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Three crucial questions to ask a financial adviser can save your wealth from hidden conflicts. After Vanguard's settlement exposed industry-wide problems, learn how to identify trustworthy advisers, spot red flags, and protect yourself from expensive mistakes.

UK councils are under severe financial strain, with services like libraries and social care facing cutbacks. At the same time, hidden costs such as council pension fund fees are draining millions from local budgets. This article explores how austerity, rising demand, and opaque investment charges are combining to push local authorities to the brink, leaving residents to bear the impact of shrinking public services.

Chasing yesterday’s winners may feel safe, but it’s one of the fastest ways to destroy wealth. Funds that shine in headlines often disappoint once investors pile in, leaving latecomers with losses. Morningstar’s research shows how chasing past performance turns success stories into financial traps — and why boring, low-cost investing offers the real path to long-term wealth preservation.

A new study reveals a surprising link between birth order and risk-taking behavior in fund managers, a finding that also extends to ordinary savers. Later-borns tend to be more adventurous, taking greater risks with investment portfolios, which often leads to poorer performance compared to their firstborn peers.

“Passive investing” may sound like settling for average, but the evidence shows the opposite. By avoiding hype and sticking to a disciplined process, index investors tend to outperform. Yet the label itself puts people off. Charley Ellis and behavioural research reveal how one word is shaping outcomes — and why it’s time to reframe the debate.

Private equity firms are dangling incentives that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Management fee cuts, rebates on deal charges, even caps on travel expenses are now on the table. Yet despite this generosity, fundraising has slumped to a seven-year low. According to the Financial Times, firms raised just $592bn in the 12 months to June, almost a third down from the record levels of 2021. Behind the numbers lies a shift in the balance of power between fund managers

Private equity in 401(k)s has been hailed as a breakthrough for American savers. But while the headlines promise fast change, the reality is slower, costlier and far riskier. History shows high failure rates, heavy fees and poor outcomes for investors. The winners may be asset managers, not workers.

New Morningstar research reveals a shocking 75% alternative fund mortality rate. Of 1,345 alternative mutual funds that existed in 2015, only 341 survive today. As regulators push wider retail access to semi-liquid alternatives, Jeffrey Ptak's analysis shows three-quarters failed to deliver on promises of diversification and smoother returns. High fees, poor performance, and investor flight killed most funds within three years.

Research analysing 374,351 US charities reveals shocking endowment investment performance failures that destroy billions in donor funds. Even sophisticated institutions with professional management consistently underperform simple index portfolios through excessive fees and poor decisions. The study exposes critical lessons for charity trustees worldwide who must maximise every dollar for their missions, and individual investors seeking to avoid the same costly mistakes.

Confirmation bias in financial advice can lead people to seek validation rather than objective guidance. New research shows investors often choose advisers who confirm their preferences, boosting confidence but not decision quality. Recognising this bias helps protect long-term outcomes and highlights the value of evidence-based, objective advice.

Picture this: You're at dinner with friends, and someone excitedly announces their latest AI investing strategy—putting half their portfolio into artificial intelligence stocks. This scene plays out countless times, as the human brain sees AI's transformative potential and leaps to a seductive conclusion: concentrate everything on the obvious winner. History suggests this is precisely the wrong approach. Academic research demonstrates that concentrated investing carries dispr

International value is enjoying a powerful resurgence after a decade of underperformance. Driven by compelling valuations, governance reforms in Japan, and improving sentiment in Europe, the case for international value is backed by decades of academic evidence. Learn why it remains a core long-term opportunity for evidence-based investors seeking global diversification.

Multiple lines of evidence suggest future stock market returns will fall short of historical averages. Major institutions, legendary investors, and academic research all point to the same conclusion: expect 3-6% annual returns vs historical 8-10%. High valuations, demographic headwinds, and bond competition create structural challenges. Investors need realistic planning, global diversification, and evidence-based strategies.

The FCA's £46 million Woodford fines may never be paid despite concluding a six-year investigation. With Woodford Investment Management holding just £30,000 in assets against the £40 million corporate penalty, collection looks impossible. Legal precedents show other firms typically pay regulatory fines, but the Woodford fines break this pattern due to insolvency. Both Neil Woodford and his firm have referred their penalties to the Upper Tribunal, meaning no payment is current

The relationship between active funds and volatility has long been debated, with fund managers claiming turbulent markets play to their strengths. 2025's Trump-driven chaos provided the perfect test case – yet 71% of active equity managers still underperformed passive benchmarks. Despite currency swings, sectoral rotations, and policy uncertainty, the 29% success rate barely budged from 2024's 28.8%. Academic evidence spanning 25 years confirms: volatility doesn't save active

After six years, Neil Woodford faces a £5.9m fine - barely 4% of the £160m+ in fees he extracted from investors. With thousands losing their life savings in the fund collapse, this penalty is truly a drop in the ocean compared to the wealth destruction caused and personal enrichment gained.

Fund managers consistently fail at market timing despite claiming expertise, reveals the largest global study of mutual fund performance. While stock picking skills vary by country, timing abilities are universally poor across 21,000 funds in 35 nations. New research challenges industry claims about professional investment skills and fee justification.

Investment platform design significantly influences investor behaviour, new eye-tracking research reveals. Simple changes like larger fonts for fund fees led participants to allocate 11.2% more to lower-cost options. The study shows how visual prominence affects investment choices, suggesting platforms could improve outcomes through better interface design without regulatory changes.

Moving beyond traditional passive investing requires systematic strategies to minimise hidden costs that can erode returns by hundreds of basis points. This guide examines advanced fund selection, strategic trading, and tax-efficient approaches. We explore how Timeline Portfolios demonstrates that systematic strategies justify advisory fees through superior execution, whether pursuing DIY factor investing or accessing providers like DFA.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Leeds Reforms promise growth through financial deregulation, but they risk repeating pre-2008 mistakes. Pension funds face pressure to invest in expensive private equity, consumer protections are being quietly eroded, and banking safeguards dismantled. It's regulatory amnesia in action - and ordinary savers will pay the price.