An Update on Life in Lockdown

CLICK HERE FOR LINK https://vimeo.com/405325844

I hope you enjoyed the video. I just wanted to find a way to say hello to you all. 

Salvini: just what is he up to?

Just after Easter this year I was invited to a barbecue on the outskirts of Rome in a place called Tivoli. Villa Adriano and Villa d'Este are nearby.

 

Tax matters...

Every year I like to run a summary of the tax laws which mainly affect us and any proposed changes. There will also be some changes for UK home owners, post Brexit, which I will touch on and the proposed changes to the existing tax rates and the potential tax incentives.

The Bond market with ultimately take Italy down...

Taking back control...

Possible Scudo Fiscale?

The Fiscal Shield may return. It sounds like something from the new Avengers movie series. 

TRUST IN ME!

Trust in me!  Quite recently I was watching the Disney movie Jungle Book with my son. I am sure that you remember the film. You may also remember the snake in the film, named Kaa, who tries on a couple of attempts to eat the 'man cub - Mowgli'. If you happen to watch the film again you will see that he sings a song to hypnotise Mowgli, that song is called 'Trust in Me'.

How to be Compliant...

What an interesting couple of weeks. Organising a protest in Firenze to fight for the protection of citizens’ rights in the EU, being interviewed across multiple news channels around the world and being joined by about 100 people who turned up on the day and got an equal amount of press attention. And now, to slip back into normal life again and a work/life pattern. It all seems a little surreal. 

The Rule of 72

Carrying on the theme about inflation, I thought I would introduce you to a little known calculation to help you work out the corrosive effects of inflation on your money. 

Inflation - Are you prepared?

I'm back after a brief time away from my blogs. I am sorry if you have missed me! Work and Brexit has been keeping me busy but that is no excuse, so onto the topic of this blog: Inflation.

Oily thoughts.....

I have been travelling around Italy a lot in the last few weeks.  I hit a busy time and when the calls come I hit the road.  

 

However, one thing has struck me more than most in the last few months and that is that things, in Italy, don't seem to be quite as bad as they were a year or two ago.  I see more businesses opening, the ones that survived through the depth of the crisis years are doing more trade, and it feels like there is a general improvement, albeit small, I must admit.  Am I hallucinating, or maybe it is just that summer feeling arriving again? 

Bad Banks

If you are not already aware Banca Popolare di Vicenza missed its target to raise cash through a share sale recently and missed by a very long way indeed. 

It's tax time of the year again!

This time of year is always a difficult one for me as I am faced with the horrendous task of having to sort through all my business expenses, fatture etc for the previous tax year.  I have a natural tendency to avoid doing this as it takes me a full day to thoroughly complete the task.  My commercialista has been asking for these papers since the end of January and I only managed to get them in one week ago. 

UK private pensions. Big changes coming!

World financial markets drifted lower again recently. (And Brexit will not help matters)

Bail IN or Bail oUT?

Italian's  hold about 200 billion euros of bonds in Italian banks and this has always been a good source of funding for banks given that Italians have traditionally been very loyal to their national banks.

A guide to declaring foreign owned assets in Italy.

This is my guide to what your commercialista does with all that information you give them each year, what problems it causes them and you, and finally what you can do to simplify your life as a foreigner living in Italy with assets held abroad. 

The World's Strongest Banks - No 12 SEB

Bloomberg recently published a list of the Worlds Strongest Banks.  Given recent events surrounding the questionable behaviour of bankers in HSBC it is no surprise to not see them on the list. 

However, one in particular stands out, NO 12 on the list.  SEB.  

We at the Spectrum IFA group have been working alongside SEB Life International for the last few years and recommending their tax efficient Investment Bonds to our clients looking to move to or living in Italy.   It is good to see that we are partnering with the right kind of institutions!

The Spectrum IFA Group - the company profile

If you are interested to see the latest International Adviser interview with The Spectrum IFA group founder Michael Lodhi, understand how we work and what values we stand for then please take a look at the following link: 

http://www.international-adviser.com/news/1023576/spectrum-intermediary-profile-spectrum-ifa

If you are an adviser who would like to consider joining us or a potential client who would like to work with us then you can contact me on gareth.horsfall@spectrum-ifa.com or call me on +39 3336492356

Reflecting on Gains

I was recently struck by the 'musings' of a fund manager based in London and his take on the world of global economics. (see below) 

Controlling your Investment Impulses- take the quiz!

What better way to start 2015 than to start writing about trying to control impulses.  A brief look at behavioural finance.

If you are anything like me you probably over indulge a little too much on the sweets and other goodies during the Xmas period and try desperately to limit the amount you ingest in the New Year in the hope that a) you will feel a bit healthier and b)you will lose some weight.   You might also be injecting a new exercise routine into your life.  

Super Mario (Draghi's) game of risk

Mario Draghi's speech:  He is finally talking about quantitative easing (QE) in Europe? How might it affect Italy?