View All Posts

    Popular Posts

    Warren Buffet on Hamburgers

    Image
    Source: Warren Buffett, the most successful investor in the world in the Berkshire Hathaway Chairman’s Letter 1997I’m saving for the long term - should I be worried if share prices fall?“A short quiz: If you plan to eat hamburgers throughout your life and are not a cattle producer, should you wish for higher or lower prices for beef? Likewise, if you are going to buy a car from time to time but are not an auto manufacturer, should you prefer higher or lower car prices? These questions, of course, answer themselves.“But now for the final exam: If you expect to be a net saver during the next five years, should you hope for a higher or lower stock market during that period?“Many investors get this one wrong. Even though they are going to be net buyers of stocks for many years to come, they are elated when stock prices rise and depressed when they fall. In effect, they rejoice because prices have risen for the ‘hamburgers’ they will soon be buying.“This reaction makes no sense. Only those…
    Read more

    How to Read a Fund Fact-Sheet

    Image
    Has your adviser given you a factsheet on a recommended fund, and you need to understand what the terms mean? If so, read on …The fund factsheet is an essential document for the private investor. Unfortunately, the information contained in a factsheet - and the way it is presented - is not controlled in the same way as it is in a fund prospectus (a prospectus is a legal document). In essence a factsheet is marketing literature. Only a tiny fraction of investors ever read the formal prospectus for a fund, that’s why it’s especially important to be able to read a fund factsheet correctly, and if necessary to read between the lines.Key Contents Of A Factsheet Most fund factsheets will contain some or all of the following:Fund Name Many funds are commonly referred to by a short or abbreviated version of the full fund name. Hence it’s important to make use of the identifying codes (see below).Fund Management Company & Domicile The fund management company is structured and regulated acc…
    Read more

    Tax Free Savings Plans for Australians?

    Image
    Question: How can returning Australians (and expats moving to Australia) make MASSIVE tax savings by using offshore investment bonds and investment-linked life policy wrappers?Answer: Set it up while you’re an expat working abroad, and keep it running at least ten years (even if you go back home) for maximum tax benefits.(Note: this article is relevant to expatriate Australians working in Singapore and other overseas locations, as well as other nationalities who may be moving to Australia in the future.)Click to download a copy of this information in PDF format. Background - Repeal of Foreign Investment Fund legislationFor several years the Australian Tax Office (ATO) had very defined, and perhaps harsh, rules for how foreign insurance bonds were treated in respect of capital gains for tax residents in Australia. In effect, these tax wrappers were treated in a ‘look through’ manner and holders were liable for tax on actual gains made or at a deemed rate set by the authorities. This reg…
    Read more

    Dollar Cost Averaging

    Image
    How Regular Savings Create Gains From A Falling MarketDollar Cost Averaging is a strategy in which an investor places a fixed dollar amount (or indeed any other currency) into a given investment such as a unit trust, on a regular basis. The investment generally takes place each and every month regardless of what is occurring in the financial markets. As a result, when the price of a given investment rises, the investor will be able to purchase fewer units. When the price declines, the investor will be able to purchase more units.Millions of investors around the world employ a dollar cost averaging strategy because it offers the following benefits:It’s an attractive option for investors who want to contribute to their investment portfolios on a regular basis. It eliminates the issue of ‘market timing.’ As a result, an investor’s returns will be determined more by the overall trend in a given fund as opposed to the investor’s specific entry price. In addition, it helps investors reduce …
    Read more

    Should UK Expats Pay National Insurance Contributions?

    Image
    I live outside the UK - should I make voluntary National Insurance contributions?The decision on whether to make voluntary NI contributions depends on your own specific circumstances. National Insurance contributions for British expats?First a quick reminder. National Insurance (NI) contributions go principally to fund the National Health Service (NHS), the state pension, unemployment benefits, and sickness and disability allowances. Anyone employed in the UK will have an NI number, and make NI contributions via PAYE (pay-as-you-earn) deduction from salary. These are known Class 1 NI contributions (NICs).If you’re self-employed in the UK, you pay Class 2 NICs at a flat weekly rate, and annually Class 4 NICs based on taxable profits.If you are working abroad for up to two years and for a UK-based employer, you will likely be required to continue paying Class 1 NICs.  Alternatively, you can choose to pay voluntary contributions, Class 2 or Class 3. Depending on your circumstances, volun…
    Read more

    I’ve Recently Arrived in Dubai. Will I Pay UK Tax on my UAE Income?

    Image
    Please note. This article is a summary, for general information only.  It is not tax advice.Whether you pay UK tax depends on your residence. Non-UK residents will pay tax on their UK income, but not on their foreign income. So, if you live outside the UK, what counts is whether HMRC considers you to be non-residents for tax purposes.The Basics - UK Statutory Residence Test (SRT)A few years ago the UK introduced the Statutory Residence Test.You’re automatically UK resident if either:you spent 183 or more days in the UK in the tax year, oryour only home was in the UK - you must have owned, rented or lived in it for at least 91 days in total - and you spent at least 30 days there in the tax yearYou’re automatically non-resident if either:you spent fewer than 16 days in the UK (or 46 days if you haven’t been classed as UK resident for the 3 previous tax years), oryou work abroad full-time (averaging at least 35 hours a week) and spent fewer than 91 days in the UK, of which no more than 3…
    Read more

    British Expat? Here are the Huge UK Tax Benefits of an Offshore Investment Plan...

    Image
    Would you like to maximise the tax planning benefits of being a British expat abroad? Read on for a summary of some key reliefs and allowances available from the HMRC tax man…(Note: this article is relevant to British expatriates working in Singapore and other overseas locations, as well as other nationalities who may be moving to UK in the future.)Click to download this information in PDF format.
    Summary of Tax Benefits of an Offshore Investment PlanUnder HMRC tax rules for ‘foreign’ investment bonds and investment-linked life policies have additional tax planning benefits compared with their domestic equivalents. The purpose of this article is to briefly highlight the most important. The content is not intended to be specific tax advice of any kind, and rules can change at any time. Everyone’s tax situation is unique and you should consult a qualified tax accountant regarding your own circumstances.5% withdrawal allowance Time apportionment reduction Top slicing relief Clustering …
    Read more

    Stroke Victim Trapped in UAE Four YEARS Because of Debts

    Image
    Malcolm Munroe, from Manchester in UK, built a thriving construction company in Dubai. In 2013, he suffered a stroke, and was hospitalised at Rashid Hospital. He was immobile, and breathing through an oxygen tube. Because he couldn’t work, his business went bust owing debts. The Dubai courts sentenced him to a three-year jail sentence. He didn’t go to prison, because he needed around-the-clock care in hospital. But neither could he service his debt. He was trapped in Dubai.
    Finally Home The kindness of others led to him finally coming home. A healthcare volunteer in Dubai spent over a year communicating with Mr Munroe’s debtors, to explain his situation and beg for his debts to be forgiven. Another medic from Manchester arranged for Mr Munroe’s return to the UK, and thousands of pounds was donated by well-wishers via a crowdfunding site to cover costs. His family finally welcomed him ‘home’ (the Salford Royal Hospital) in May 2018, where he remains (as at June 2018) under twenty-four…
    Read more

    Mobile Phone Screens Are Getting SMALLER!

    Image
    If you bought a “6-inch” screen phone this year, it will have a SMALLER screen than the “6-inch” screen phone you bought two years ago.  Here’s why.
    Call me old-fashioned (or just old), but I spend a lot of time reading stuff – articles, charts, and data – on my phone.  And I mean actually reading it – not ‘skimming’ through an article while my thumb is continually scrolling the page upwards.
    A ‘Full HD’ screen is 1920 x 1080 pixels – which is nice for movies, and gives an eye-friendly ‘book page’ ratio of 16:9.   This has been the standard screen ratio of mobile phones for several years, up to the last year or so, when suddenly manufacturers have switched to a 18:9 ratio  (which is 2:1 by the way… no idea why they call it 18:9, duh).   For me, 16:9 is perfect for reading text.  2:1 isn’t – it’s too thin and narrow.   Supposedly, manufacturers have switched to this format because phones with skinnier screens fit into our pockets better, and are more easily used with one hand.   They hav…
    Read more