Anna Fedorova

We would all like to think that we are rational human beings that make sensible and logical decisions. Sadly, this is far from the truth and in reality we often make decisions fraught with biases, many of which we aren’t even aware of. This is where behavioural economics comes in, the study of behavioural biases that can impact our decisions. A subset of this study is called behavioural finance.

Taxes…who actually likes paying taxes? Nobody. We all know they’re important, but no one actually likes to see hundreds of pounds going into the government’s coffers. Well, today we will give you a crash course in one of the best ways to keep the taxman’s hands off your hard-earned pennies: the humble ISA. As ever, let’s start with the basics. The term ISA stands for ‘individual savings account’. It allows you to save or invest a set amount of money every tax year.

During this time of global crisis, I have been talking to an unusual number of people about finance and the economy. Unfortunately, people tend to take interest in these topics a lot more when everything is collapsing than when things are going well. That’s just human nature, I guess.

According to HSBC, the UK Financial Intelligence Unit received 634,113 suspicious activity reports (SARs) between October 2015 and March 2017. The current AML regime is not well placed to allow regulators to “draw out the most pertinent risks from this data” and does not support the sharing of strategic priorities between the public and private sector, the bank said.

Pensions are a great way to pass money on to your loved ones while paying minimal tax At a certain age we must all start thinking about providing for our children or partner when we pass away, and a personal pension can be a tax-efficient way to leave money for your loved ones. This is because your pension pot does not count as part of your estate for the purposes of inheritance taxation (IHT), which could mean your heirs get to keep up to the full amount left in your pension tax-free.

'The plot alone cost £7,000': How to prepare financially for when a parent passes away According to a recent survey of 30,000 Britons commissioned by the Co-op, nearly 8 per cent of those questioned have experienced some financial hardship as a result of someone close to them passing away, yet 81 per cent had not yet saved anything towards a funeral. Yet for a child dealing with the passing of a parent, talking about this and having all the paperwork in place could help take the financial stre

Sustainable investing, SRI, ESG, green funds… the jargon used to describe the concept of investing using ethical and sustainability considerations continues to grow, and with it so does the confusion around the topic. Experts themselves often struggle to provide clear definitions and terms are used interchangeably, making this area a minefield for investors. Lee Qian, one of the managers of the £45m Baillie Gifford Positive Change fund, said: “The whole area is full of jargon. Different people

Like an increasing number of millennials, I recently quit my job, swapped my flat for a van and left the UK to travel around Europe, eventually becoming a so-called digital nomad. My partner and I thought we would only be able to afford this for a year at most. But two years down the line, we are still on the road. Having spent seven years working in London as a financial journalist, I was lucky to be able to take my job freelance and work from anywhere. But the more we travel, the more I learn

One of the best and easiest ways to invest your money in accordance with your principles is by opening a Stocks & Shares ISA. An ISA is an Individual Savings Account which allows you to put up to £20,000 into savings every year tax-free. A Stocks & Shares ISA lets you invest this money in active or passive funds, investment trusts, as well as individual bonds and stocks. The tax-free wrapper means you don’t pay any capital gains tax on the money you make from your investments. To open an ISA, y

For the last few years Martina has been living the freelance life dream, running a successful online translation business remotely while traveling the world and spending lots of time outdoors. Then the coronavirus reared its ugly head. Like other freelancers around the world, Martina is now worried about her prospects as the Covid-19 crisis worsens. With the company registered in Italy, one of the worst-hit countries so far, she is entitled to a meagre €600 one-off handout from the government t