Scottish Mortgage was down 25% since February. What does this mean for the UK’s most popular trust? 

The hugely popular Scottish Mortgage investment trust has slumped by more than 25 per cent in three weeks as it suffered from a sell-off in global technology and growth stocks. Rising US bond yields and inflation fears sent the £16billion fund’s share price falling another 4.5 per cent today to 1,040p. That leaves legions of British … Read more

Budget 2021: Homebuyers react to Rishi Sunak’s new mortgage guarantee scheme

Aspiring homebuyers today welcomed the Chancellor  announcement that they will receive extra help to get onto the ladder as he pledged a new mortgage guarantee scheme and an extension of the stamp duty holiday.  Rishi Sunak‘s fresh initiative will incentivise lenders to provide mortgages to first-time buyers as well as current home-owners with just 5 per cent … Read more

How will a government-backed 5% deposit mortgage work?

Aspiring first-time home buyers will be listening keenly to the Budget this week with Chancellor Rishi Sunak expected to announce Government-backed mortgages with deposits of just five per cent. The Government is set to guarantee the loans, enabling lenders to offer mortgages worth 95 per cent of the purchase price on properties worth up to … Read more

10 tips to boost your credit score and avoid mortgage rejection

More than one in five aspiring homeowners blame bad credit for having their property purchases thwarted, citing this as the reason their mortgage application is turned down.  Having a bad credit history is the reason behind 22 per cent of mortgage rejections, according to a survey commissioned by mortgage broker, Haysto. The survey found that … Read more

They can slash your monthly mortgage payments – but is it reckless to take an interest-only deal?

For many people, the Covid pandemic has brought unexpected changes to their financial circumstances.  Some have been placed on furlough or made redundant, while others will just want to be more cautious when it comes to their monthly budget.  Taking out an interest-only mortgage is one way to reduce your outgoings in the short term. … Read more

Could your home’s energy efficiency rating stop you getting a future mortgage?

Those living in energy inefficient homes could soon find it harder to get a mortgage, after a Government report called on lenders to help improve energy performance. Mortgage lenders may soon be required to track and annually disclose the average Energy Performance Certificate rating of the properties they lend against. The Government could then use … Read more

Scottish Mortgage and Baillie Gifford cash in on som Tesla shares

High-flying fund manager Baillie Gifford has significantly reduced its Tesla share holdings across at least 11 of its funds and investment trusts, including Scottish Mortgage.  The Edinburgh-based fund manager, which was Tesla’s largest external investor with a 7.7 per cent stake as recently as last year, sold off shares during January, This is Money research … Read more

Can my grandparents pay off a chunk of our mortgage – or could we fall into a tax trap?

My grandparents have kindly offered to pay off a six-figure sum off our mortgage. We are due to remortgage in the coming months and although I’m blown away by their potential act of extreme financial kindness, I worry we will have a tax sting further down the line. Essentially, my grandfather is a successful business … Read more

Fifth of Britain’s wealthiest people are TURNED DOWN for a mortgage by their bank

A fifth of Britain’s wealthiest people are TURNED DOWN for mortgages despite having hundreds of thousands in the bank Not having a monthly pay slip means they struggle with ‘tick box’ applications Wealthy individuals also have issues applying for overdrafts and credit cards The problem has become worse, according to survey by a mortgage provider … Read more