hose who do not feel they have this may want to move on.”
Dennis is quoted in an article in the FT on with-profit policies.
While the Aviva payouts announced this week are good news for some with-profits investors, those with money in other life offices may be feeling less fortunate.
Stock markets remain volatile and the Financial Services Authority is paying closer attention to the financial strength of life assurers and banks, in the wake of the Equitable Life and Northern Rock scandals.
Financial advisers say policyholders would be wise to do the same.
You can read more of the article, which explains some of the related jargon on the FT website.
Dennis Hall gives financial advice to a twenty something buy-to-let investor in The Times.
Sara Turner owns “a two bedroom house…has a devoted boyfriend and recently landed her dream job in travel journalism after an ‘amazing’ year touring India.”
Unfortunately it doesn’t look as if Sara’s finances could cope with any stress, such as periods where her property was not generating any rental income.
You can read the complete article including Dennis’ advice on the money section of The Times website.
Dennis Hall comments on asset allocation and the correlation between asset classes, noting the recent convergence in returns between property and equity.
Asset allocation becomes even trickier when the issue of which asset classes are non-correlated is considered. Over the past year, as the credit crunch has taken hold, some asset classes that are usually thought to be non-correlated – property and equities, for example – have in fact fallen at the same time.
Dennis Hall, a financial adviser at Yellowtail, suggests that the recent convergence may be because property has been treated more as an equity, with people investing in it for capital growth rather than for its long-term rising rental yield.
You can read the entire article on the FT website.
Dennis Hall comments in an article for the Financial Times in their Weekend Money Supplement.
Discussing multi-asset funds – basically funds that invest in all the main asset classes including equities, bonds, property and cash – Dennis states that financial advisers are likely to recommend these funds to clients because it “takes the burden of asset allocation off their shoulders.”
You can read the rest of the article on the Financial Times website.
Our blog and Dennis Hall’s Random thoughts from a financial planner are mentioned in a Citywire article as 2 blogs that are “well worth reading.”
Just for your peace of mind that quote wasn’t taken out of context as so many theatre reviews are – the article’s author Richard Lander seems to actually mean it!
