It's time to start digging up those Squirrelled Nuts!!!!

michaels

Sea_Shell said:

Not much to report...

Just a bit of banking housekeeping.

Downgraded Club Lloyds to classic, need to move DDs away and then leave it as a dormant, but linked, account.  And as a spare sole account for me.

Easy access savings moved from Raisin (UBL) to Shawbrook.

£250 credit requested and received from Eon.

Don't you use the cinema tix/other pers? nice free bonus for us which is the only reason we have these accounts.

Sea_Shell

michaels said:

Sea_Shell said:

Not much to report...

Just a bit of banking housekeeping.

Downgraded Club Lloyds to classic, need to move DDs away and then leave it as a dormant, but linked, account.  And as a spare sole account for me.

Easy access savings moved from Raisin (UBL) to Shawbrook.

£250 credit requested and received from Eon.

Don't you use the cinema tix/other pers? nice free bonus for us which is the only reason we have these accounts.

We used 2 for Top Gun, but we're not really Cinema lovers, and it wasn't worth the hassle of maintaining the account, just to keep the vouchers.   None of the other perks took my fancy either.   Plus they dropped Cineworld, for Vue which isn't as convenient for us.

frugal90

Just wondering where your equities holdings are kept??

Sea_Shell

frugal90 said:

Just wondering where your equities holdings are kept??

Good Morning.

Outside our pensions, we have our investments in our ISAs, with...

HSBC Global Strategy Balanced Portfolio C Acc - £70,000 - currently 60% equities
Rathbones Global Opportunities S Acc - £130,000 - 98% equities


Overall, we're at about 63% equities (inc pensions/cash etc)


We recently moved to HSBC from a 7IM fund we had, after reading a lot about it here, and it appeared to do what we wanted, but with better performance and lower fees.

The Rathbones isn't a Nasdaq "tracker" but if you overlay the graphs, it pretty much is!!! 

Audaxer

Sea_Shell said:

frugal90 said:

Just wondering where your equities holdings are kept??

We recently moved to HSBC from a 7IM fund we had, after reading a lot about it here, and it appeared to do what we wanted, but with better performance and lower fees.

Just wondering, when you sold your 7IM fund and bought the HSBC fund within the S&S ISA, was it possible to do the sale and purchase on the same day? I was thinking of doing something similar, but don't want to be out of the market for a day while I wait for the sale proceeds, if possible.

Sea_Shell

Audaxer said:

Sea_Shell said:

frugal90 said:

Just wondering where your equities holdings are kept??

We recently moved to HSBC from a 7IM fund we had, after reading a lot about it here, and it appeared to do what we wanted, but with better performance and lower fees.

Just wondering, when you sold your 7IM fund and bought the HSBC fund within the S&S ISA, was it possible to do the sale and purchase on the same day? I was thinking of doing something similar, but don't want to be out of the market for a day while I wait for the sale proceeds, if possible.

It was Fidelity, and yes we were out of the market for one day.  The sale has to clear before they can buy, even if done as a "switch".

HSBC went up a penny during that time, so we lost out a tiny bit ...but it could just as easily gone the other way 😉

Sea_Shell

Just commented on another thread about the possibility of 18% inflation, which along with the energy crisis doesn't make for pretty reading.   

So more "stress testing" on the way.     I realise that we are in a fortunate position, but it does make me worry about how bad things are going to get, generally, before they get better.

We're light energy users (1550 E - 8700 G), and currently on a fix until April 23, but then our bills are (loosely) predicted to go from £1500 to £3000.    

I really have no idea how things are going to play out now over the next 2-5 years.   However, we are trying to carry on with our plans, but without sticking our heads in the sand.  Getting some quotes in for big jobs round the house, and have booked another short UK break (only £315), to give us something else to look forward too.

It's all so much doom and gloom at the moment, its enough to bring anyone down. 

pensionpawn

Although planning for the future, and those plans may now be undergoing some tweaks due to the current world situation, we still have to live in the moment. Those tweaks being extravagant leisure only purchases potentially being put on hold, depending on the size (and confidence) of your financial buffer. We may even commute some of those leisure purchases into capital projects that will minimise outgoings. E.g solar panels, and / or a battery (if you can find them!) will ease the burden of energy bills for quite a few years to come. If our mileage is high what about an EV? New gas boiler to improve efficiency? Although not directly pension strategies they are outgoings reduction strategies that have an immediate positive impact on our net retirement income. Inflation, the headline concern on another thread, will come down. It's mainly driven by the energy sector inflation which of course drives inflation in everything else, only because everything requires energy. You also have a personal exposure to inflation which may be significantly lower than the headline figure. So your cash buffer isn't evaporating at the same rate as government figures. Sit tight and still try to enjoy life. Tomorrow isn't promised, enjoy today!

Nebulous2

We had expected to draw some capital between my retirement and SPA. Last month is the first time we have had to in 18 months, which is better than I expected. 

We've just been away in our caravan and the cost of fuel has had an obvious impact. Well over £200 in diesel alone to travel from the South of England to halfway up Scotland. Then close to £30 a night in campsite fees. 

I commented on another thread about going to Duxford to the IWM airfield. It cost us over £100 for a 4-5 hour visit. The thing about it however is that it was extremely busy, with a lot of people there.  Campsites were also very busy and were impossible to get into without booking in advance, 'full up' signs everywhere. 

I suspect it is a mark of how divided our society is, but I didn't get the impression many people we saw were worried about fuel bills.  An alternative possibility is that people are in denial and living on savings, or worse still on debt. 

Albermarle

I suspect it is a mark of how divided our society is, but I didn't get the impression many people we saw were worried about fuel bills.  An alternative possibility is that people are in denial and living on savings, or worse still on debt.

As said many times the regulars on this forum, and some of the newbies, are not representative of the general population.

Although on average probably better off than most, we are also more conscious/aware/cautious about money issues . Some people do not even watch the news, and the situation will only hit them when the bills actually arrive/the money runs out.

You also have a personal exposure to inflation which may be significantly lower than the headline figure

A number of people I know have said this, and it has been mentioned on the forum before. I wonder whether there is an element of clutching at straws, as not everybody can be below the average. My own personal rate is actually 1 % above the published rate according to the ONS/BBC calculator. 

It is not to be confused though with deliberately reducing expenditure, due to worries about money, which is a different issue.