Category: Analysis & comment

September ’26: Income rush

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Last month saw “La rentree” – the return to the real world, after an enjoyable summer. Very much so for me, as it happens – but with plenty of enjoyment still to be found.

A stylized portrait of a woman with dark hair and traditional attire, adorned with jewelry, set against a backdrop featuring illustrated playing cards with Spanish labels.

I’ve taken in Frida Kahlo at the Tate Modern, a spot of luxury in the south of France, a City ritual in one of its ancient livery companies, some politics both in Liverpool and Downing Street, and the outdoor beauty around Dorset’s Lyme Regis as well as Hampstead’s own heath. Not to mention some sailing, fine dining, and wine tasting, It’s a wonder I find any time to write this blog.

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July ’26: An IPO, and France

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It feels as if the World Cup was ages ago, already. Yet only a few weeks ago, I was gripped. And for once I thought England had a world-class side…. but hey ho, football hasn’t come home for another four years.

I had a road trip through France in July, which was lovely. I am pleased to report that the infrastructure for charging electric cars in France is considerably ahead of what we have in the UK – not least because of the EU rule that you have to be able to just ‘pay as you go’ with a credit card, without signing up to some irritating app.

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June ’26: Is zero tax worth the hassle?

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Monaco

I was lucky enough to go to Monaco for the F1 in June.

Something I feel quite strongly about and have written about before on this blog is how strong the monkey brain wiring is for us all to peg ourselves off the next rung up on the ladder. No matter how high up on the ladder we are ourselves, we instinctively compare ourselves to people who are ‘above’ us – i.e. “I’m not that rich, because I am not as rich as [X]”. I’ve argued before that we all know somebody doing 2x as well as us.

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