Feature articles archive

Give your children a debt-free start to adulthood - and yourself a golden sunset
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.

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?

Bang to rights
In announcing its £12 billion rights issue, it seems that the Royal Bank of Scotland loosened the tap of rights issues in the UK market. Given where we are in the current environment, will this trickle turn into a flood?

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.

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.

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.

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
elay 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.

Transferring an underperforming pension - 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.

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.

Your retirement options - an annuity or income drawdown?
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.

It's too good to miss - there's still time to use your ISA allowance
The taxman won't stop the clock for you - but we can help you to beat it and ensure you use your ISA tax allowance before the end of the tax year. If you pay tax and have capital to invest make your ISA application by April 5 - the last day of the tax year - or lose this year's valuable allowance forever.

Time is running out to make more of your SIPP allowance
If you are still in a position to use more of your annual pension allowance, it's not too late to secure tax relief of up to 40% this tax year by contributing to a pension such as our SIPP. But you must make your application by 5th April!

Win £14,200 by investing in your ISA
If, like 83% of our investment clients, you believe taxes will rise over the next three years then securing this year's ISA allowance has never been more important.

VCTs - offering big tax breaks for the venturesome
Should you be considering putting your money into Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs)? Yes if you can afford to take a long-term view and are comfortable with the risks of investing in entrepreneurial smaller companies.

It's now or never to claim this year's SIPP tax allowance
There's less than a week to go but it's still not too late to secure tax relief of up to 40% this tax year by contributing to a pension such as our SIPP. But you must make your application by this Saturday (5th April)!

Last minute investment ideas for your SIPP or ISA contribution
The Vantage SIPP and ISA accounts allow you to pick and mix from more than 1,800 funds with savings of up to 5.5%. Some top picks from our experts for your consideration.

Countdown to claiming your ISA tax allowance
This really is your last chance to use your ISA tax allowance before the end of the tax year. Unless you act by Saturday (April 5) - the last day of the tax year -you will lose this year's valuable allowance forever.

Why it's time to stop worrying about your investment timing
The markets appear to have regained a little equilibrium after a turbulent few months. Whether this will last remains to be seen but this could still be a good time to reappraise your investments and revisit your long-term objectives. Danny Cox, Head of Financial Practitioners looks at research by Fidelity highlighting the cost of missing out.

A new look for our website
Welcome to our new-look website with layouts that make it easier and quicker to find your way around. All your old favourites are still there - you'll still find regularly updated research, news and investment ideas along with daily comments from our experts. We'll be adding more research and tools over the next few months to manage your investments - and help you to make more of your money.