“Portugal axes ‘golden visa’ scheme days after Ireland’s abrupt exit”

Feb 21, 2023 | Brexit

An independent (financial adviser’s) view

Stable doors and all that. Finally, European countries which had banana republic-style systems which allowed residency to effectively be bought by anyone with enough big bucks, have realised that those rules could be open to corruption. Rather like our MPs recent, rather belated realisation that cryptocurrencies might possibly be used for dodgy dealings (colloquially known as money laundering). There will, of course, always be other not-too-many-questions-asked havens for the super-rich in warm destinations around the world, certainly many with lower annual rainfall than Dublin. Dubai, for instance, saw a 77% increase in Russian tourists last year, perhaps visiting family members amongst the 40,000 already resident there, or perhaps just a result of great marketing. Who knows. 

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Budget Rumours and Possibilities

The Budget Rumour Machine is not the shambles it was last year. Before Rachel’s Swansong all sorts of stuff was leaked to see what sort of puddle it would create.

Banks are opening branches again!

There’s a branch of Santander in Oxford which has a cafe, ‘co-working spaces and bookable meeting rooms as well as standard banking facilities’. And this, it seems is going to be a thing, as Barclays, too, has decided to reopen branches which will also include trendy cafes (well, a Costa) and chill-out work areas.

Why do 70% not get advice when taking pension benefits?

In the age of the internet, you can DIY pretty much anything. It will tell you how to fix your electrics or plumbing. You can book a holiday,, service a car old enough not to require the attachment of a laptop – and, of course, invest and advise yourself financially.