Fees still matter

With just a few days remaining to put your money out of reach of the taxman, Merryn Somerset Webb explains what you should bear in mind when choosing a home for your money.

I did some financial exams just before Christmas. One of the questions in the essay section was: "One of the most important elements in choosing a fund should be the level of charges and other expenses.' Critically assess this statement."

As regular readers will know, we have been critically assessing this statement in MoneyWeek for over a decade. Sometimes life is kind. However, while I think you know how we feel about charges (and I'm pleased to say that the examiners appear to agree with us), it is a subject worth revisiting given it's now only a matter of days until those who want to use their full individual savings account (Isa) allowance for this year need to have moved the cash into their wrappers. Once that's done, they'll want to start thinking about where that cash goes.

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Merryn Somerset Webb

Merryn Somerset Webb started her career in Tokyo at public broadcaster NHK before becoming a Japanese equity broker at what was then Warburgs. She went on to work at SBC and UBS without moving from her desk in Kamiyacho (it was the age of mergers).

After five years in Japan she returned to work in the UK at Paribas. This soon became BNP Paribas. Again, no desk move was required. On leaving the City, Merryn helped The Week magazine with its City pages before becoming the launch editor of MoneyWeek in 2000 and taking on columns first in the Sunday Times and then in 2009 in the Financial Times

Twenty years on, MoneyWeek is the best-selling financial magazine in the UK. Merryn was its Editor in Chief until 2022. She is now a senior columnist at Bloomberg and host of the Merryn Talks Money podcast -  but still writes for Moneyweek monthly. 

Merryn is also is a non executive director of two investment trusts – BlackRock Throgmorton, and the Murray Income Investment Trust.