Week in review: Friday 3rd July 2015

Well, we survived the heatwave this week.

Our office in Cranleigh at Sundial House wasn’t built for hot weather, so by the time the upstairs offices resembled a Finnish sauna at 4pm on Wednesday, the team bailed out for more tolerable conditions.

One country not receiving a bailout this week (see what we did there?) is Greece. Martin wrote a blog attempting to explain what is going on there and what is likely to happen next.

Also this week, the Informed Choice team were writing about long-term government strategy for later life funding (there doesn’t appear to be any!), making a second-hand annuity market work (it probably won’t) and why people want to cut state support in retirement when the emergency Budget takes place next week.

Here’s our latest week in review. If you don’t already, make sure you subscribe to receive our weekly email newsletter so you never miss any new content from the Informed Choice team.

Blogs

Where’s the long-term strategy for later life funding?

A new white paper has set out later life funding priorities for the new government. In this blog, Martin writes about the priorities and why it is so important for the government to tackle this thorny issue.

Greece crisis reaches boiling point

Greece has been in the headlines all week, after refusing to accept new bailout terms and instead wanting to put the deal to the people in a referendum scheduled to take place this Sunday. Here’s our guide to what is happening in Greece and what might happen next.

Making a second-hand annuity market work

One of the new pension freedom reforms still to come is a second-hand annuity market, offering existing annuitants the opportunity to sell their policies for cash. Nick explains what it would take to make this system work.

Jam tomorrow & emergency Budget support

What would you like to see in George Osborne’s emergency Budget next week? It might surprise you to hear that many want tax cuts today balanced by larger than proposed cuts to the welfare bill, especially state support for pensioners.

Monthly Investment Update – July 2015

At the start of each month, we write some commentary about investment markets and the economy, to include in our client review reports. Here is your summary of investment markets at the start of July 2015.

Podcast

ICP030 – The cost of a housewife

This week in episode 30 of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about what people want from the emergency Budget next week, properly qualified Financial Planners, the cost of a housewife, the Golden Age Index from PwC and what on earth is going on in Greece.

Press

Why investors shouldn’t be rushing to sell in the market correction

Martin comments for FE Trustnet in light of market volatility following Greece defaulting on its debt repayment to the International Monetary Fund.