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Hey, this is market madness. Remember 1982, and the Latin American debt crisis? Well that little number triggered defaults on loans worth well over 100% of the total equity of banks such as Citicorp, Chase Manhattan, Lloyds, and Deutsche. Despite these credit losses banks were able to...

I presume these d1ckheads alerted us to the massive exposure of RBS to worthless mortgage securities? NO. I presume these d1ckheads forecast the 50% crash in banking shares (including their RBS)? NO. I presume these d1ckheads waited until they'd issued the largest ever UK rights issue, and...

Over here in the UK Diesel has just hit $12 a gallon. Yes, $12 a gallon. We love smaller cars and don't see many Hummers around. Seat Ibiza ecomotive would be my choice, or the new ultra economical VW cars. Hybrids? OK in towns but cruise along on the motorways and they seem to burn as...

For anyone thinking about retiring in the UK this is our budget per month (converted to $ at 2 to the UK pound). House paid off, no rent. Housing tax $230 Heating $260 Groceries $400 Fuel $300 (gas here is now $10 a gallon) Car insurance (2 cars) $400 Car repairs, servicing, tax etc $200 House...

Over here in the UK we have ZOPA.com. So far (2 years) i've averaged 7%, have 400 borrowers and had one default. Their credit checks are very rigorous so quite unlike Prosper! (Just what is it about Americans and their love of all things sub-prime?) So far it works for me and is a useful...

Yes. Here in the UK we pay $9 a gallon for regular gasoline. More efficient diesel, very popular now in economy cars, is $10 a gallon. In most of Europe it's about 25% less. Something has to pay for free medical care! Oh, and you see a lot more smaller cars over here.

This is great! $2 dollars to the pound. I've booked a holiday to both St Lucia and New York on the back of this. the New York trip has paid for itself with an ipod, a camera, and a few pairs of jeans (all less than half the price than UK). The St Lucia holiday is 10% cheaper than when i...

An interesting article on returns in various stockmarkets around the world. Apologies if its been posted before. http://tinyurl.com/35mwe

I maintain a relatively small amount of cash and inflation indexed bonds to top up my dividend income. It works as follows: Pension + dividend income = good standard of living (pension is inflation linked) If dividend income does not rise in line with average earnings or inflation (whichever...

Don't know if they're available over there but some of the big international and reliable big yielders here are: BT - fixed telecom provider. 4.8% BP - oil. 3.8% Vodafone - mobile operator. 4.2% United Utilities - electricity provider. 6.5% Tomkins - engineering. 5.8% GlaxoSmithKline - pharma...

I see nothing wrong with a dividend strategy. Here in the UK where our main stock index yields nearly 3.4% its easy to pick a very diversified portfolio of stocks yielding over 4%. It would contain a good mix of oils, pharmas, telcos, banks, oils, industrials and consumer goods. Its a...

Over here in the UK many people rely on buying a decent portfolio (say 20/25 different stocks) yielding about 4%. Over here there is no tax to pay on dividends until you are earning over $80,000 (£40,000 sterling). So if a share has a dividend yield of 4% thats exactly what you get. Full...

I've converted to dollars. When you're next over here come and see our hospitals and the wards. They ain't nice places! Also you can wait quite a long time to see a specialist. Care in the NHS (public sector) is fine in an emergency or for very very severe conditions (ie cancer). For other...

Living in the UK and UK resident. Private healthcare premiums $1,900 a year. Aged 52 and 53. That's with paying the first $1,000 of any treatment. Bad illness record in my early 20's probably boosts the cost.

Although England goes back centuries. I think we like to consider that our emerging consciousness as a nation really started round about the 13th century and the signing of the Magna Carta The Magna Carta (Great Charter) was first issued in 1215 by King John. Magna Carta was not a medieval...

There really is no need for non inflation linked bonds at all if you have a good selection of dividend paying shares AND you can survive on just the dividends. Volatility of capital is a complete irrelevance if you never have to touch the capital. Dividends usually rise in line with inflation...

I feel comfortable with just 5% in bonds and 95% in dividend paying individual equities (about 20, representing most industrial sectors except tech), and equity income mutual funds and etfs (for european and asian dividend payers). My dividend yield is currently 3.9% based on current value. In...

:-[ But feeling richer already...

These are our expenses for 2 people living in England, aged 52 and FIRE. All amounts calculated in dollars at 2 to the pound ;D Essentials: property taxes: $2,400 utilities: $4,000 groceries: $4,000 insurance (cars(2), house, medical): $3,400 car fuel: $2,400 house maintenance/improvement...

2 of us in the UK. No mortgage. No kids. Holidays (vacations) $15,000 Football tickets $700 Gym subs $800 cds/books $1,000 Gifts $2,300 Other entertainments $2,000 Other insurance $1,800 Groceries $3,600 Petrol(Gasolene) $3,700 Car (auto) repairs/servicing $3,100 Meals out $1,300 Clothes $3,000...

:o

Why not just buy decent shares with decent dividends and a good record of raising them? A starting 4% should be pretty easy. Then just live off the dividends, which more or less rise with inflation. Buy a truckload of index linked bonds for minor withdrawals to supplement the dividends if they...

For what its worth a recent study in the UK found that, while official CPI was about 4% the inflation rate for older retired people was about 9%. Thats because they spend a higher proportion on energy, transport, services and food. Health insurance is optional because doctors and hospitals are...

Hi Why not invest some of the equity portion in dividend yielding shares/etfs/funds? A reasonable expectation would be 3% or 4% yield increasing by inflation over the long term. I live in the UK and it's a very popular strategy that's worked fro many years. It does not seem to have caught on in...

If Donald were really that rich could he not afford a barber rather than a rug weaver every morning?