This week in MoneyWeek magazine: how to profit as virtual reality comes of age; is it time to spring clean your investments, and how to get the best deal when changing currency.
Plus: a top fund for preserving your wealth; how to buy your freehold and why private equity IPOs often fall flat. News on politics, economics, and the markets; the best share tips from the UK press; personal finance, pensions and collectables. Why not try it out now?
Virtual reality comes of age
Pokmon Go was a huge hit a year or so ago. People around the world stalked the streets with their mobile phones, seeking out cartoon characters that appeared on the screen as if they were living in the real world. It's perhaps the most widespread use of virtual reality" that there has so far been. But it's just the tip of the iceberg. And it's not confined to video games. The same technology is now making its way out of science fiction films and into science, engineering, medicine and entertainment. The possibilities are huge and "investors should wrap their heads around it before the revolution really gets going", says Chris Carter in this week's cover story. Chris gives a rundown of the state the industry is in now, outlines some of the more exciting applications, and picks some of the best stocks to buy now. find out more with a subscription to MoneyWeek magazine.
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Is there any reason to "sell in May"?
This time of year "the investment press is pumping out the obligatory spew of articles on the wisdom (or otherwise) of adopting a "sell in May" strategy. As the old stockmarket adage has it you should "sell in May, go away and come back again on St Leger Day". The theory is that during the summer months, when everyone is concentrating more on having fun than making money, stock sell off. When the social season ends in September, things pick up again. But does it make any sense? John finds out in this week's magazine.
Get the best deal when changing currencies
If you've ever had to send money abroad or pay for anything in a foreign currency or even just changed money to go on holiday it's probably cost you an arm and a leg. As banking and financial services become more transparent, competitive and efficient in many other areas, foreign exchange remains the "one area where companies still make hefty profits from poorly informed customers", says Emma Lunn. But there is no longer any reason to pay the inflated fees or many financial institutions charge, or suffer the frankly insulting exchange rates you see so often. It's an area that's being "disrupted" by new technology. Emma explains how to get the best deal, whatever the size of your transaction. Find out how by signing up to Moneyweek magazine now.
One of the best ways to preserve your wealth
"Many people, especially the very wealthy, are more concerned with wealth preservation than with maximising returns", says Max King. After all, of youve got it, the first thing to do is make sure you hold on to it. This week, he picks an "exceptional" fund that delivers strong returns when the market is on the up, but still manages to limit losses in bear markets. Find out what it is in MoneyWeek magazine.
Sometimes, the best thing to do is nothing
"For half a century, Warren Buffett has been arguably the world's greatest investor", says Matthew Lynn. He's made billions. But he recently admitted that he's sitting on a fast-growing pile of cash something between $100bn and $150bn. This "raises a troubling question for investors everywhere", says Matthew. "If even Buffett can't find a way to invest $100bn profitably, what hope is there for us lesser mortals?" One possibility is that "there just isn't much left to buy". So if Buffett is just sitting on his cash should you, too? Find out with a subscription to the magazine.
There's much more, of course. Simon Wilson looks at the crackdown on corruption that's' putting the willies up a lot of China's billionaires. David Prosser examines the strange phenomenon of "CEO fraud", where bad guys ring up a company's finance department and claim to be chief exec, insisting that an urgent payment of lots of money be paid right now to what turns out to be a fictitious supplier. Ruth Jackson explains how to find out if you're paying too much tax. And David Prosser looks at the good news and bad news for companies struggling the pension deficits.
Chris Carter looks at collecting photography, we have eight of the best properties with basement conversions for sale right now, and Alice Grahns picks some of the best island-hopping holidays.
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The top stocks in the FTSE 100After a year of strong returns for the UK’s flagship index, which FTSE 100 stocks have posted the best performance in 2024?
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A junior ISA could turn your child’s pocket money into thousands of poundsPersuading your child to put their pocket money in a junior ISA might be difficult, but the pennies could quickly grow into pounds – and teach them a valuable lesson about money
