The Subtle Investor

UK Mortgage Mayhem: are we becoming a “developing” country?

Mortgage Mayhem UK

UK housing were already extremely unaffordable. And most households were paying a high portion of their salary towards mortgages (also rents). We have one of the highest inflation rates within the developed world, and now even competing to look “better” against developing countries where inflation has fallen back down very quickly. To make the cost-of-living crisis worse, mortgage rates have started to hit the roof. High interest rates are hardly getting passed on to savers. And even if they did, do most of us have anything left over to even save?

UK Recession and our money

We all saw the headlines. The Bank dropped a bombshell. There is a full-blown crisis blooming in the UK.
Read on as I summarise the key findings on our economy, why UK is expected to look worse compared to other countries and what it means for our money.

This is how I met ALL my Financial Goals

how to meet financial goals

Every year, roughly 50% of people make new year resolutions, some particularly tied to financial goals. And roughly 90% of those people fail to meet those resolutions.

With the current UK population of 67 million people, that’s just over 3 million people who ends up making it.

I always tell myself; this is the year. And I am ready for a change. Mostly I don’t make it.

But last year, I did something pretty exciting. I managed to tick off all of my financial resolutions for 2021. And I plan to do the same this year too.

Here is how.

Why high inflation won’t last for too long

High inflation remains one of the most cited concerns for policymakers and consumers like me and you. With large inflation prints coming out month after month, there’s no surprise that it is making everyone a little uneasy.

But I am here to explain why inflation figures are likely come down around mid next year and remain low over the long-term.

This is not just my personal view, but the view shared by all the heads of central banks in the UK, Europe, and US, plus the IMF.

How to invest during inflation and manage finances

There is a reason why inflation is known as the “Silent Killer”. It creeps up and takes away your purchasing power over time. Inflation has been under the limelight so far this year and why wouldn’t it be? Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) have risen to 5.4% year-on-year last month in the US, compared to the Central Bank’s average 2% target. In the UK, the number stands at 2.4%. Don’t underestimate the intensity of this little number which affects everything – from individuals to countries and then rest of the world!

This post is all about our current level of high inflation and whether it will remain high for a long time. If so, how should we invest during inflation and what it will mean for our finances? 

We need to talk about the racial wealth gap

racial wealth gap

The richest 10% of households in the UK hold 44% of all wealth, and by contrast poorest 50% own just 9% (ONS, 2016). There is no doubt that wealth inequality exists in the UK and you may choose to look at it under many different lens. In this post, I am looking at it under the “race” angle. Even after considering range of characteristics that can explain the racial wealth gap in ethnic minority households, “race” itself remain a statistically significant contender in explaining the wealth gap. Read on as I tackle why the gap exists and how we can all work together to come out of it.

How debt affects mental health

how debt affects mental health

After reading about someone’s tragic suicide and in honour of Debt Awareness Week – I’ve decided to write this post. All my posts are usually focussed on investing money and the power of compounding. Seldom do we/I think about how compound interest can equally be powerful in allowing debt to spiral out of control.
Debt Awareness Week 2021 is all about destigmatising debt – and so let’s talk about it and ask for help when we need!

books about money

must read books about money

Read your heart out, I say. I felt that my blog was looking pretty empty without books! Lo and behold! I got some great book recommendations for you. My plan is to keep this list “live”. The list holds something for everyone, from all walks of life!