We’re both excited and relieved to see the vaccination roll out progressing at an astonishing rate, with over 16 million people benefitting at the time of writing. We are delighted to hear that so many of you have already made the trip to your local centre and we sincerely hope that it won’t be too long before we can welcome you back to a meeting at our offices.
There has been an effective and impressive collaborative effort between our universities, businesses and health service in developing, testing and releasing world class vaccines. Many of our conversations since Christmas have highlighted that you are itching to get back to living life to the full and whilst some old habits have been replaced, it is reassuring to know that most people want to travel, eat out and make up for the lost family time. It is predicted that when the doors to all businesses open that there will be some uptick in spending and that this will help UK PLC, and the health of the nation.
If you spent some of your money on helping our fundraising in December, thank you. Donations continued to arrive into the new year with over £6,500 raised, including gift aid, to benefit the Alzheimer’s Society and the Number 5 Hub in Guildford. We will keep the donations page open for another few weeks. Virgin Money Giving | The Headley team longest night challenge
Apart from raising money for good causes we also fund a scholarship for an A level student at Alton College. The Headley Financial Excellence in Economics scholarship was awarded to a young man who is in his first year at the college after a rigorous interview process. We hope to inspire him and help him achieve his goal of reaching Cambridge to study Economics.
We may not have had fireworks in abundance for New Year’s Eve, but Brexit finally happened. All the drama and impending deadlines filled our screens, but in the end we made it across the line with moments to spare. We’ve yet to understand or feel the full effects of what it means for UK consumers and businesses, but change is rarely easy or smooth so our investment managers will be keeping an eye on the developments for how it may affect you.
Besides Brexit, Her Majesty’s Government has been busy looking for ways of filling the coffers. With programs, incentives, grants and benefits hemorrhaging reserves and debt mounting, there may be surprises in the Chancellor’s Budget, and not the kind that come nicely wrapped. We won’t speculate at this point as there’s too much uncertainty, but change is coming, we can be sure of that and as ever we will be assessing the impact and the planning opportunities that may arise.
The US presidential elections offered all the excitement, intrigue and devious plots worthy of a thriller novel, yet we can all breathe a bit easier as we look for stability after the 4-year roller coaster ride that was US politics. The markets responded favourably but then unpredictably got a bit blindsided by the GameStop revolution that rocked Wall Street, bringing hedge fund managers into sharp focus again. It serves as a sound reminder that investing in high-risk shares and crypto currencies can be unpredictable and is not suitable for the vast majority of investors. You may be bored of hearing our mantra ‘spread the risk’, but we would rather increase your wealth in a steady and gentle way than giving you a roller coaster ride in the hope to make a fast buck.
Finally, we hope to launch our ‘new look’ in early spring with a new brand and new website that encapsulates who we are, what we do and above all, the positive effect sound financial planning can bring. We have been trading for 47 years this year and in that time the business has evolved and stayed ahead in a rapidly changing market whilst remaining completely focused on delivering excellent service and adhering to our core principles. We don’t intend to stand still and we have a passion to grow and improve, so as ever your feedback and ideas are welcome.
