Helen Pridham

Finances and emotions often go awry at Christmas. Helen Pridham has some tips to manage a festive meltdown.

Mick Gilligan has sold Thames River High Income and bought M&G Strategic Corporate Bond instead. Helen Pridham finds out why.

Tony Yarrow of Wise Investments has made some changes to his hypothetical £100,000 income growth portfolio.  

Followers of the Income Growth portfolio will be keen to learn that the Axa US Short Duration High Yield Bond fund has been sold in favour of the Standard Life Global Index Bond fund.

Money may not grow on trees, but stashing your cash in a tax-efficient Isa can generate handsome income. Helen Pridham explores different products that can help maximise returns.

Followers of our hypothetical £100,000 income portfolio have done very well since its inception but some major changes are now taking place.

Tony Yarrow of Wise Investment, who has taken over the portfolio’s management from Daniel Lockyer, decided to undertake a thorough spring clean on 28 January.

A growing number of investment trust and fund management companies have surreptitiously been adding an extra layer of costs to their annual management charges (AMCs) in recent years in the form of performance fees.

One-off capital gains, rather than income, have boosted returns from corporate bond funds. Investors should consider taking profits, writes Helen Pridham.

In the fourth part of our campaign, Helen Pridham looks at the changes the financial services industry needs to implement to make charges more transparent, fair and easier to understand, and at the likely impact of the Retail Distribution Review.

When the going gets tough, it is important to hang on to past investment gains. Over the past quarter Killik & Co’s hypothetical £100,000 growth portfolio has lost less ground than the market. Mick Gilligan, head of research, explains
his tactics to Helen Pridham.