Investments

Savings

There are a bewildering range of savings and investment vehicles available to the investor today. When interest rates are low, those investors who stick to the safety of bank and building society deposit accounts may not be making the most out of their money.

However, with the right savings and investment advice you can make sure you choose the savings and investment products that are most suitable for you.

Savings

Basically there are two ways in which to save – the short term or the long term. Savings accounts like an ISA or a building society are for times when you may need to get at your money quickly. They're different from investments, which are really for the longer term.

The main ways to save for the short-term are bank and building society accounts, National Savings accounts, and ISAs, which are all readily accessible in the high street. Putting a little money away regularly is the best way of saving up for expensive things, such as a holiday, furniture, or a forthcoming family special occasion.

We can also advise on saving and investment plans, which are designed to help you plan for more specific future financial requirements such as your children's future education, wedding expenses or a deposit on a first home. For new investors, regular saving can also be a deceptively easy way to build up a lump sum. Putting aside a £100 a month can be achieved with a minimum of sacrifice - and will quickly grow as the months pass without you even noticing what is going on. It can therefore be a convenient way to dip your first toes into equities. With only smaller amounts going in each month, the short-term ups and downs of markets will have less impact on your portfolio overall.

Investments are different from savings – they are typically designed for the longer term and involve different types of risk. Each type of investment has its own level of risk but, basically, you take a risk with your money by investing in assets that could rise or fall in value. There is generally no guarantee you will make money or even that you will get back the same amount you invested in the first place.

Before investing, it's usually a good idea to have sorted out your debts, made sure you've looked at protecting yourself against unforeseen events, built up some savings and arranged your pension (your pension is also an investment).

Investments - Risk, Volatility and Time Scale

Investments form a critical part of many of our clients' personal financial plans and that is why we offer a comprehensive investment advisory service. We can provide advice on which investments are appropriate to match your investment objectives and risk profiles. As well as taking into account your investment objectives we will ensure that our recommendations offer maximum tax efficiency.

We recognise the individuality of our clients and that each has different financial needs and objectives based on where they are in their life. When considering any investment it is important to understand the risks involved and your willingness to accept those risks. Investment schemes can be very complicated.  Some are much safer than others, but some offer higher potential profits. Most investments entered into by the general public would not produce a total loss of the original capital invested. When people generally talk about risk they actually mean 'volatility' - the more adventurous an investment the more ups and downs it is likely to experience.

If you are the sort of person who is put off when an investment drops in value, and feel that you should pull out, even though you would probably achieve a good rate of return over the longer term, then more volatile or adventurous investments are not for you. What many people fail to grasp is that whilst the value of real assets can fluctuate over the short term, over a longer period such as five years or more, investments have generally seen greater returns than traditional deposit based investments.

That's why it has never been more important to get professional investment advice from a qualified and regulated independent financial adviser. Stock markets and investment funds have become more volatile in recent years.  This makes it important to select the right product and minimise your risk.

As your adviser we can present all of your options clearly, and help with the balance between risk and return.  We can advise on everything from lump sum & inheritance investments to retirement & pension fund investments. In short, we will help you determine an investment strategy appropriate for your needs and tax position.

As an we are independent we are not tied to any bank or investment provider, which means we can offer the best deals from the whole of the market. 

Successful long term investment

Contact us for more information or to arrange a free consultation with an experienced adviser.

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We look forward to hearing from you.

Please note that the information on this website is not financial advice.  If you require investment advice you should arrange a consultation with a professional adviser who can explain the expected returns and risk factors for each type of investment.  They can also monitor performance, and help you to make the right decisions. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. The past is not necessarily a guide to future performance and past performance may not necessarily be repeated.

MI Financial Services is a trading style of MI Financial Planning Ltd.
Registered in England No. 7096855. Registered Office as above.

MI Financial Planning Ltd is an appointed representative of The Whitechurch Network Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

This website is approved by The Whitechurch Network Ltd (FSA Registration No: 190859). All contents of this website are deemed to be correct as at the last site update. We have made great efforts to ensure the accuracy of the information provided and do not accept any responsibility for errors or omissions.

The Financial Services Authority does not regulate taxation advice, trust advice, National Savings, some forms of offshore investments, some forms of buy to let mortgages, commercial loans, loans and overseas mortgages. The guidance contained in this website is subject to the UK regulatory regime and is therefore restricted to consumers based in the UK.