Feature articles

Online reports & accounts – ready and waiting
When the markets are volatile and prices appear to be extra sensitive to every item of news, it’s essential to get good quality, unbiased information quickly. Our new online report and accounts facility is one of the easiest and quickest ways to gather research to help you make informed decisions about buying new shares and deciding whether or not to hold or sell existing investments.

A Sterling performer for higher rate taxpayers
Roll-up, roll-up to find out how you could benefit from potential tax advantages for some of your capital. We have in mind the JPMorgan Sterling Liquidity Fund. Investors in an offshore money market roll-up fund only pay tax on the growth when they encash.

How green is your money?
Issues surrounding the environment have moved from the fringe to centre stage over recent years. Along with this has come some confusion over where the boundary lines are drawn.

Why we’re bucking the trend on ISAs
Thanks to loyal clients and a combination of good value and excellent service, the number of people buying ISAs through Hargreaves Lansdown continues to rise. This is in stark contrast to figures just released by the Investment Management Association (IMA).

Don’t panic, says top fund manager
What does one of Britain’s most successful fund managers think about the prospect of investing successfully in today’s stock market? Find out for yourself in our latest video interview with Neil Woodford, head of investment at Invesco Perpetual.

A sign of things to come?
On the face of it, Whitbread’s recent results were a good set of numbers. Richard Hunter, Head of UK Equities takes a closer look and discusses what they may signal for the wider economy.

Could you cash-in on the annuity price war?
With some excellent deals on offer from providers keen to attract business, rates are now at a four year high. There have been 16 annuity rises in the past four weeks alone as insurance companies raise their rates to grab market share and boost their books in an otherwise lean year.

Is it time to break free from your bonds?
Recent changes in tax legislation are causing many investors to ask whether they should be selling their investment bonds and reinvesting the proceeds elsewhere. This means unit trusts are now often better from a tax perspective than investment bonds and, of course, less tax means a better return for you.

Is a recession in the offing? Here’s what you think...
Will the UK be in recession by the end of 2008? That was the question we asked in our latest website poll and it seems you’re not sure! More than 16,000 people voted and the outcome could hardly have been closer.

Invest directly in stocks and shares? It’s easier than you think!
Are you a newcomer to the world of buying and selling shares – and just a little bit daunted by the prospect? Given today’s turbulent movements on the world’s stock markets you have every reason to be cautious – but if you want to dip your toe into the market we have a great way to get started.

Get closer to the fund managers
We’ve added an exciting feature to our website to give you more insight and information upon which to base your investment decisions. You can now watch video interviews in which the managers of selected funds discuss what sets their funds apart, the investment process and how they pick stocks.

Troubled times for the property market
By my reckoning you need to be at least 40 years old to have a clear memory of what happened during the last recession. So at present many people are perhaps in denial about how bad things could get in the housing market. They are going to be shocked.

Where next for China?
During 2007 the top performing China funds rose by more than 50%, but so far in 2008 they have fallen back sharply. What are the reasons for the recent fall, and what are the prospects for China from here?

Sending money abroad? You could save thousands
If you’re looking to transfer a large sum of money abroad to fund a new property purchase, the charges for doing that through a bank can be significant. We explain how you could save thousands.

Give your children a debt-free start to adulthood
Investing early to fund a child’s education has been part of the savings scene for decades and continues to make sense because it benefits from the power of compound interest. Danny Cox, Head of Financial Practitioners, highlights the challenges of budgeting for a full life and the importance of starting early.

Is this the right time and the right price to invest in corporate bonds?
Mark Dampier, Head of Investment Research explains how current conditions are presenting a unique opportunity in the bond market and how their value has not been this attractive since the turn of the millennium.

Danger – don’t be a pension fund ostrich!
Tom McPhail, Head of Pensions Research takes a look at what the current market conditions mean for people’s pensions and how our clients have been pursuing two broad investment themes over recent months.

The £300 taxi ride that saved one of our clients £72,000
Our end-of-the-tax-year offer to process SIPP applications right up until the stroke of midnight on 5th April led to a notable event. Director of pensions Alex Davies reflects on the last-minute 5th April rush to claim tax relief.

All your investments at your fingertips – we’ll make it happen for you
Simplify your life and join the ranks of well-informed HL investors with everything at their fingertips - view all of your ISAs and funds online in one place, using a single set of log in details.

A wealth of information about our favourite funds – at your service
Where do you find good investment prospects in turbulent times? If you’re planning a new investment we have a great starting place. Head of Research, Mark Dampier reveals his favourite funds across all the major sectors.

New tax year, new rules
Tax rule changes affecting ISAs, PEPs and SIPPS are far-reaching. Here’s a summary of the changes.

Making the most of your pension – with a free travel bag
Transfer your pension to the HL Vantage SIPP this April and, as long as it’s worth at least £30,000, we’ll send you a free leather travel bag in time for your summer holidays.

Transfer for free – ISA & PEP changes
On 6th April the ISA & PEP rules changed. The annual ISA allowance increased to £7,200, PEPs have become Stocks and Shares ISAs and you can now also transfer Cash ISAs into Stocks and Shares ISAs.

Save the world and invest profitably? We can help
Are you part of the growing army of investors wanting to save the world from global warming and invest in enterprise that benefits the Third World? If so the choices are not straightforward even though the ethical investment sector is growing exponentially, international legislation is forcing old industries to adapt and creating opportunities for new ones.

Savings plans: Counting the cost of starting late
Delay starting a savings plan for seven years and you will double the time required to reach a particular level of retirement income. This has nothing to do with where you invest your money – simply the power of compound interest.

Your five-step plan to building wealth – a short guide
Having sufficient wealth to provide for ourselves and families is an ambition we all share – but aside from those who may inherit wealth or strike it rich in business, most of us have to make a lifelong commitment to growing our assets slowly and steadily.

When changing lanes on the motorway fails to pay off
Most of us have been tempted to switch lanes in a seemingly endless three-lane motorway queue hoping to save time by joining what appears to be a faster-moving line of traffic. A few switchers make the right call but unless you know what’s ahead and which lanes are blocked, your lane switching is not down to strategy but a matter of luck. All too often cars in the lane you moved out of cruise by at increasing speed while you remain stuck in a stationary queue.

Investing for income
As a general rule, investors will be looking to either income or capital growth when picking their portfolio, or even a mixture of both. Here we will examine the concepts behind investing for income.

Transfer your drawdown plan to the Vantage SIPP and save £££thousands
If you’ve taken the income drawdown route you will know that your pension fund remains invested and an income can be taken from it directly - and you will be happy with the risks involved in doing so. What you may not realise is that you may be able to save thousands of pounds by transferring an existing income drawdown pension from your current provider to our HL Vantage SIPP.

Win, win when you open a Vantage account
Clients who hold funds outside of Hargreaves Lansdown Vantage Account miss out on two important services – investment alerts and loyalty bonuses.

A commentary by Peter Hargreaves - why it could pay to cut your losses
I find the human psyche interesting but often illogical. I refer to an incident at the end of January 2008. An investor, disillusioned with his pension for years, finally made the decision to transfer. The company previously looking after it had diabolical administration and the performance of their funds ranged from indifferent to downright poor.

Your retirement options
If you’re approaching retirement with a certain amount of trepidation, that’s understandable since you could well be contemplating life on a reduced income and worrying about how to cope with the rising cost of living in the years ahead.

Hot off the press – your guide to two of the best builders of retirement wealth!
If you read the weekend papers you’re likely to find an inserted copy of our new Hargreaves Lansdown Definitive Guide to ISAs and Essential Guide to SIPPs. The guide’s message is compelling if you are looking to invest for the future. Each year people pay billions of pounds more in tax than they need to – and the guide explains how you can reduce your tax bill and invest for the future.

Save a little often
Investing regularly can generally smooth out the ups and downs of stock market volatility and takes the worry out of timing your investment. Markets fall as well as rise, but with regular savings falling markets allow you to buy more of the investment at lower prices, so if the market eventually regains the lost ground they will count for much more. If the market rises you profit from the increasing value of investments already made.