Worldwide Financial Planning

There should be a connection between knowing what is in your wallet and how close to empty it is. I remember well as an 18-year-old shaking my trousers with dread the morning after a night out. It simply meant I was staying in for three weeks.

The vast majority (75-90 per cent) of doctor visits are for stress related health issues. Over 70 per cent of us recognise finance as the number one stress in our lives. That is no surprise of course and given that somehow all school topics take greater priority in education than money, it’s ok to feel a bit overwhelmed.

Despite the ECB’s efforts to calm expectations of an early rate cut, weak economic data sustained hopes of a cut in the spring. The Japanese central bank is aiming for the same 2% inflation target but is coming from the opposite direction as it tries to shake persistently low inflation.

There is often shame attached to ‘mismanagement’ of money and the bills mount up, eventually becoming overwhelming. Its normal, its common, but we need to act. Every step in the right direction is an internal sign of hope, whether its debt, investments, or pensions. And trust me, it’s ok and normal to be overwhelmed.

Equities and bonds have given back a little more of their recent bumper gains as some investors consider whether enthusiasm for rate cuts is overdone. However, market movements this week seem to be more about timing than the overall picture.