Thanks very much for the thoughts everyone, much appreciated. I think for now I'll avoid the temptation to tinker and leave the LS20 portion where it is and keep trickling money into the LS100 each month as I have been - itchy fingers got me into LS20 in the first place and I think leaving things alone until there are clear signals to do otherwise is probably my best bet..!
One of the million pound winners,£3.000 this is their holdings
...and someone bought PSBs for the first time in December and won £50k in the first draw! Even Golfie might struggle to better that return on initial investment?!
@golfaddick.....any funds capture your interest for 2023? Value funds held up well '22, versus growth. Standup which covers both for me has been Royal London Global equity select.
I'm contemplating a jolly wheeze to deal with the Vanguard LS 20 that I hold as a "health insurance" fund. I set it up as a cash stash, and was quite happy to keep it in deposit accounts when you could get 1.5% or so. When rates dropped to virtually nothing I stuckk it in LS 20 on the assumption that it would deliver me a pretty safe 1.5% over time. The rest is history...
So, right now I could still take it out and put it into a UK deposit and get 4%.p.a. But I'm worried about the £, given that more than likely the money would be used here in CZ. I could get even more, over 5.5% over here, but the CZ crown is at an all time high against the £ and its generally expected to fall back as interest rates come down.
So having opened my HSBC Global Money sub-account, I'm thinking about parking it in...the Swiss franc.
What could possibly go wrong? Actually I have an answer to that which I'll provide so you can all laugh at me, but I'd like to hear some thoughts first. Basically accounts like this allow us to trade currencies like the big boys do...
EDIT PS yesterday, the LS20 fund gained 1.4% - in one day!!! My head hurts
I'm contemplating a jolly wheeze to deal with the Vanguard LS 20 that I hold as a "health insurance" fund. I set it up as a cash stash, and was quite happy to keep it in deposit accounts when you could get 1.5% or so. When rates dropped to virtually nothing I stuckk it in LS 20 on the assumption that it would deliver me a pretty safe 1.5% over time. The rest is history...
So, right now I could still take it out and put it into a UK deposit and get 4%.p.a. But I'm worried about the £, given that more than likely the money would be used here in CZ. I could get even more, over 5.5% over here, but the CZ crown is at an all time high against the £ and its generally expected to fall back as interest rates come down.
So having opened my HSBC Global Money sub-account, I'm thinking about parking it in...the Swiss franc.
What could possibly go wrong? Actually I have an answer to that which I'll provide so you can all laugh at me, but I'd like to hear some thoughts first. Basically accounts like this allow us to trade currencies like the big boys do...
EDIT PS yesterday, the LS20 fund gained 1.4% - in one day!!! My head hurts
As someone who was disappointed with the performance of a fund do you really want to bring yet further risk into it with FX?
Personally if you wish to hold it as a health insurance fund, and that will likely be in CZ, then just hold it in CZ.
I'm not an expert when it comes to investing, but overall seem to have done well over time, often better than the fund managers, but probably a little more by luck than judgement. However I've always took the view to not hold too much in one thing where possible, So I probably hold in my pension for instance far more funds than I should (appreciate that some overlap and are ultimately mostly Stock Market driven), other investments range from a fair amount of gold to watches to cash to premium bonds to a bit in currency to structured etc etc. All on the basis that if one tanks I've not put all my eggs in one basket. Of course I could have made multiples more if I'd put it all in the best performing, but seeing my crystal ball has no guarantees the chances of picking that top performer would be unlikely! I also try to take every tax advantage, it still amazes me for instance how many people put so little in their pension........
I'm contemplating a jolly wheeze to deal with the Vanguard LS 20 that I hold as a "health insurance" fund. I set it up as a cash stash, and was quite happy to keep it in deposit accounts when you could get 1.5% or so. When rates dropped to virtually nothing I stuckk it in LS 20 on the assumption that it would deliver me a pretty safe 1.5% over time. The rest is history...
So, right now I could still take it out and put it into a UK deposit and get 4%.p.a. But I'm worried about the £, given that more than likely the money would be used here in CZ. I could get even more, over 5.5% over here, but the CZ crown is at an all time high against the £ and its generally expected to fall back as interest rates come down.
So having opened my HSBC Global Money sub-account, I'm thinking about parking it in...the Swiss franc.
What could possibly go wrong? Actually I have an answer to that which I'll provide so you can all laugh at me, but I'd like to hear some thoughts first. Basically accounts like this allow us to trade currencies like the big boys do...
EDIT PS yesterday, the LS20 fund gained 1.4% - in one day!!! My head hurts
As someone who was disappointed with the performance of a fund do you really want to bring yet further risk into it with FX?
Personally if you wish to hold it as a health insurance fund, and that will likely be in CZ, then just hold it in CZ.
I'm not an expert when it comes to investing, but overall seem to have done well over time, often better than the fund managers, but probably a little more by luck than judgement. However I've always took the view to not hold too much in one thing where possible, So I probably hold in my pension for instance far more funds than I should (appreciate that some overlap and are ultimately mostly Stock Market driven), other investments range from a fair amount of gold to watches to cash to premium bonds to a bit in currency to structured etc etc. All on the basis that if one tanks I've not put all my eggs in one basket. Of course I could have made multiples more if I'd put it all in the best performing, but seeing my crystal ball has no guarantees the chances of picking that top performer would be unlikely! I also try to take every tax advantage, it still amazes me for instance how many people put so little in their pension........
I don't normally chip in on stuff like this as I don't feel qualified to ... but if you are looking for somewhere to keep money for health insurance surely you want it to be in something that is reliable and secure with your money, and a decent return is a secondary preference. A 5.5% savings/bond account seems a good return on your money and with very little risk, if you then compare that to trying to game the FX markets, you could make a big gain, but the potential risk is far higher.
Not sure why the £/CZ is relevant if your health insurance is, I assume, in CZ? You might lose out in % gained in comparison to a UK account at 4% pa but it would also be quicker to access and you wouldn't lose out in any exchange or fees if it is already in CZ
@golfaddick.....any funds capture your interest for 2023? Value funds held up well '22, versus growth. Standup which covers both for me has been Royal London Global equity select.
I don't know if I'm reading the figures correctly (Trustnet) but growth funds seem to be doing well since the turn of the year. 3rd best US fund ytd is our good friend BG American. Top 2 are both by Morgan Stanley. For UK equities Artemis UK Select has started the year well (a fund I invested in before the pandemic). Another one I like is Schroder Recovery, but only because it invests heavily in FtSE100 stocks.
As for Bonds, it seems the usual Strateigic Bonds are back in fashion, ie the ones run by Aegon & Jupiter.
Saying all that I'm sticking by my Value funds as well as Absolute / Diversified Return funds for the fixed income element.
In other news, Chase Savings account moving up to 3% from 2.7% as of 13 Feb!
Yes, pretty competitive for instant access. Marcus are losing out at the moment so I expect they will move quickly.
Investec have 3.22% for their 90 day access account.
Yes only instant access I can see on MSE that is higher is Newcastle BS, Tandem, and Kroo at 3.05%, 3.05%, and 3.03% respectively. Haven't heard of the latter 2 before personally.
I'm contemplating a jolly wheeze to deal with the Vanguard LS 20 that I hold as a "health insurance" fund. I set it up as a cash stash, and was quite happy to keep it in deposit accounts when you could get 1.5% or so. When rates dropped to virtually nothing I stuckk it in LS 20 on the assumption that it would deliver me a pretty safe 1.5% over time. The rest is history...
So, right now I could still take it out and put it into a UK deposit and get 4%.p.a. But I'm worried about the £, given that more than likely the money would be used here in CZ. I could get even more, over 5.5% over here, but the CZ crown is at an all time high against the £ and its generally expected to fall back as interest rates come down.
So having opened my HSBC Global Money sub-account, I'm thinking about parking it in...the Swiss franc.
What could possibly go wrong? Actually I have an answer to that which I'll provide so you can all laugh at me, but I'd like to hear some thoughts first. Basically accounts like this allow us to trade currencies like the big boys do...
EDIT PS yesterday, the LS20 fund gained 1.4% - in one day!!! My head hurts
As someone who was disappointed with the performance of a fund do you really want to bring yet further risk into it with FX?
Personally if you wish to hold it as a health insurance fund, and that will likely be in CZ, then just hold it in CZ.
I'm not an expert when it comes to investing, but overall seem to have done well over time, often better than the fund managers, but probably a little more by luck than judgement. However I've always took the view to not hold too much in one thing where possible, So I probably hold in my pension for instance far more funds than I should (appreciate that some overlap and are ultimately mostly Stock Market driven), other investments range from a fair amount of gold to watches to cash to premium bonds to a bit in currency to structured etc etc. All on the basis that if one tanks I've not put all my eggs in one basket. Of course I could have made multiples more if I'd put it all in the best performing, but seeing my crystal ball has no guarantees the chances of picking that top performer would be unlikely! I also try to take every tax advantage, it still amazes me for instance how many people put so little in their pension........
I don't normally chip in on stuff like this as I don't feel qualified to ... but if you are looking for somewhere to keep money for health insurance surely you want it to be in something that is reliable and secure with your money, and a decent return is a secondary preference. A 5.5% savings/bond account seems a good return on your money and with very little risk, if you then compare that to trying to game the FX markets, you could make a big gain, but the potential risk is far higher.
Not sure why the £/CZ is relevant if your health insurance is, I assume, in CZ? You might lose out in % gained in comparison to a UK account at 4% pa but it would also be quicker to access and you wouldn't lose out in any exchange or fees if it is already in CZ
To your final para, right now my problem is that the Czech crown is at an all-time high against the £. Mate of mine here with serious pedigree in such matters expects it to devalue fast when its clear inflation is under control. At the moment local bank rate is 7% so the currency is bolstered by speculators. Happens he’s half Swiss too. He says that lately the franc has more or less been tracking the euro, but it remains a safe haven currency when things go to shit. Over a longer period too, it has paid off to hold it (vs all the three European currencies I’m closest to).
If the £ would somehow strengthen maybe 3% soonish, then I‘d bite the bullet and ship the „fund“ out here, but I don‘t see any reason why that is likely, unfortunately. My mate reckons it likely to hit parity with the euro in the medium term.
The other option is to believe the bond recovery will continue, in which case I‘d be best off holding in the LS20, and perhaps getting another 5% uplift by year end, by which time the Czech crown bubble may have burst.
I'm contemplating a jolly wheeze to deal with the Vanguard LS 20 that I hold as a "health insurance" fund. I set it up as a cash stash, and was quite happy to keep it in deposit accounts when you could get 1.5% or so. When rates dropped to virtually nothing I stuckk it in LS 20 on the assumption that it would deliver me a pretty safe 1.5% over time. The rest is history...
So, right now I could still take it out and put it into a UK deposit and get 4%.p.a. But I'm worried about the £, given that more than likely the money would be used here in CZ. I could get even more, over 5.5% over here, but the CZ crown is at an all time high against the £ and its generally expected to fall back as interest rates come down.
So having opened my HSBC Global Money sub-account, I'm thinking about parking it in...the Swiss franc.
What could possibly go wrong? Actually I have an answer to that which I'll provide so you can all laugh at me, but I'd like to hear some thoughts first. Basically accounts like this allow us to trade currencies like the big boys do...
EDIT PS yesterday, the LS20 fund gained 1.4% - in one day!!! My head hurts
As someone who was disappointed with the performance of a fund do you really want to bring yet further risk into it with FX?
Personally if you wish to hold it as a health insurance fund, and that will likely be in CZ, then just hold it in CZ.
I'm not an expert when it comes to investing, but overall seem to have done well over time, often better than the fund managers, but probably a little more by luck than judgement. However I've always took the view to not hold too much in one thing where possible, So I probably hold in my pension for instance far more funds than I should (appreciate that some overlap and are ultimately mostly Stock Market driven), other investments range from a fair amount of gold to watches to cash to premium bonds to a bit in currency to structured etc etc. All on the basis that if one tanks I've not put all my eggs in one basket. Of course I could have made multiples more if I'd put it all in the best performing, but seeing my crystal ball has no guarantees the chances of picking that top performer would be unlikely! I also try to take every tax advantage, it still amazes me for instance how many people put so little in their pension........
I don't normally chip in on stuff like this as I don't feel qualified to ... but if you are looking for somewhere to keep money for health insurance surely you want it to be in something that is reliable and secure with your money, and a decent return is a secondary preference. A 5.5% savings/bond account seems a good return on your money and with very little risk, if you then compare that to trying to game the FX markets, you could make a big gain, but the potential risk is far higher.
Not sure why the £/CZ is relevant if your health insurance is, I assume, in CZ? You might lose out in % gained in comparison to a UK account at 4% pa but it would also be quicker to access and you wouldn't lose out in any exchange or fees if it is already in CZ
To your final para, right now my problem is that the Czech crown is at an all-time high against the £. Mate of mine here with serious pedigree in such matters expects it to devalue fast when its clear inflation is under control. At the moment local bank rate is 7% so the currency is bolstered by speculators. Happens he’s half Swiss too. He says that lately the franc has more or less been tracking the euro, but it remains a safe haven currency when things go to shit. Over a longer period too, it has paid off to hold it (vs all the three European currencies I’m closest to).
If the £ would somehow strengthen maybe 3% soonish, then I‘d bite the bullet and ship the „fund“ out here, but I don‘t see any reason why that is likely, unfortunately. My mate reckons it likely to hit parity with the euro in the medium term.
The other option is to believe the bond recovery will continue, in which case I‘d be best off holding in the LS20, and perhaps getting another 5% uplift by year end, by which time the Czech crown bubble may have burst.
In other news I looked at my S&S ISA there out of curiosity and I think for the first time since I bought them i'm actually in the black on my IAG Shares! Barely, but profit is profit!
FTSE 100 broke its’ record high this afternoon at 7,905. Eased a little, but still up 1% at the moment 7,899. All helping my pension pot too, which has recovered really well in the first few weeks of the year.
Done so well this week that Ive treated Mrs Idle to brunch at the garden centre. And it's not even Valentine's day.
Expected techs to take a whack today after yesterday's rise and relatively poor results vs expectations, but it's been very restrained so far. The doommongers are still forecasting a crash, and who is to say they are wrong? But a big drop was predicted in Q1 and if you'd been cautiously out of the market you'd have missed a lot of upside so far.
Comments
I see one of this month’s £1m winners only had a £3,000 holding.
Whopping £250 for Mr F ! Best yet !
Las Vegas, here we come !
Maybe I should buy some premium bonds.
So, right now I could still take it out and put it into a UK deposit and get 4%.p.a. But I'm worried about the £, given that more than likely the money would be used here in CZ. I could get even more, over 5.5% over here, but the CZ crown is at an all time high against the £ and its generally expected to fall back as interest rates come down.
So having opened my HSBC Global Money sub-account, I'm thinking about parking it in...the Swiss franc.
What could possibly go wrong? Actually I have an answer to that which I'll provide so you can all laugh at me, but I'd like to hear some thoughts first. Basically accounts like this allow us to trade currencies like the big boys do...
EDIT PS yesterday, the LS20 fund gained 1.4% - in one day!!! My head hurts
Personally if you wish to hold it as a health insurance fund, and that will likely be in CZ, then just hold it in CZ.
I'm not an expert when it comes to investing, but overall seem to have done well over time, often better than the fund managers, but probably a little more by luck than judgement. However I've always took the view to not hold too much in one thing where possible, So I probably hold in my pension for instance far more funds than I should (appreciate that some overlap and are ultimately mostly Stock Market driven), other investments range from a fair amount of gold to watches to cash to premium bonds to a bit in currency to structured etc etc. All on the basis that if one tanks I've not put all my eggs in one basket. Of course I could have made multiples more if I'd put it all in the best performing, but seeing my crystal ball has no guarantees the chances of picking that top performer would be unlikely! I also try to take every tax advantage, it still amazes me for instance how many people put so little in their pension........
Not sure why the £/CZ is relevant if your health insurance is, I assume, in CZ? You might lose out in % gained in comparison to a UK account at 4% pa but it would also be quicker to access and you wouldn't lose out in any exchange or fees if it is already in CZ
Investec have 3.22% for their 90 day access account.
As for Bonds, it seems the usual Strateigic Bonds are back in fashion, ie the ones run by Aegon & Jupiter.
Saying all that I'm sticking by my Value funds as well as Absolute / Diversified Return funds for the fixed income element.
The other option is to believe the bond recovery will continue, in which case I‘d be best off holding in the LS20, and perhaps getting another 5% uplift by year end, by which time the Czech crown bubble may have burst.
https://apple.news/APPu7vLObRhG0o60dsHoj6w
Time to bow out of equities & sit in cash for a while ???