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الأربعاء، 4 ديسمبر 2019

Moneywise First 50 interview: Angel Agudo, Fidelity American Special Situations fund

Moneywise First 50 interview: Angel Agudo, Fidelity American Special Situations fund Edmund Greaves Wed, 12/04/2019 - 03:35


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Jasmine Birtles: don’t you just love paying tax?

Jasmine Birtles: don’t you just love paying tax?

As Winston Churchill once said: “There is no such thing as a good tax.” My accountant says I should pay my tax with a smile. I tell him I’d love to, but the Revenue insists on money. It’s so unfair.

Jasmine Birtles Wed, 12/04/2019 - 02:09
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In fact, tax is not just unfair (and every single tax we have is unfair to someone, isn’t it?), it’s also increasingly, fiendishly complicated. Tax doesn’t have to be taxing, they say…but they like to make it that way anyway.

You would think that a functioning and mature economy would have a sane, unfussy tax system. Not us (though, to be fair, after three years of the Brexit debacle it is very much under question whether anything about the UK political system could be described as ‘functioning and mature’).

No, every new Chancellor who grabs the red briefcase with trembling excitement has to do a bit of jiggling to our already creakingly top-heavy tax system, for the heck of it.

Admittedly, it’s not just the UK that has over-complicated the way we bestow our hard-earned to our lovely government. The genius Albert Einstein, speaking from the US, said: “The hardest thing in the world to understand is income tax.” And on filing his taxes, he added: “This is too difficult for a mathematician. It takes a philosopher.”

So if the father of the theory of relativity who managed to bend time and give us E=mc2 couldn’t work out what he owed on his payments from his latest lecture tour, what hope is there for us mere mortals?

It doesn’t help that HMRC itself doesn’t seem to have a complete grasp on matters. In my workshops on managing your money I used to tell participants to call HMRC if they were unsure about tax issues. “It’s free,” I’d say, “so make the most of it.” Now I have to add: “But it’s probably worth going for a second opinion as they’re not always right.”

Even their software regularly spits out the wrong conclusions. In 2017, thousands of taxpayers had to file paper returns because of glitches in the system. Given that AI (artificial intelligence) is supposed to be the cure-all for every government admin woe, it doesn’t bode well.

Just a few of the unnecessarily complicated areas of our delightful tax regime include: the messed-up system of marginal rates (including different ones for Scotland and the rest of the country at the top end); different levels of capital gains tax for property and other assets; pension contributions limits; inheritance tax rules (messed up to assuage the angry, property-owning middle classes); different types of stamp duty; and the variety of Isas. These are just a snapshot of the many and growing areas of tax confusion we’re meant to navigate. 

It almost makes it worth being poor – at least it would if the tax system didn’t work in favour of the rich who can afford to pay a professional to bring down their tax liabilities for them. As they say, the mark of a good tax accountant is that they have a loophole named after them.

So as we move to that exciting time of year when we fill in self-assessment forms at 10 minutes to midnight the day before the deadline, it’s worth giving a thought to how we could finally stop the madness and make it all a bit simpler.

The Office for Tax Simplification (yes, there is one, but don’t get too excited because it’s government-run) has made quite a few sensible suggestions in a recent report, including simplifying child benefit, improving PAYE, overhauling pensions and improving the way a deceased person’s tax situation is assessed and communicated.

But most tellingly it recommends that “HMRC should collaborate more with relevant external bodies, including schools, to improve thπe public’s understanding of tax and finance”. Yes! Again and again we’re all asking for this – more financial education in schools, including an explanation of taxation to equip future generations with the tools to run their lives and their money properly.

And that’s the key (and it’s why this magazine rewards top financial educators in schools with the annual Moneywise Personal Finance Teacher of the Year Awards). Successive governments get away with complicated, often unfair taxes because the majority of us don’t know it’s happening. We get exercised about ATMs charging us to withdraw cash but we have no idea how many thousands we’re losing because of tax loopholes, complications and mistakes.

Yes, a fool and his money are soon parted, but the rest of us wait until income-tax time. As Mark Twain wrote: “The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.” With greater knowledge, we’ll have more skin in the game.  



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Would You Trust an Online-Only Bank? Here’s What You Should Know

Choosing a bank account is a big deal. After all, you’re handing the institution what’s most likely the majority of your money for safekeeping. You want to make sure it’s actually safe.

You also need to be able to access that cash for all your day-to-day operations, like paying bills or coughing up for your share of the pizza.

Along with choosing from multiple financial institutions, banking in 2019 and beyond means making another important decision: Will you use of one of the many all-digital, online-only banking options, or will you keep it old school by opening an account at brick-and-mortar facility?

Are Online Banks Safe?

In a recent survey conducted by The Penny Hoarder, more than 50% of respondents said they wouldn’t consider using an online bank, and more than 19% were unsure about using one. Given how much of our lives are conducted online these days, we found that data point surprising.

But on the other hand, we do understand having reservations when it comes to money matters. Walking into a stately, brick-built bank can make it feel less scary to hand over your hard-earned cash.

So are online banks safe? The truth is there are a growing number of online-only banking alternatives that are, indeed, legitimate and safe. Online banks like Chime and Simple are FDIC-insured for deposits up to $250,000, just like Bank of America and Chase.

And thanks to the magic of technology, you can do pretty much everything you might need to with your money without ever needing to visit a teller in person: depositing checks on your mobile phone, pulling cash from a network ATM or transferring funds to a family member or friend. You can even write paper checks… if you really, really have to.

It’s true, however, that you won’t be able to walk into a bank and talk to a teller in person. What are the other important differences between these two methods of banking?

Brick-and-Mortar Banking: Pros and Cons

Since nearly 72% of our survey respondents said they’d visited a brick-and-mortar bank in the past year, we want to give this option its due. Here are the drawbacks and benefits of patronizing and old-school bank — the kind you can walk into to open your account.

Traditional Banking Pros

  • Larger banks may offer “one stop shopping” for your financial needs: They often make it easy to take out a mortgage, open a credit card, or apply for a personal loan with the same institution you bank through. (However, these products may come at higher fees than you’d find by shopping around for independent lenders.)
  • Some users simply find it easier to walk into a bank and ask for the service they need. This may be a better option for you if you don’t like figuring out how to get what you need through an online banking portal or app.
  • Depending on the bank you choose, you may be supporting a local (or local-ish) business, or at least a nationwide business that provides jobs in your area. Credit unions in particular are often community-focused institutions that participate in local events and provide friendly, face-to-face customer service to account holders.

Traditional Banking Cons

  • Again, depending on the bank you choose, you may only be able to access your bank locally. That can present problems for those who travel or eventually plan to move out of state.
  • Large banks often have higher account maintenance fees and other associated costs. After all, they have to keep the lights on at an in-person banking facility. Furthermore, the amount you stand to earn through interest-accruing savings and checking accounts may be lower than what you’d get from a digital-only bank.
  • You’re probably already doing most of your banking online. In fact, more than half of our survey respondents said they do most of their banking online or via mobile app. And at an in-person bank, particularly a small or local one, the online banking portal or mobile app won’t be quite as spiffy as the tech tools you’ll find at a bank where those tools are the primary way to access and interact with your cash.

Online-Only Banking Pros and Cons

So what about digital-only banks? What incentives can they offer to outweigh the drawback of not having a physical location — and what other drawbacks are there?

Online-Only Banking Pros

  • Because they don’t have as much overhead as banks with physical facilities, online banks frequently offer lower-cost banking options. Many have no monthly maintenance fees or balance requirements.
  • With an online bank, your money goes with you everywhere. You’re not tied to the physical location where your bank has branches. Many online banks allow you to access your cash through a fee-free network of ATMs that stretches not only across the country, but overseas as well, and you’ll always have access to the tools available on your computer and smartphone.
  • Some online banks and alternatives do offer other financial products, like mortgages and student loan refinancing. For example, check out Ally and SoFi, which also offer investment products, educational resources and more.
  • Many online banks offer a suite of digital tools to help you take charge of your finances. These include built-in budget trackers, automatic savings, and integration with popular third-party apps like PayPal or Venmo. While brick-and-mortar banks are also catching on and adding in these extras, all-digital banks tend to have the leg up on these sorts of forward-thinking extras.

Online-Only Banking Cons

  • No in-person banking option. If you’re set in your ways and don’t want to have to move through the learning curve of figuring out a digital bank’s tools, a brick-and-mortar bank may be easier. (That said, even big chains are installing souped-up ATMs and routing much of the queue to the machine rather than having them interact with tellers… so in the end, you may not really have a choice!)

What to Consider if You’re Looking for a Bank Account

No matter which kind of banking option appeals to you best, keep in mind that not all banks are created equal, whether they inhabit real space or cyberspace. It’s important to thoroughly research all the features and policies of your potential bank account before you sign the paperwork.

Looking for a new home for your cash? Check out our reviews of the best checking accounts and savings accounts on the market today.

Jamie Cattanach’s work has been featured at Fodor’s, Yahoo, SELF, The Huffington Post, The Motley Fool and other outlets. Learn more at www.jamiecattanach.com.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.



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HSBC to hike current account overdraft rates to 39.9% EAR from next year

HSBC to hike current account overdraft rates to 39.9% EAR from next year

Customers with the bank will see their overdraft rates more than double in some cases

Stephen Little Wed, 12/04/2019 - 14:43
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HSBC is hiking its overdraft charges in a move that will affect millions of account holders.

From March next year, HSBC’s customers will be charged a flat rate of 39.9% on all overdrafts. The rate is more than double the 19.9% it charges on its HSBC Account and its current account.

Up until now the rate has depended on the type of account held and whether customers have gone overdrawn without permission.

There is some good news though, the bank is introducing an interest-free £25 buffer for Bank Account and Advance customers when they go overdrawn.

It is also removing the £5 daily fee for going into an unarranged overdraft as well as reducing the maximum monthly charge from £80 a month to £20 a month.

Madhu Kejriwal, HSBC UK’s head of lending and payments, says: “An overdraft gives people a bit of flexibility with their finances especially if there is an unexpected cost or emergency repair required. The new £25 buffer we are introducing will also give people some peace of mind that a small miscalculation on spending won’t incur overdraft charges.”

“By simplifying our overdraft charging structure we are making them easier to understand, more transparent and giving customers tools to help them make better financial decisions.”

Why is this happening?

Lenders make over £2.4 billion from overdrafts a year, with around 30% from unarranged overdrafts, according to the FCA.

Under radical new plans from the financial watchdog, banks and building societies will no longer be able to charge higher interest rates on unarranged overdrafts than they do on arranged ones from 6 April 2020.

They will also not be allowed to charge fixed fees for overdrafts. Instead they will have to introduce a simple interest rate.

Nationwide was the first lender to announce it was introducing new overdraft charges in November with a rate of 39.9%.

Is this the new normal?

With HSBC deciding to charge nearly 40% for going into the red, experts are warning that this could become the new industry normal.

Andrew Hagger, personal finance expert at of Moneycomms, says: “As feared, it appears that HSBC is following the earlier move by Nationwide Buiding Society and hiking overdraft rates to 39.9% EAR from next March.

“Paying almost 40% for agreed overdrafts looks like becoming the norm even if you have a top-notch credit record - double the rate on credit cards - surely this isn't the outcome the regulator was expecting?

“Some of the big banks still haven't shown their hands but the early signs are that those using agreed overdrafts will be paying a much higher price and absorbing the costs the banks used to impose on unauthorised overdraft borrowing.”



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Petrol prices fall for fourth month in a row but should still be 4p a litre cheaper

Petrol prices fall for fourth month in a row but should still be 4p a litre cheaper

Retailers are failing to pass on wholesale price cuts to motorists, the RAC says

Stephen Little Wed, 12/04/2019 - 11:27
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Petrol prices fell for the fourth month in a row in November, despite retailers not passing on wholesale price cuts to customers.

A litre of unleaded fell 0.48p to 125.93p in November, according to RAC data.

Diesel has fallen for three out of the last four months, after it increased slightly in September when petrol fell. A litre of diesel is now 129.83p, down from 130.27p at the start of the month.

Since the beginning of August, the average price of petrol across all UK forecourts has dropped by 3.31p a litre. The diesel reduction was a penny less at 2.21p, falling from 132.04p.

This means the cost of filling a 55-litre family car with unleaded is now £1.82 a tank cheaper than early August, while diesel is £1.21 less.

Due to savings in the wholesale price of fuel, Asda led a round of supermarket fuel cuts in late November, followed by Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

The average price supermarket price of unleaded at the end of November was 121.20p, down 1.74p in the month, and diesel is 125.15p, down 1.41p. Both fuels at supermarkets are now 4.7p a litre cheaper than the UK average.

However, the RAC says that other retailers are failing to pass price cuts on.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams says: “Despite this knocking off about a penny and half from the average price of fuel charged at the four big supermarkets, the UK average only reduced very slightly.

“This implies that other retailers haven’t followed the supermarkets lead and are not passing on savings in the wholesale price. This is bad news for drivers as it means they are losing out every time they fill up.

“Normally, the supermarkets are about 3p a litre cheaper than other retailers so seeing this go out to 4.7p is definitely a sign something’s different.”

“Looking at the wholesale price of both petrol and diesel retailers of all sizes should be cutting at the pump. As it stands, unleaded should come down by 5p a litre and diesel by 4p.”

How to cut down on your fuel costs

One way of cutting down on your fuel costs is by finding the cheapest prices.

To save wasting fuel hunting down the cheapest forecourts you can enter your postcode at on PetrolPrices.com or Confused.com. Make sure your journey to the garage does not cancel out the savings made though.

Making your car more fuel-efficient can also help you cut down on your petrol bills.

Regular maintenance and servicing can significantly help improve fuel efficiency.

A poorly-tuned engine can reduce fuel economy by 10% or more, so it is a good idea to get your car regular serviced.

Under-inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption, so make sure they are pumped up properly.

Excess weight can also hurt fuel economy, so remove anything that is not essential, such as roof racks.

Regional fuel prices

Those living in the North West saw the largest monthly price fall in the UK for unleaded of 1.29p, taking a litre to 125.56p. The smallest fall was in London, with prices  dropping 0.30p.

The most expensive unleaded was in London at 126.98p, followed closely by the South East at 126.94p.

Unleaded 30/10/2019 28/11/2019 Change
UK average 126.41 125.93 -0.48
North West 126.85 125.56 -1.29
Wales 125.92 124.71 -1.21
Scotland 126.6 125.4 -1.2
North East 125.62 124.53 -1.09
South West 126.82 125.77 -1.05
East Midlands 127.01 125.98 -1.03
Yorkshire And The Humber 126.45 125.46 -0.99
Northern Ireland 124.72 123.91 -0.81
West Midlands 126.72 126.03 -0.69
South East 127.59 126.94 -0.65
East 126.94 126.37 -0.57
London 127.28 126.98 -0.3

Source: RAC 2019

The East Midlands recorded the biggest drop in the price of diesel, with a litre falling 1.01p.

The most expensive diesel was in the South East, while the cheapest was in Northern Ireland at 127.51p

Diesel 30/10/2019 28/11/2019 Change
UK average 130.27 129.83 -0.44
East Midlands 130.97 129.96 -1.01
Scotland 130.84 129.89 -0.95
North East 129.54 128.6 -0.94
Wales 129.98 129.09 -0.89
South West 130.87 130.02 -0.85
North West 130.15 129.31 -0.84
Yorkshire And The Humber 130.22 129.38 -0.84
Northern Ireland 128.3 127.51 -0.79
West Midlands 130.5 129.9 -0.6
East 131.02 130.5 -0.52
South East 131.57 131.08 -0.49
London 130.82 130.52 -0.3

Source: RAC 2019



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Downsizing to Accelerate Other Financial Goals

One of the most effective strategies for really accelerating your progress toward your financial goals is to make a major downsizing move, one that will free up hundreds of dollars a month and/or quickly produce thousands that you can instantly apply to progressing toward your big goal, whatever it might be.

For many people, that’s retirement. A person in their 50s or early 60s with some solid money in the bank and a desire to have plenty of time to enjoy life without work while still in good health might want to take that final leap over the threshold to the amount they need to retire on while also reducing their monthly expenses.

For others, it might be something like a house down payment, the funds to go back to school for a few years or the funds to launch a business idea they’ve had for a while.

Whatever your big goal is, a significant drop in your monthly bills or a quick influx of cash can make all the difference, but the price can be costly, too. You don’t want to make a move that would make your life miserable or untenable, so the trick is to stick to just one or two that seem like they’re palatable to you.

Here are seven ways you can “downsize” to accelerate yourself toward your goal.

Cancel your cable or satellite.

The average American pays over $100 a month in cable or satellite bills, with many families paying well above $200 a month for packages laden with premium channels. Simply canceling the service means that you’re no longer paying that bill.

Cutting the cord isn’t easy. The free replacement is an over-the-air antenna, which can get you 15 to 20 channels of content in most cities. You can also replace the service with streaming options such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant Video and Disney+, but those come with a small monthly cost — much smaller than a cable package, to be sure, but still significant. If there is a cable channel or two you just can’t live without, take a look at Sling — it’s another monthly bill, to be sure, but you can at least retain a few cable channels that you deeply enjoy.

Currently, we have an over the air antenna, Netflix and Disney+, and we only have the latter because we got a deal on it for under $4 a month for the first three years. Our “television” bill is about $15 a month all told.

Cancel your cell phone and switch to a simple pay-as-you-go phone.

Cell phones are incredibly useful, but you don’t really need the latest smartphone with a huge data package under a long term contract. Rather, assess your actual needs and consider dumping that heavy contract by moving to a lighter pay-as-you-go service like Ting or even a much more lower-end option from your current provider.

The average cell phone bill in America is somewhere around $80 per month. If you can cut that to $20 or $30 (or even down to nothing), then you’ve made a significant change in your finances going forward.

If you find that you have tons of unused data each month, this is a change you should seriously consider making.

Cancel your home internet service.

If you’re a heavy cell phone user and the above option doesn’t seem to click with you, consider instead canceling your home internet service. The average home internet service is above $60 per month for people with broadband, and if you’re not using it frequently for data-rich purposes, your cell phone can likely provide all the internet you need.

One great way to figure out whether you need a certain service — whether it’s cable, internet or cell phone — is to intentionally go without it for a month, or to use it absolutely minimally. Does your life go smoothly without it? If so, it’s probably a service you can easily drop. Plus, you get a fresh view on any tired routines you may have built up over the years.

For many people, canceling either home internet service or cell phone service makes a lot of sense. Having only one of them enables the internet access that people often need, and the one you choose likely depends on your lifestyle.

Do a major “possession purge.”

A few months ago, one of my friends decided to do a thorough “possession purge” in which he got rid of 50% of his possessions. He took almost every type of possession he had, divided it in half based on which ones he actually valued and which ones he didn’t, and proceeded to sell off the 50% he decided to get rid of using Facebook Marketplace and other services.

While this might seem like a pretty radical step for some, for him it was quite freeing. He described his home as feeling completely uncluttered, he had tons of closet space again, and perhaps most important of all, he felt a lot more ready to move in the near future, as he’s considering moving within the next six to 12 months.

Even more important, he used that influx of cash along with a trade-in to ditch his old car and get a much newer and more reliable one. He now has stable transportation for a long while without adding another debt to his life.

If you simultaneously feel like your home is cluttered and your possessions take up too much space while also wanting to make big strides toward a financial goal, consider a giant possession purge. If you’re not sure how to start, consider simply dividing each type of possession you have in half, sorting by the value it has for you, and selling off the lesser half.

Sell your house and buy a less expensive one, either smaller or in a different location.

Many people, particularly people who have had children recently leaving the nest, have recently done a “possession purge” or have opportunities in other areas, find themselves with a bit more space than they need and thus the possibility of downsizing their home becomes real. The truth is that most of the space in our homes is used to store stuff, the vast majority of which we rarely use, so a smaller home isn’t really that big of a shift if you get rid of a portion of those things.

If you do decide to downsize your home or move elsewhere, you’re likely to not only recoup money from the value of your home, but you’ll also see reductions in mortgage costs, property taxes, insurance, utility bills, (possibly) commuting costs and home maintenance costs. The impact of a downsize in your home can be tremendous.

This is perhaps the biggest single game-changer on this list, but it’s not right for everyone. For example, we currently have a teenager, a pre-teen and a child nearly at the pre-teen stage in our home along with two adults, so downsizing would be a bit of a challenge for us right now. It’s possible, but not particularly comfortable. However, in 10 to 15 years, when it’s just Sarah and me under this roof, downsizing will likely be much more appealing.

Move into a cheaper apartment.

Moving to a smaller or more efficient place doesn’t just apply to homeowners. The same is true for apartment dwellers, too.

Moving into a smaller apartment means less rent, of course, but it often means lower utility bills and it can also often mean a reduction in the cost of commuting. If you can get a smaller apartment that’s positioned better to allow you to use mass transit, you can easily ditch your car, use mass transit for almost everything, and occasionally use rental services when you have additional needs, saving a ton of money.

This is a major transformative move, but it’s one that can save you a ton of money each month, turning a situation where you’re barely treading water into a situation where you’re getting ahead quickly.

Sell your car and use only mass transit.

Obviously, this can pair well with moving to a place that’s closer to mass transit, but it can be a smart move for anyone with easy access to mass transit systems in their city.

The act of selling off your car can directly raise some significant funds, but when paired alongside the elimination of the many expenses surrounding a car — registration, insurance, fuel, maintenance, parking — selling off a car can result in significant ongoing savings as well. The cost of a mass transit pass is only a fraction of those expenses.

If you live near mass transit, seriously consider selling off your car and relying on the mass transit system with occasional help from other services. It’ll produce a bundle of cash right now and save you money every month going forward.

The goal isn’t to do all of these things, but to find one (or maybe two) that make sense for you and actually do that one.

Doing everything on this list would be an enormous shock to most people and likely outside the realistic limits of their life choices, but for most of us, doing one or two of these things in the service of achieving financial goals and accelerating our progress toward big ones can be quite powerful.

Look for one or two items on this list that are in line with the realities of your life and then do those things. Don’t just sit around and think about it. Do it.

Good luck.

The post Downsizing to Accelerate Other Financial Goals appeared first on The Simple Dollar.



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Three important reasons why ‘ethical’ exclusions might not be right for your investments

Three important reasons why ‘ethical’ exclusions might not be right for your investments

It’s not going to come as a surprise that this summer was one of the hottest the world has ever seen and, understandably, that climate change is widely viewed as the biggest international threat

Janine Menasakanian Wed, 12/04/2019 - 00:56
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Climate Action Day, which took place on 30 November this year, saw people across the globe take matters into their own hands. This follows the recent increase in personal environmental action.

Consumers are using less plastic packaging, schools are organising walk-outs in protest, worldwide environmental movements are taking place, and investors are re-examining where the money in their pension funds and Isas is going.

Many feel that when it comes to putting their beliefs into investment practice, this means excluding certain ‘unethical’ sectors like oil or tobacco. But what does this actually mean for your potential returns?

1. You could lose your seat at the table

Owning any company’s stock gives you the right to have a say over how it is being run when there is a shareholder vote. By investing through a fund, you’re pooling your money with potentially thousands of other investors, making it impossible for a company to ignore you – something they could easily do if you weren’t an investor at all.

Take the case of massive British energy company BP – this summer it brought a vote on how its business strategy aligns with efforts to tackle climate change. This came after serious pressure from its investors such as us and HSBC.

It doesn’t have to be a large amount but keeping even the smallest exposure rather than none means we can all change these companies for the better.

2. You could miss out on the renewable leaders of the future

The fact that the world doesn’t need as much oil as before hasn’t escaped the oil companies either. BP’s annual energy forecast predicts that renewable energy will be the world’s main power source by 2040.

The most forward thinking among this sector are investing millions into the development of renewable energy so that they will still have a place in the future – from ‘big oil’ to ‘big energy’.

The case for such a radical strategic rethink for all these companies is growing and excluding the sector entirely might mean inadvertently cutting off the supply of investment into the renewable solution.

3. You could be more exposed to the banks and tech leaders

Investing in a traditional index fund tracker – one that follows a basket of stocks like the S&P 500 or the FTSE 250 – means that more of your money is invested in the biggest companies. In the mainstream index funds, these are most likely to be tech companies such as Apple and Microsoft, or financial companies like Barclays and HSBC.

When you take money out of oil and gas companies, it gets reallocated on that basis with the money largely going to the financial and technology companies. This could be good news when markets are strong as these sectors are among the best performing over recent years.

But as always, past performance is not a guide to the future. Concentrating even further in financial and technology companies poses the risk of bigger loss should anything go wrong for these sectors.

Does this mean all exclusions are bad?

Ultimately, to exclude or not exclude is up to the beliefs of the investor. For instance, a healthcare charity might never want its money going to tobacco companies, no matter what returns that sector might deliver.

It’s all about making a more informed decision about the reasons for exclusion and what that might mean for your investment returns and the associated risks.

Janine Menasakanian is head of distribution strategy, personal investing at Legal & General Investment Management

Please remember the value of your investment and any income from it may fall as well as rise and is not guaranteed. You may get back less than you invest. The views expressed in this article are the opinion of Legal & General Investment Management and do not necessarily reflect the editorial views of Moneywise, or constitute financial advice. 



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Ninety years on from the Wall Street Crash, is it time to stock up on quality?

Ninety years on from the Wall Street Crash, is it time to stock up on quality? Advertising Feature Wed, 12/04/2019 - 00:46


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