Tag: finance

Sep ’24: Ominous politics, juicy economics

FIRE v London1 Comment

September was fairly action-packed.

I enjoyed getting out on a friend’s boat around Poole and the Solent.

The Isle of Wight’s needles
Old Harry’s Rocks

I made it to the Labour party conference in Liverpool, which was fascinating albeit wet. I am apparently firmly in the tax-raising sights of the Government, but I wasn’t the only potential target at the conference.

I enjoyed some work drinks with an elevated view of the Thames.

I was also invited to a formal dinner at an Oxford college, Harry Potter style.

And I took an out of town visitor around some of the sights in London town.

Markets in September 2024

I didn’t pay enormous attention to the markets in September. The pound continued to rise. Equities generally were quite strong, though the wider mood in the UK is gloomy – with the new Labour government taking a ‘freebies’ hammering in the media, and business fearing the worst from the new government’s budget due on 30 October. Inflation news was mostly for the better, which helped bonds.

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I’m 28, and can’t figure out how to start on FatFIRE – what would you do in my shoes?

FIRE v London3 Comments

From: Taz
To: FvL

Hi FvL

I’ve read your blog on and off for the past year or three. I graduated from the London School of Economics in 2017 after which I went through the hardest few years of my life mentally and ended up unemployed or in dead-end low paid jobs.

I currently work in the motor trade for Jaguar Land Rover earning £35,000 which I can save most of as I live at home.

I’m now 28 and can’t seem to figure out how to begin my FatFIRE journey, in terms of a job/career what would you do in my shoes?

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Crowdfunding: why its returns suck

FIRE v London24 Comments

This post is in an occasional series of blog posts (starting here) examining angel investing and the role it plays in high net worth peoples’ investment portfolios. This post looks at the ‘angel investing goes mainstream’ route of investing via crowdfunding platforms, drawing on an exclusive survey I ran on my blog.

I’m dealing here with equities – buying shares in companies – though most of my arguments would apply to crowdfunding platforms offering ways to invest in property, loans, and other asset classes.

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