Read the latest news and articles from the Gem & Co team
A recent study has found that 2.3 million UK homeowners aged 55 and over – almost 40% of people in that age bracket – are planning to downsize their home in order to raise money during their retirement. However, if downsizing wasn’t always the plan for these people, then it potentially shows poor financial planning
Read moreCongratulations to Mat on completing his charity run for The Royal Marsden hospital last weekend. Not only did he complete his 10k run in good time, he also smashed his fundraising target! Well done Mat! Hot on his heels, Elliott has also thrown himself forward for a challenge. At the end of July, he will be
Read moreThe UK has woken up this morning to a vote to leave the EU, the Prime Minister is set to leave office in October and the markets are suffering a bout of jitters. We all knew that these were possibilities. To some this is a good day, to others it is not. But we are
Read moreAs the referendum to remain in, or leave, the European Union draws near, we thought it would be a useful time to touch base and provide some reassurance that the investment portfolio that we look after for you is well positioned to weather any investment storms ahead. In this brief note, we raise a number
Read moreRecently released data suggests that “The Bank of Mum and Dad” will lend out £5 billion this year to children looking to get on the UK property ladder. Parents will therefore be assisting in financing one in four of all UK mortgage transactions in 2016. The average loan amount will be £17,500, around 7% of
Read moreThe buy-to-let market has already seen some significant changes in 2016, perhaps most significantly the increase in stamp duty on any property you own other than your primary home. What this means for those looking to invest their money in property is that the market may not offer the same kind of sound investment that
Read moreWhilst the summer brings bright evenings and warm weather, it can also be a very expensive time of year. Handy tips to help you save money whilst the sun is shining (hopefully) are always welcome, as even the smallest savings can build up to give you a little extra cash at the end of each
Read moreMay was the month when you could be forgiven for thinking that there was only one event in the world that mattered: the continuing debate on the UK’s membership of the EU. But while the claims and counter-claims of Messrs Cameron, Osborne, Johnson and Gove filled the airwaves and dominated the headlines, for the rest
Read moreLet’s face it, if you drive past a Waitrose it’s quite likely that you’re passing through a fairly well-to-do middle class area. Whilst other food retailers don’t have quite the same status-affirming presence, a Waitrose gives off an unmistakeable air of ‘middle-class-ness’. However, recent research has suggested that the presence of the supermarket does not
Read moreApril was the month for stats fanatics… We monitor a dozen world stock markets for this commentary: remarkably, seven of them rose by 1% during April. Brazil and Russia managed rather more noteworthy increases: the Chinese market shuffled off in the opposite direction. But April was a month when events away from the world’s stock
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