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ASIAN smaller companies have been a key component of the region’s burgeoning fortunes in recent years, but the question is whether they can continue to boost the emerging economies to such good effect in the coming year? Over the last three years, smaller companies funds have performed well. For example, the Japanese Smaller Companies sector has made an average of 8.5%, against a backdrop [...]

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Investing in property is a desire for many expats no matter where they are, and for many it proves to be a good decision. Property prices rise and fall in the same way that markets do, the main difference being that once you have bought the property, it is much harder to liquidate your asset if you need to. Aside from that, [...]

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IF THERE is one thing to remember about history, especially political and economic history, it is its ability to repeat itself time and again without people learning the lessons of the past. Take the current economic situation with the eurozone countries desperately trying to get themselves out of the mire, without any of them losing face or seeing an obvious ‘winner’ to come out of this difficult [...]

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HAPPY NEW Year everyone, if you are anything like me you are just getting over Christmas and wondering how you are going to keep yourself on the straight and narrow with your New Year’s Resolution. What is yours this year? Lose weight, change something about your life, improve your finances? Well, if it is the [...]

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ONE OF the realities of markets is that at any one time, there has to be at least two individuals who are taking completely opposing views as to what is likely to happen next. While one person will look at the economic data and think the worst, another will look at the same data and interpret it in a completely different way – think of [...]

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WITH THE imperfect political solution arrived at in the US over the contentious debt ceiling averting the threat of default and the resultant turmoil, it has recently been the turn of the Europeans to provide all the drama in the ongoing soap opera that we call the financial markets. For reasons that are largely irrelevant [...]

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HAVING an adviser to keep a check on your portfolio is ideal – you have someone who will keep track of what is happening, make decisions on your behalf, if that is what you agree, or explain to you why you should make the decision he or she is recommending. The one thing that it [...]

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Commodities are sometimes seen as some of the more glamorous investments you can make, with gold, platinum and other precious metals sitting alongside wheat, oil and pork bellies – OK, maybe that is not so glamorous. But investing in commodities – whether directly if you have the means and the knowledge, or more likely through [...]

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Cycling is one of those pastimes that allows you to admire the beauty of the country you are in,  while getting fitter at the  same time, and there are  few places that are better  to do this than Cambodia. The country’s stunning landscapes can be accessed more readily in some areas by bike, and you know [...]

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Infinity is continuing its expansion throughout Asia with its latest office opening in one of the region’s financial jewels in the crown – Hong Kong. As part of its expansion, Infinity’s managing director Trevor Keidan has become chief executive of Infinity Financial Solutions Ltd (Hong Kong) and is relocating to the city to live with his [...]

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The word pension has a strange effect on people – often at the very mention of pensions, they start to glaze over and decide that there is something, or someone, more interesting they should be dealing with. The thing is, if you think pensions are boring, how interesting do you think a retirement in penury [...]

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So, tell me, do you have all of your affairs in order? Honestly? Or do you just think that you are organised and have planned ahead to ensure that everything you need to protect yourself and your family is in place? It is hard to keep up with all of the areas of our finances [...]

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Some years ago several friends of Dave Stamboulis returned from a beach holiday claiming they had found one of the last unspoiled paradises in Asia. Here, he explains why now is the time to visit the unspoilt Phu Quoc. I did some research on the place, Phu Quoc, the largest island in Vietnam, lying just [...]

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World markets are continuing to rise and fall like yoyos, but in recent weeks the trend has been downwards. Yes, there have been times when markets have rallied, but the rallies have not been sustained. There is just too much bad news in the wider economic community for any significant rises to stick. The unflatteringly [...]

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Ethical investing used to be a very niche area of investment that was reserved for the brave few who would rather their money ‘did good’ than ‘did well’. But things are starting to change as the sector becomes more mainstream, and the performance of ethical funds is now competing with more traditional, non-ethical sectors. Alison Steed looks [...]

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Whether you are into sport or not, most of us feel like we could do with losing our love handles and shaping up a bit. But finding the best way to do this is not easy, especially if you loath the idea of being incarcerated in a gym with around 20 other people, yet want the camaraderie [...]

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The joy that children can bring us is immense – I should know, I have recently had my first child. So I can appreciate the fact that many parents will not want to think about how much their child or children are going to cost them to bring up. But when you do, my goodness [...]

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Building a portfolio is just one part of making a strong financial future for yourself, but if you leave that portfolio to its own devices for too long without any scrutiny, it will eventually stop working for you, and could work against you. In the current economic climate, with difficulties in the European economies being [...]

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Protecting our loved ones is a vital part of financial planning, and there are plenty of ways you can do this, but there are a number of things to consider. If you have dependants, whether that is a spouse who relies on your income, and/or children who will need to be cared for after you [...]

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One of the most amazing things about life is that you never know what is going to happen from day to day. The variety of experiences, the people you meet, the challenges you will face all provide the rich fabric that makes our lives fulfilling. The flip side of this is that, unfortunately, you will [...]

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