What caught my eye this week.<\/em><\/p>\n W<\/span>hile it\u2019s been nice to enjoy the Mediterranean weather for the past week \u2013 ominous<\/a>, but nice \u2013 we all know Bank Holidays in the UK are a cosmic long con guaranteed to eventually rain on your parade.<\/p>\n By Monday your family and friends will be watching you through the bifold doors as you valiantly cook sausages in the drizzle.<\/p>\n Or you\u2019ll have had enough of the heat and taken to wedging yourself between the open fridge doors.<\/p>\n Or \u2013 the biggest prize of all \u2013 your sister-in-law will phone to say little Marcus isn\u2019t feeling up to it today (translation: little Marcus got a better offer) and so their<\/em> BBQ is regrettably cancelled, and so you have a blissful windfall Bank Holiday Monday to do with entirely as you please.<\/p>\n Which, naturally, means cracking out the iPad and a glass of something cool and reading about stock markets, mortgages, and ISAs.<\/p>\n Or \u2013 if that sounds too racy for you on a lazy Bank Holiday \u2013 what about something on taxes?<\/p>\n Sam Freedman has written a great article for the Financial Times<\/a> [search result]<\/em> about how the UK tax code got into such a mess:<\/p>\n This leads to the ridiculous situation where a London family with two children in full-time childcare would need to earn \u00a3150,000 before being marginally better off than they were below \u00a3100,000.<\/p>\n But once you start looking the incoherence is everywhere. There\u2019s a VAT cliff edge, where companies can earn \u00a390,000 a year before registering to pay the levy, meaning a significant number of small businesses find ways to restrict their growth to avoid going over the threshold.<\/p>\n Companies just over it are at a competitive disadvantage. VAT classifications are often arbitrary and subjective \u2014 as illustrated by a court case last year as to whether Walkers Sensations Poppadoms were in fact potato crisps (which are subject to the standard rate) or a non-potato snack, such as Twiglets or Skips, that are zero rated. Annual compliance costs are in the billions of pounds.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Politics, obviously, is largely too blame.<\/p>\n But what can you do about it? Nothing much. Except to start working early on your tax return this weekend instead of dining on burned-up burgers.<\/p>\n Have a great weekend anyway, whatever the weather!<\/p>\n A quick guide to asset classes \u2013 Monevator<\/a><\/p>\n The natural yield approach to drawdown \u2013 Monevator<\/a> [Mogul members<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n From the archive-ator: Holiday strategies to refresh a frugal soul \u2013 Monevator<\/a><\/p>\n Note: Some links are Google search results \u2013 in PC\/desktop view click through to read the article. Try privacy\/incognito mode to avoid cookies. Consider subscribing to sites you visit a lot.<\/em><\/p>\n Home rents hit new high, even as asking prices fall \u2013 This Is Money<\/a><\/p>\n Millions of people reach retirement age with annual private pension of just \u00a33,650 \u2013 IFA<\/a><\/p>\n Stamp duty changes knocked house prices in April, says Nationwide \u2013 Sky<\/a><\/p>\n UK exports suffer worst slump since Covid \u2013 This Is Money<\/a><\/p>\n The easiest countries to relocate to on a working visa in 2025 \u2013 Time Out<\/a><\/p>\n Nervous investors piling record amounts into cash, says Hargreaves Lansdown \u2013 T.I.M.<\/a><\/p>\n US economy shrank 0.3% in first quarter on Trump policy uncertainty\u2026 \u2013 CNBC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2026but Trump blames Biden \u2013 NBC<\/a> [US hiring is still strong<\/a> anyway]<\/em><\/p>\n Significant cohort of UK voters remind us they can\u2019t be trusted with scissors \u2013\u00a0or even to make a cup of tea \u2013\u00a0by voting again for Nigel Farage<\/span> [I paraphrase]<\/em><\/span> \u2013 <\/span>\u200b<\/span>BBC<\/span>\u200b<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n UK among lowest-ranked countries for \u2018human flourishing\u2019, study finds \u2013 Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n Tourist charged \u00a3899 for two packets of sweets by Oxford Street candy store \u2013 Standard<\/a><\/p>\n Bookings for China-to-US shipping containers have plunged \u2013\u00a0Sherwood<\/a><\/p>\n Sub-4% mortgage rates are on the rise\u2026 \u2013 Which<\/a><\/p>\n \u2026with Halifax\u2019s Best Buy two-year fix charging just 3.79%\u2026 \u2013 This Is Money<\/a><\/p>\n \u2026and one lender offering to lend up to seven times your income \u2013 The Negotiator<\/a><\/p>\n Get up to \u00a31,500 cashback when you transfer your cash and\/or investments through this link<\/a>. Terms apply \u2013\u00a0Charles Stanley<\/a><\/p>\n Vets could face temporary price caps on medicines in competition probe \u2013 Sky<\/a><\/p>\n Co-operative Bank switch offer: \u00a3100 + \u00a375 \u2013 Be Clever With Your Cash<\/a><\/p>\n US target-date funds deep dive [US but relevant]<\/em> \u2013 Morningstar<\/a><\/p>\n Get up to \u00a34,000 when you transfer your ISA to InvestEngine our link<\/a>. (Minimum deposit of \u00a3100, other T&Cs apply. Capital at risk) \u2013 InvestEngine<\/a><\/p>\n Do you know where your savings are really held? \u2013 Which<\/a><\/p>\n How the cost of learning to drive in the UK is accelerating \u2013 Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n NS&I\u2019s one-year fixed rate bond now looks like a steal \u2013 This Is Money<\/a><\/p>\n Homes for sale with indoor-outdoor space, in pictures \u2013 Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n Vanguard: minimally extractive \u2013 Of Dollars and Data<\/a><\/p>\n Another retirement blogger retires from blogging \u2013 The Retirement Manifesto<\/a><\/p>\n Is UK house price growth a thing of the past? [Search result]<\/em> \u2013 FT<\/a><\/p>\n A spectacularly under-appreciated 15 years for US stocks \u2013 The Big Picture<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m 100 and worked until I was 90 \u2013 retiring late is the secret to a long life\u201d<\/em> \u2013 i Paper<\/a><\/p>\n 10% returns in the stock market \u2013 A Wealth of Common Sense<\/a><\/p>\n A method for maximising memories with money \u2013 Tim Maurer<\/a><\/p>\n Jonathan Clements: tasting retirement \u2013 Humble Dollar<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI won \u00a350,000 then gambled it away in seven days\u201d<\/em> \u2013 BBC<\/a><\/p>\n Four key decisions for early retirement \u2013 Morningstar<\/a><\/p>\n Evidence shows active fund investors trade away some of their returns \u2013 Morningstar<\/a><\/p>\n The great European rotation \u2013 Verdad<\/a><\/p>\n Investing amid trade wars [PDF]<\/em> \u2013 Sparkline Capital<\/a><\/p>\n The gold investment thesis \u2013 Advisor Perspectives<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018Stay humble, stack sats\u2019: Strategy still buying BTC \u2013 The Block<\/a><\/p>\n Liar\u2019s Poker<\/em> by Michael Lewis \u2013 \u00a30.99 on Kindle<\/a><\/p>\n The Price of Money<\/em> by Rob Dix \u2013 \u00a30.99 on Kindle<\/a><\/p>\n The Great Crashes: Lessons from Global Meltdowns<\/em> by Linda Yueh \u2013 \u00a30.99 on Kindle<\/a><\/p>\n Failed State: Why Britain Doesn\u2019t Work<\/em> by Sam Freedman \u2013 \u00a30.99 on Kindle<\/a><\/p>\n Or pick up one of the all-time great investing classics \u2013 Monevator<\/em> shop<\/a><\/p>\n Solar panels to be fitted on all new-build homes in England by 2027 \u2013 Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n How the political consensus on climate change has shattered \u2013 BBC<\/a><\/p>\n The US can\u2019t win the AI race without renewables \u2013 Semafor<\/a><\/p>\n People urged not to mow their gardens this May \u2013 BBC<\/a><\/p>\n Why whale urine is so important to life in the sea \u2013 The Conversation<\/a><\/p>\n Ozone gas to clean River Teme in UK-first project \u2013 BBC<\/a><\/p>\n Duolingo<\/em> launches 148 courses created with AI despite contractor backlash \u2013 TechCrunch<\/a><\/p>\n AI versus free will \u2013 Life After The Daily Grind<\/a><\/p>\n When every employee becomes an agent boss \u2013 Tom Tunguz<\/a><\/p>\n Our last two moats \u2013 More To That<\/a><\/p>\n Top VC says AI will replace pretty much all jobs except his, which relies on his unique genius \u2013 Futurism<\/a><\/p>\n The United States of Amazon \u2013 Kyla Scanlon<\/a><\/p>\n Breaking the silence \u2013 Scott Galloway<\/a> [\u201cDon\u2019t look at me!\u201d says Amazon<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n Trump is the Godfather in reverse \u2013 Paul Krugman<\/a><\/p>\n The real cost of protectionism \u2013 The Pursuit of Happiness<\/a><\/p>\n How not to bargain \u2013 Drezner\u2019s World<\/a><\/p>\n MAGA doesn\u2019t build \u2013 Noahpinion<\/a><\/p>\n Timeline of how Trump is roiling US science and health \u2013 StatNews<\/a><\/p>\n Why Margin Call<\/em> remains Wall Street\u2019s favourite movie \u2013 Semafor<\/a><\/p>\n Status cheats \u2013 The Garden of Forking Paths<\/a><\/p>\n The best IKEA hacks of all-time \u2013 Standard<\/a><\/p>\n Why Trump can\u2019t build iPhones in the US [Cool visuals, search result]<\/em> \u2013 FT<\/a><\/p>\n A Ukrainian journalist\u2019s detention and death in a Russian prison \u2013 Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n Predictions aren\u2019t always about the future \u2013 Tim Harford<\/a><\/p>\n Date-less? Maybe one of these reasons is why \u2013 Don\u2019t Worry About The Vase<\/a><\/p>\n FT veteran Martin Wolf on playing whack-a-mole with online fraudsters \u2013 FT<\/a><\/p>\n Why is Canada\u2019s population so concentrated? \u2013 Uncharted Territories<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt is only necessary to be six inches taller than the other people in a room to see above everyone\u2019s heads.\u201d Like these links? Subscribe<\/a> to get them every Saturday. Note this article includes affiliate links, such as from Amazon<\/a> and Interactive Investor<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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Comment and opinion<\/h3>\n
Naughty corner: Active antics<\/h3>\n
Kindle book bargains<\/h3>\n
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Robot overlord roundup<\/h3>\n
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\u2013 Jim Slater, The Zulu Principle<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n