In this week's MoneyWeek magazine: curing today's most serious diseases; an update to our investment trust portfolio; and some creative ideas for charitable giving.
Plus, why it's not all gloom for millennials; things to consider if you're thinking of investing in a winter holiday home; and what is the yield curve and why should you care about it?
We've our usual collection of news, views and comment, too; a roundup of the best share tips from the rest of the financial press; small business; investing for income; and plenty of ideas on how to spend it once you've made it. Sign up to MoneyWeek magazine now and you'll get the magazine delivered direct to your door along with full access to the MoneyWeek website and the iphone and smartphone app.
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How to invest in the next big medical breakthrough
As populations age, the medical threats we face are changing. And while we're making progress with many diseases, there is currently no cure for serious neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis which increasing numbers of older people are suffering from. But research gallops on, says Dr Mike Tubbs in this week's cover story. And there will be big rewards for the first drug company to come up with a breakthrough. Mike has an excellent record investing in companies that spend heavily in research and development. This week, he looks into the biotech stars that are working in this area, and picks three of the best to buy now.
Find out what they are in this week's issue of MoneyWeek magazine
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Finally an update on the MoneyWeek investment trust portfolio
In 2012, we set up a model portfolio of investment trusts. It was designed to be as low maintenance as possible. "We never asked much from it" , says our editor in chief, Merryn Somerset Webb, "just that it give us some downside protection as well as access to the exciting parts of the global stockmarket". The plan as to review it every six months or so, check it was doing OK, and make the odd tweak here or there. Unfortunately, we've not reviewed it quite as often as we hoped we would the last time we looked at it was in February. Understandably, some readers have been getting impatient for an update. So, apologies for that. "Still", says Merryn, "benign neglect has suited us pretty well so far".
Find out how it's doing, what it's made up of and what, if anything, Merryn proposes to change
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Ideas for charitable giving
Stuck for ideas for what to buy the person who has everything? Many of us resort to a charitable gift to avoid wasting money on unwanted gadgets, says Ruth Jackson. But if you are thinking about giving a mosquito net or goat this Christmas,
make sure you understand what your money will go towards
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It's not all gloom for millennials
It's generally accepted that today's younger workers won't retire on the same generous pensions as the so-called baby boomers now moving into old age with comfortable and guaranteed incomes. But this isn't quite true, suggests new research the millennial generation is set to end up with
broadly similar levels of retirement income to the generations that went immediately before
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What is the yield curve and why should you care about it?
Markets have many things to fret about right now geopolitics, over-exuberance cropping up everywhere, and the fear of missing out on even more gains by being too bearish. But something rather more esoteric is drawing the attention of more cautious investors, says John Stepek - the flattening yield curve. John explains what it is, why it matters and what it means for you
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How to meet skiing trends head on
If you are thinking of buying a bolthole on the side of a mountain somewhere, you should be aware that the winter sports business is changing fast. Around a quarter of visitors to Alpine ski resorts are now non-skiers, which means they are changing the services they offer to appeal to tourists throughout the year with water parks, spas and mountain bike trails. That's something to think about if you're in the market to buy a ski chalet as a holiday home., says Sarah Moore.
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Small fry funds with big potential
Barely a week goes by without news of an investment trust arranging a new loan or debenture at incredibly low rates, says David C Stevenson. But some fund managers are using even more exotic instruments to raise funding. David looks at one investment trust that's hoping to raise up to £30m of new funding using an instrument called a zero-dividend preference share, or ZDP.
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All that, plus an awful lot more investment news, tips and analysis, including a roundup of the best share tips of the week, plus three top micro-cap stocks hand-picked by professional investor Richard Power. On top that, there's a whole section on how to spend it, including travel (some of the skiing worlds best-kept secrets), property (the best properties with vineyards on the market right now); wine, cars and collectables (Chris Carter takes a look at antiquities). We've even got a prize crossword, a sudoku puzzle and a bridge column.
If all that's tickled your fancy, why not sign up now?
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'The most important factor in UK's growth problem gets no airtime'What is the UK's biggest economic problem? Author Andrew Craig explores the shrinking domestic stock market
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Is the stock market open on Christmas?‘Tis the season for stuffing stocks – here’s what investors need to know if the UK stock market is open for trading on Christmas
