Tag Archives: British expat financial advice

UK property – limited offer. Invest with a deposit of just 10%!

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Investing in UK property can be simpler than you might imagine, and need less cash than you might think. I have a new, limited, option, at low prices.

It is clear that UK property remains one of the strongest asset classes for building serious wealth and enhancing your long-term savings and retirement plans.

Factors including the weak Pound, a robust legal system, demand far exceeding supply, and rising property and rental prices, along with ongoing infrastructure improvements in major cities and commuter towns demonstrate this.

Add in the growing population and you can see that this situation will not change, even with government support, as builders cannot keep up.

This shows that investing in UK property is a secure long-term investment – provided you get it right. That’s where I come in.

Not only can I advise on the best places to buy as an investment, I have the solutions and even a way of buying with a small deposit. While you usually need at least 25% of the purchase price, you can get started with much less.

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Planning your financial future – the top 10 mistakes you want to avoid

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Too many people bury their heads in the sand when it comes to planning for their financial future so we need to face some facts.

The reality is that most people are facing a significant shortfall in their retirement income.

According to recent figures, the average UK pension pot totals just £50,000 and the average pension income is £500 a week. That income will not just be from the pensions, but from other sources such as the state pension, personal investments or property.

The average UK resident has savings of just £17,365 and 34% have no savings or less than £1,000. Equivalent figures are not available for GCC expats but given that our incomes are higher than UK averages I would hope it is rather more. That said, I all too frequently come across people without any savings or investments.

In this article I  look at some of the mistakes you want to avoid and issues that you really cannot afford to ignore.

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Interest rates, inflation & UK mortgages – some facts

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I know a few people are worrying about mortgage interest rates and are hesitating buying property because of that so let’s put the increases it in perspective. There are loads of complex and jargon-heavy articles in the financial press but we’re busy this time of year so this is a simple guide to what has been happening and why it’s not as bad as it may look.

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UK Budget & Spending Review October 2021 – a summary for expats

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As has been the case for the past couple of years, many of the Budget measure have been leaked or drip-fed to the press so we were not expecting much in the way of surprises and there is nothing that dramatic.

This article is a brief overview of some of the main points with particular reference to any changes that have relevance to those living outside of the UK and especially in the GCC. The UK press will cover many points in detail but many of the points will not be directly relevant to expats so this article focuses on the points that will be most relevant to us.

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Family matters: some things never change

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Winston Churchill is a towering figure in British political history but was also an orator and writer. What I want to focus on is a quote that is relevant to most of our lives, even now, over 100 years after he said them:

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A survey – how has your UAE income & financial situation been affected by Coronavirus?

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I am sure we are all well aware that the restrictions related to COVID-19 have meant that the income of many people in the UAE has been affected.  In order to find out the extent of this I have put together a quick survey and would appreciate as many responses as I can get as the more people who answer, the more valid the information.

Survey here: UAE Income & Coronavirus – June 2020

All responses are anonymous.

The results will be discussed in my weekly segment on Capital Radio UAE on 21st June at 6pm and I will share many of the results on this website too.

The survey will only take a couple of minutes and I appreciate all answers. Please share this too as the more answers I get, from different groups of people, the better.

Thank you for your time.

 

I write articles such as this one as part of the holistic personal financial planning service and that I provide to expats, and the general consumer, financial and legal information that I provide in The National newspaper, on Capital Radio UAE, and on the Facebook group British Expats Dubai. I do not provide an employment advisory service to individuals, only via my newspaper column and radio show.

To arrange a meeting to discuss any aspect of your personal financial planning, please email me at keren@holbornassets.com     Please take a look at the other useful articles on this website.

 

 

 

How much do those Christmas pop songs earn every year?

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Every year, we hear familiar songs on the radio but have you ever stopped to wonder just how much the writers and performers receive from the repeated airplay? The amounts may surprise you as for the biggest songs the amounts are very large indeed. No wonder some artists refer to these hits as their pension funds!

The revenue goes to writers and performers, not always the same people, but if they both write it and perform it, the income is even bigger. Many artists have given it a go but not all are successful. The actual amounts below are amalgamated from multiple sources as the Performing Rights Society does not release this information.

Most of the best loved Christmas songs are not recent ,with the 70s and 80s being a golden era in terms of the UK charts, so the total royalties have really added up over the years. The law in the UK changed in 2011 so that now royalties last the entire life of the songwriter and another 70 years after they have passed away. In the US, they are payable for 95 years following a similar change in legislation in 1998. These earnings can support not only the writers and artists but also their dependents.

Here are some facts and figures about some of the biggest earners.

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Tips on reducing spending & better budgeting

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When it comes to taking control of your finances, the obvious, but frequently overlooked first step, is to take a long, hard look at your monthly budget. Quite simply, if you don’t know what your outgoings are, how do you know if you are overspending? How do you know how much money you have available to spend each month?

This article provides a guide to working out your budget and reducing wasted expenditure. Life in the UAE is expensive and we can all benefit from reminders of how to manage our heard-earned income a little better.

Get started by following these steps:

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