If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...

UK fraud prevention groups are warning individuals to be extra vigilant following a huge increase in the number of scams seeking to exploit the pandemic; as these scams increase in sophistication, we are all vulnerable.

Your best tactic is to equip yourself to stay ScamSmart; you can do this through checking the FCA

Some frequently asked questions about the current investment situation

In this ever changing situation we are receiving e-mails from all the fund managers and investment companies on an hourly basis. I wanted to share this from Aberdeen Standard with you, because I thought it was helpful, to the point and mirrors exactly the kind of conversations we are having (on the

Message from FMB Managing Director, Liz Beavis

As you know from the many conversations with your Financial Planner over the years, we always take a long term view of investing. We tell people to sit tight in a crisis and certainly do not cash in any investments that you don’t need to.

However, we are seeing an unprecedented level of volatility right now and it would be

We are a bit like a stuck record every time there is some kind of uncertainty which threatens economic disaster. At the risk of being repetitive I will lay out our key investment principles at FMB. Of course we are always here to chat with you if you feel you want some additional reassurance and advice.

• When you make an investment we look at your goals and objectives,

All companies have a budget for marketing and FMB is no different. We took a view some years ago, not to use it to pay for listings on external websites. We do have a free listing on Unbiased, the portal for consumers. This is a website to find a financial adviser which is often pointed out by journalists at the end of a feature about personal finance, for example in the

The government has announced that it is going to lower the Premium Bond rate from 1.4% to 1.3% from May.

For many years it was a given that it was worth having some investment in National Savings. The tax treatment was favourable and they were a safe haven for your money. The return of 1.4% seemed fairly comparable to many deposits.

Several things have changed:-

1. They

On Thursday, FMB Directors Ruth Power and Gill Forrester were among the 350 advisers and other members of the financial services community packed into The Brewery in Central London for the 2020 Professional Adviser Awards. 

After being shortlisted for three awards, we were absolutely ecstatic to come away with the prestigious title of 'North West Adviser Firm of the Year'

At FMB we encourage each team member to use a working day for good. Some ideas have been to volunteer in local schools or use their time as part of their role as trustees and governors. Four of our team had an unusual suggestion we were happy to support!

Game Heroes is a 24-hour gaming challenge to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. Ali Owen, Ali Brown, Patrick