In 2007 Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union, Lewis Hamilton got his first drive in Formula 1 partnering with Fernando Alonso at McLaren, the final book in the Harry Potter series was published and England played their first match at the new Wembley Stadium.

It was also the year in which the Bank of England last raised interest rates, when they went up by 0.25%.

That all changed on 2 November 2017 when The Bank of England voted to raise UK interest rates for the first time in over a decade, to 0.5%.

So how could an interest ra...

What do you look for in your firm of financial advisers? That it is ethical and puts your interests first? That its people are competent, knowledgeable and committed to maintaining their professional capability?

Those are precisely the qualities embodied by Chartered status – the reason we are proud to have achieved the title Chartered Financial Planners.

Chartered status is an objective mark of professional standing among all professions. It is awarded to firms who can demonstrate commitment to developing knowledge, enhancing capability a...

Read our latest newsletter which has articles on:

Is your pension tax efficient?
A run-down of the allowances and tax-efficient accounts which reduce your tax liability.
Pension Advice Allowance
A government initiative to get more people access to crucial advice.
Saving for a happy retirement
How much would you need for a comfortable retirement?
The State Pension - all you need to know
Do you know what you're entitled to?
Don't crowdfund the cost of your healthcare
A critical illness plan could help you avoid financial hardship when you need it most...

This month’s update comes to you from Octopus, managers of the Omnis Multi-Manager Funds and the Omnis Alternative Strategies Fund.

There is a noticeable shift in policy direction from both central banks and governments, which will have a real bearing on the near term direction of markets.

This has been most apparent in the US where the US Federal Reserve (Fed) continues to raise interest rates and President Trump looks to fulfil his election promise of large scale tax breaks and spending. Elsewhere, although there has been no actual chan...