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Happy Christmas and may we wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to you and your loved ones.
We are pleased to announce that Clear Financial Advice has opened a new office in Laurencekirk, Scotland.
This has resulted in two additional colleagues joining us on the 19th December, Rob Broad and his daughter Molly.
We look forward to expanding the business further during 2026 and beyond.
As the year comes to a close, we would like to take a moment to thank you for your continued support and trust. We very much appreciate the opportunity to work with you in the coming year.
It is looking like 2025 will be another positive year for portfolios and the investment landscape for 2026 is looking positive. We anticipate another steady, if unremarkable, year for global growth, while inflation should moderate giving Central Banks some headroom for further cuts in interest rates.
We are at the beginning of a huge transfer of wealth of between £5trn and £7trn of UK assets to the next generation. The freezing of the Inheritance Tax thresholds in the budget together with the already announced changes to Business Assets in April next year and Inheritance Tax in 2027 will both impact on the ability to pass assets to the next generation, efficiently.
Our expert and experienced financial planning team are here to help you make informed choices that bring peace of mind in this complex environment. Please do not hesitate to call if you, or, indeed, any of your friends or family who might be facing the same choices, would like to arrange a meeting with the team.
Three Kings 2025
It’s Christmas time. You know what that means….. Carols. Tinsel. Reindeer. Mince pies. Elf. And of course …
The consideration of ancient commodity prices!
Source: Elf
Seriously, the three OG Christmas presents are worth thinking about.
Source: Popular Science/7IM
If you were given an ounce of gold today, you’d be buzzing – an ounce is worth about £3,000. Whereas if you unwrap an ounce of myrrh or frankincense, you’re looking at maybe £3 …that’s if you have an idea what you’ve been given!
So did Caspar and Balthazar cheap out on their Secret Santa? Things change in 2,000 years!
Two millennia ago, frankincense and myrrh weren’t confusing, low-value items. Used for religious rites, perfumes and medicines by cultures across the Ancient World, they were, quite literally, worth their weight in gold. The Nabatean civilisation which controlled the “Incense Route” from Yemen to the rest of the world had enough spare cash to build this:
But, religious rites changed, cultivation improved, and transportation became smoother. This led to demand for frankincense and myrrh falling as supply increased, this makes them a poor gift today.
If you DID want to rival gold with something a bit left field this year, here are a few suggestions:
- Original “mother bush” Da Hong Pao tea: £25,000 per ounce. Only six trees left in the world, with harvesting now banned!
- Coral Snake Venom: £85,000 per ounce. Used in antivenom, but very hard to milk a snake.
- Californium-252: £500 million per ounce. Important for nuclear reactors. Highly radioactive.
These are unlikely to be found on Amazon though …!
Clear Minds would like to thank all who nominated the charity for the Movement for Good 12 days of Giving, we have been lucky to receive a donation of £1,000. Thank you!
Happy Christmas!
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