ICP039 - Time Perspectives, Longevity & Doing Nothing

This week in episode 39 of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about time perspectives for retirement planning, what it means that we’re all living longer, and why nothing is often the best thing to do with your investment portfolio.

In the personal finance and investing new roundup this week:

–The payment limit for contactless payment cards has been increased.

–Chinese authorities have punished 197 people for allegedly spreading online rumours about the recent stock market crash and factory explosions in Tianjin.

–The state pension age could rise to 70 by the year 2050, based on the latest life expectancy figures published by the Office for National Statistics.

–US Federal Reserve official Eric Rosengren has warned that stockmarket volatility and falling commodity prices could represent a setback to US growth prospects.

–Morgan Stanley has issued its first ‘full house’ buy alert for global stockmarkets since early 2009.

-The European Central Bank has cut its price inflation and economic growth outlooks for the rest of 2015 and the following two years.

How can you use time perspectives to improve outcomes in retirement? Martin explores why understanding better how people relate to time, and the perspective they have on the past, the present and the future, can enable financial planners to help clients plan more effectively, particularly during times of maximum uncertainty.

One in three women in England will live to at least 90 years old. A female baby born between 2010 and 2012 can, on average, expect to live to 82.8, while a male should live to 79. When the ONS last issued figures a decade ago, female longevity was 80.6, while for males it was 76. What does this rising longevity mean for your financial planning?

When is doing nothing your best option for investing? Trying to time the markets can be a recipe for disaster, as new analysis from Fidelity shows. Missing out on the best few days of market returns can reduce overall investment returns dramatically. Time spent in the markets is far better than trying to time the markets.

No listener question in the show this week, but we would love to hear from you!

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