This week, it’s all change for MoneyWeek magazine – we’ve got a new look, with a refreshed style, and a whole lot of new features. So if you’ve been sitting on the fence, unsure about whether to subscribe or not, now’s a good time to sign up.
What’s new in MoneyWeek magazine
If you’ve not invested before it can be quite daunting. The language used is often obscure, and the sheer variety of things to buy is bewildering. So we’ve introduced a “getting started” page just for people who are new to investing.
In the first of our beginner’s guides, Merryn talks you through the various asset classes, and explains everything from bonds and commodities, to cash and collectibles. Plus, each week, we take a bit of investment jargon and demystify it. This week, it’s “discounted cash flow”.
Investing in property – are things cooling down in London?
Property is always a hot topic. It’s something people never tire of. So we’ve made a page entirely devoted to the subject. This week, we look at London’s property market. It’s still a crazy expensive city to buy in, but, says Matthew Partridge “there’s one specific area that’s flashing a warning sign for the rest of the market”. Developers are whacking up new-build apartment blocks all along the banks of the Thames, and selling the flats off-plan. Trouble is, buyers have all but disappeared, and prices are starting to come down. Matthew looks at why, and what it means for the wider market.
Four of Britain’s best engineers to buy now
The pound is continuing to fall – that’s something that could last a while. And in our cover story this week, Alex Williams looks at how you can take advantage of that. One positive effect of a weaker currency is that it makes your exports more attractive. That’s good news for Britain’s manufacturers. With share prices beaten down in the stockmarket slump, there are some top quality firms that are going remarkably cheaply. Alex picks four of the best – firms with “high margins, high returns, strong balance sheets and long histories”.
Elsewhere, he runs his eye over some of the more interesting share tips from around the financial press, and looks at what Amazon’s foray into grocery deliveries means for the supermarket sector.
Asset allocation, and the MoneyWeek investment trust portfolio
Making sure you’ve got a good spread of assets in your portfolio is essential. And as it’s the first issue of a new month, we’ve got our regular roundup of the major asset classes. We’ve got pointers on the factors affecting each one, and give an idea of where each is likely to head so you can balance your portfolio accordingly.
The traditional split in a balanced portfolio is 60% of your money in risky assets such as shares, and 40% in “safer” assets such as government bonds. Trouble is, putting your money into government bonds isn’t going to get you much of a return these days. So does the traditional advice still hold true? Cris Sholto Heaton finds out.
A few years ago – July 2012 to be exact – Merryn set up a small portfolio made up of a handful of our favourite investment trusts. It’s a pretty passive affair – we rarely fiddle with it, and we update readers on its performance every few months or so. But it’s been quietly doing rather well. In just under four years, it’s returned 51%. As a comparison, putting your money in the FTSE All Share index and reinvesting your dividends would have made you 34%. If you’d like more details on that, now’s a good time to sign up?
Progress on fund fees – and one with “the ideal charging structure”
In funds, Sarah Moore looks at the progress being made in the campaign for fairer fees. And in her interview this week, Merryn talks to Gary Channon, who has been running the Phoenix UK fund since 1998 – and making a tidy profit along the way. He explains the three things he looks for when he’s buying a business. He also talks about his new investment trust – a fund which may well carry “the ideal charging structure”, says Merryn. There’s no administration or management fee of any kind. Managers will only get paid if the fund outperforms the FTSE – and not just over one year, but three. Finally, someone may have produced a charging structure that meets Merryn’s high standards.
The EU referendum debate continues apace. Over the last few weeks, Simon Wilson has been giving a series of investment briefings on subject. This week, he asks if Brexit will be bad for farmers. Given that Britain’s farmers derive over half of their income from EU subsidies, the threat of a Brexit is likely to worry them more than anyone else.
Elsewhere, Matthew Lynn urges investors to look to eastern Europe, to some of “the lest appreciated markets in the world”.
There’s all the usual stuff and more, of course. Sarah Moore looks at robot advisers in personal finance, and Natalie Stanton warns of “rip off” pension exit fees.
Chris Carter explores four of the best beaches in travel, and we’ve got eight of the best properties on sale with courtyards.
If you’d like to get your hands on all that and more, now’s a good time to sign up.