Financial Blogger

Keeping all money in the bank is a common practice, and if this is something that you do then you’re certainly not the only one. But while it may seem like a good idea thanks to statutory protections, this is not necessarily the case. Inflation can also have an effect, which ought to be taken into account. This article will explore the pros and cons.

Yes: it’s the ultimate safety net

Deposits made to banks in the UK are protected under a scheme known as the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Deposits made with each banking company (not each bank brand, and some companies own several banks) are protected up to £85,000, meaning that if the bank goes out of business, you’ll get your cash back. Investment vehicles which can rise and fall in value are not protected, meaning that banks are often seen as especially safe.

There are more advantages to using a bank, especially when it comes to quick withdrawals. Bonds, stock portfolios and more often insist that you lose access to your money for a fixed period of time in return for higher returns, or they may take a long time to withdraw simply due to the level of administration required.

It can be hard to stop yourself from overspending at Christmas, no matter how strict you are the rest of the year. Many people admit to over spending on their credit card or taking out a high cost to help them pay for their perfect Christmas. Spending on your credit card is no crime, as long as you can pay it back.

With the average UK household spending £500 upwards on Christmas this year, keeping an eye on your costs is important to avoid being caught in a spiral of debt and taking several months to pay off your holiday season.

The key is to be realistic with what you can afford and to save if you want to spend more than you usually would in a month. Preparation is key. So, to help you avoid overspending this festive period, we have put together ways in which you can do so.

Investing is something that many people would like to get started with, but shy away from due to feelings of nerves. Often, the main off-putting factor is that there’s no guarantee of a good return – and, of course, this is true to some extent. In the world of investing, very few things are ever predictable or guaranteed. However, there are some ways to improve your chances of success. From doing your research and monitoring the market to opting for diversified, balanced portfolio types, you can increase the odds that your investments will work out in your favour.

Diversify your portfolio

The first way to preserve your returns when investing is to diversify your portfolio as much as possible. Diversification essentially means spreading your investment capital around as many different vehicles and asset classes as possible. As an example, you may decide to focus 20% of your portfolio on cryptocurrencies, 50% on equities and the remaining 30% on property. If one of the classes to which you are exposed declines in value while others rise, then you won’t lose everything – and the impact on your return will hopefully be small.

When you’re starting out on a new business venture, it doesn’t matter how experienced you are, how fantastic your idea is; creating a business requires a huge amount of hard work. It can be an exciting process, however, there are lots of things that can go wrong but the potential benefits are huge. Getting your business going and having it succeed is not easy and requires a healthy amount of funding, which must then be spent in the correct way. So, what can you do to get off to the best possible start?

Planning and then planning more is essential, cash is king and if you don’t have a healthy flow throughout the business, it will only end in trouble. Cash is the lifeblood of any business, ensuring that you plan and save, can potentially keep you out of trouble. When it comes to funding and aiding cash flow, there are some effective tasks which you can put into place to ease things along.

Whether you’re starting a new business or are already running one, having a reliable trustworthy accountant can be hugely beneficial for the business. They can offer advice on what sort of organisation your business needs to be (a sole trader, partnership or limited company) and provide good advice about taxation. Accountants can also relieve some of the workload on a business especially if you are a relatively new entity. Your accountant can also do all the necessary book keeping for certain records and tell you the correct places where your company needs to be registered. This can allow business owners to focus on their usual job and day to day running of the business.

But where can you get start-up funds from?