FINANCE

WHAT WAS THE BEST INVESTMENT OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS?

People often ask what’s the best place to invest just now. There’s never a correct answer to this unless we know a person’s time horizon or attitude to risk. If someone was a balanced investor and had ten years to invest there are several options, but none are correct all the way through. Let me explain to you why. Some UK investment funds have gone up by over 30% in the last year, but they fell by the same amount the year before so it largely depends when you went in and when you came out. If you came out at the wrong time because the markets spooked you then you would have lost money. Some clients like the thought of Emerging Markets or Gold or Crypto Currency as their Xanadu. Sadly, this will invariably fail because the trick is to spread your investments and diversify. Whilst either of the latter could go up by 100% over one year and make your pulse race, equally they could fall by 50% the next year and make you as sick as that proverbial parrot! Some of the better Global investment funds have gone up by over 500% in the last ten years and by allowing the fund manager to spread their purchases between the likes of Amazon, Apple, Tesla or Netflix you’re letting them do the hard work for you. It’s impossible for an amateur investor to beat the star rated managers as they have a raft of staff to carry out all the necessary research and you don’t. Some people opt for esoteric investments as they like being in control. Whisky might have been a good investment over the last few years and so would classic cars or even personalised number plates and now even antique clothes are in fashion. You could always drown your sorrows sitting in your Frog Eyed Sprite wearing your Grayson Perry frock if the markets collapse all around you! If you don’t understand an investment just don’t buy it. Charlotte Church was allegedly offered Bitcoin to pay for one of her gigs some years back and she opted for the cash instead, oops! That might be worth a million now, but she was probably wise to take the money as hindsight makes monkeys of us all. Generally speaking, to make money you need to hold your nerve or just don’t read your investment statements and let your advisor decide your investment planning, that’s what we’re there for.

PHILIP VAUGHAN Director at Abacus Assurance Financial Services Ltd Porthcawl 01656 772222

Deadline date for the November issue is: Friday 15th October

WHAT A NIGHTMARE SCENARIO…

At the time of writing, I have just been watching the TV over breakfast; something I recorded a long while back, dealing with the lack of life assurance protection in the UK. Despite having possibly the most mature, competitive and established life assurance market in the World, still way too many UK adults, many of them with Families who depend on them entirely, pay any or too little attention to the protection needs of their Family. Every day we see cases of people who left home for work in the morning yet never returned home in the evening, because something awful has befallen them during the day. One case highlighted in the recorded programme truly was a nightmare scenario and demonstrates how we need to get our priorities right. A young father left home for work, his young wife feeding their new baby and the neighbour collecting their 6 year old to walk to school as company for the neighbour’s daughter – Families and neighbours do this every day. When the father was around 3 miles from work, a sudden downpour of rain turned driving conditions hazardous, the previously dry road becoming greasy. As he approached a sharp bend, his mind turned to horror as a delivery van skidded in the wet conditions, across the road and into a head-on collision with the father’s car. In just a few seconds the lives of two people, possibly many more, had been turned completely upside down and would never be the same again. A complete accident of course, on just another working day. The twist in this account of what happened comes as a devastating irony. As the emergency services dealt with the situation and looked for clues as to the identities of the dead, the young father’s bag had spilled out his diary in the collision: a note written on paper stuck out from the diary and on it were written the words, ‘ Remember to call Steve the Financial Adviser to arrange the life assurance.... wife, children, mortgage, income, etc – BUT sadly, all too late. So, read this, digest this, picture your Family in your mind and get it sorted, not tomorrow, today.

PAUL FIELDING Dragon Financial 01656 782545 / 07768 418308

DISTRIBUTORS WANTED

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Need a new mortgage from a whole of market Adviser? Over the Age of 55 and need Later Life Lending or Equity Release? • Refused a mortgage due to Previous Credit Problems? • Trying to get on the ladder as First Time Buyers? • Life Assurance and Family Protection need reviewing? • Income protection a problem – not available from work?

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APPOINTMENTS AT A TIME TO SUIT YOU, EVEN AT WEEKENDS – HOME VISITS

REST BAY

LIFEGUARD CLUB

REST BAY Nipper section are now recruiting children born between 2014 and 2008.

If you would like your child to learn important lifesaving skills, how to be safe in the sea and have loads of fun at the same time with like minded kids, then get in touch.

Our club’s Nipper section are aged between 7-13. As a Nipper your child will be taught surf safety, basic lifesaving skills, surf and beach sports (wading, surf swimming, boardpaddling, beach flags, beach sprints and relays).

We also run lifesaving training sessions at Pyle pool all through the year. Children are also able to obtain various national surf safety awards and are taught valuable lifesaving and safety skills at both the beach and the pool.

We are a family orientated club and also run a Junior, Senior and Masters section for all to join in.