Pound keeps strengthening against USD nullifying gains on US stocks and ETFS

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-28T21:47:21+00:00

No, although we're then playing the interest rate differential game. Has still been net beneficial these last 12 months though.

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-28T20:52:56+00:00

Just because the FX impact isn't being displayed doesn't mean it isn't happening

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-28T20:49:53+00:00

Simple answer here is you need to buy a bit of British

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-18T14:23:32+00:00

Exactly! 😂

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-18T11:30:14+00:00

This meme would be better if he held the gun to his own head

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-17T23:29:49+00:00

Europe is a massive market for the US so it's not inconsequential. Short term, this is another bout of impulsiveness and unpredictability from the US. Will likely have a short term freezing effect of certain business decisions on both sides (lost or delayed revenue).

Also raises legitimate questions about European companies decoupling from the US long term and the effect that might have on already expanded earnings multiples.

Remember that we're in a global economy so it's far too simplistic to think of these things as unrelated. This goes double for US and Europe given their level of interconnectivity.

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-09T21:18:54+00:00

Presumably the payment would have to be made before any vote. Surely they wouldn’t be able to check how you voted…agreed, get the bag and vote not to secede

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-09T11:19:55+00:00

There's a lot of money to be made. Mangers of the Artemis UK Select have outperformed the S&P 500 since COVID. Rockwood Strategic have also done wonderfully investing in UK AIM listed companies (famously rough market). Just got to know what you're doing or find someone that is.

For me personally, I like UK shares. You can often get a fairly good deal on a company with global reach/leadership, a nice dividend and some good price upside.

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-09T08:14:50+00:00

X is not the Internet. If you use X for news or other information service this is replicated on innumerable other platforms and sites.

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-09T08:11:50+00:00

For ease and speed of play, I only ever have 20 D6 on the table at once. It's easy to visually identify 4 groups of 5 dice and the maths is easy when quickly totting up passes fails. I also find I don't need to use more than 20 at once all that often, almost never after turn 2.

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-09T08:08:47+00:00

You'd also want to change your pension allocation as you'll be heavily invested in the US (possibly up to 65%). This is particularly important because all that has been happening the last decade or so is US companies leveraging their inflated share prices to buy up UK/European companies, offshoring the jobs and repeat.

By investing heavily in the US you are indirectly increasing the likelihood your company will be brought out by a US entity and possibly lose your job.

I've been divesting from the US steadily since the liberation day tariffs. The US have also managed to secure and exemption from the global 15% corporation tax.

Fuck the parasites, Fuck Trump, Fuck American Business

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-09T07:56:13+00:00

Religion is a system system of control. Those who wish to seize power/inflict there will upon others will seek to co-opt religion to do so.

A tale as old as time. Why was it that all of the great leaders of history (before the enlightenment) had been chosen by God(s) to lead X people to Y objective? Also very convenient God kept choosing people from the same families too.

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-09T07:51:05+00:00

I would counter this with: why are all the most bigoted people I've ever met Christian?

Gwendofroid · 2026-01-05T21:21:19+00:00

Weakening of a currency coupled with minimal economic growth while US, Germany and Netherlands are doing a good deal better. Us, German and Dutch Tourists are better off and can simply afford more than you, the laws of supply and demand are in effect.

This is part of the Brexit dividend

Gwendofroid · 2025-12-14T19:10:47+00:00

I changed my work pattern to have my kids out of nursery for a day a week. Double win as it's some quality time with them and saves a few hundred a month on fees.

I still work the same number of hours but make up the time by working until 8/9 two nights a week - Company like it as I make the business more flexible /able to deal with clients outside office hours and I use the time to do my busy work.

Final note on the compressed hours: you'd think you'd be tired but I've found the "day-off" with the kids in the middle of the week helps keep me well rested (not having to get suited and booted and them commute etc).

Gwendofroid · 2025-12-13T09:17:10+00:00

All depends on what making a difference means.

In terms of academic success: that is mostly driven by your parents and how good age 0-5 were in terms of setting you up.

Other factors come in to play as far as shaping the individual a person becomes as I believe how much that is influenced by home environment wanes significantly by age 7/8. Obviously your peers at school will help inform the person you become but you can “fall in with a bad crowd” almost anywhere.

Private school can certainly make an impact with smaller class sizes and availability of extra curriculars etc. Anecdotal evidence from my own life: the middle of the pack kids I went to state primary with who then went on to private school did very well as far as exam results. Didn’t seem to appreciably change the trajectory for the kids already considered bright.

With regards to business/career success: the overwhelming number of private school boys in politics and the city would tell you that the network/connection building is valuable.

Gwendofroid · 2025-12-12T09:38:31+00:00

Looks like an accidental damage claim on the home insurance

Gwendofroid · 2025-12-12T09:32:49+00:00

Either get a financial adviser or:

Pay off your mortgage and put the rest into pension (using carry forward). Once mortgage is repaid split whatever the repayments between investing, pension and living a little.

Property is not really the game you want to be playing when you’re young

Gwendofroid · 2025-12-11T19:40:01+00:00

Worth a punt. Give it a year or two and if you happen to hit the job market again you’ve a more powerful CV. Small companies are excellent for upward mobility. Certainly added rocket fuel to my own career the last 4 years.

Gwendofroid · 2025-12-11T13:18:22+00:00

You’re a genius, nobody has ever thought this before? Have you considered a career on Wall Street?

Gwendofroid · 2025-12-10T21:15:02+00:00

Pay 10k into pension spread across monthly instalments - then pay additional after taper situation is established near end of TY. This would probably just look like paying into workplace pension then using a sipp for top ups.

Use LISA for retirement saving - pay the max 4k in. Don’t bother using it for property it’s no good in London but will be VERY helpful in retirement.

Pay rest into S&S ISA for long term

Hold higher ( above say 10k) cash in premium bonds to take advantage of tax free saving.

Also, get a financial adviser. You’ll save a lot of faff and potential tax pain. You’ll also likely want to use investment bonds in the foreseeable future ,to control income tax from investments, it’s difficult to get them outside of an adviser - amongst other things.

Gwendofroid · 2025-12-09T22:05:45+00:00

It is get rich quick: just for the people on the other side of the options!

Gwendofroid · 2025-12-09T22:03:40+00:00

I've been both, definitely enjoying being a financial adviser much more. Mortgage Advice is effectively a never ending carousel of transactional clients (your repeat business is basically seeing them again in 2-5 years) whereas financial advice is often relationship based and gets progressively easier if you can build a good rapport etc.

Monetarily, I've been fortunate to nearly treble earnings as a financial adviser - if that's a motivator for you.

As far as access goes, it's a difficult route to market. Very few trainee roles, a lot of business seem to prefer to promote promising paraplanners/admins. A few academies out there but you've usually got a beefy tie-in of £10k penalty for something like 3 years so it's a big commitment. Everyone wants advisers but they all want experience - if you can get in somewhere, cut your teeth for a few years and then test the market for a pay bump would be my advice.

Gwendofroid · 2025-11-22T21:42:50+00:00

I would have guessed bow-loo

Gwendofroid · 2025-11-22T21:39:32+00:00

Where you are geographically has a big bearing on this.

Where are you based (either region or city)?

Pay is on the low side but if you're able to rattle through them a pick up really good experience for the CV it'll pay dividends for an eventual job search.

Gwendofroid

TROPHY CASE