Happy New Year
By Holly Mackay, Founder & CEO
2 Jan, 2026
Happy New Year to you all. I hope you had a lovely Christmas and wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2026.
For those of you who have packed the decorations away, finished the Quality Street, and booted the family out, your mind might be turning to finance.
Don’t shoot the messenger, but remember that 31 January is the deadline for tax. Deep joy.
Talking of tax, you have until 5th April to sort out any investments or pension contributions this tax year, to take advantage of your allowances (up to £20,000 in a tax-free ISA) or maybe make a pension contribution. If there is nothing left in the pot, could you transfer any investments held outside an ISA or pension in, and take advantage of allowances that way?
As we think back over the last 12 months, 2025 was a blistering year on the markets. The FTSE 100 rose by over 20% (its strongest gain since 2009), Japan's Nikkei by 26% and the S&P 500 by about 16%. As I write this morning (Friday 2nd January), the FTSE has hit a record high, rising above 10,000 for the first time at about 0830. Shall we just end the year now!? :0)
I’m not sure that markets will repeat 2025’s performance (sorry!), but we’ll be with you tracking performance, sharing ideas, serving up tax tips, and more over the coming 12 months.
Signing off for today after a very brisk and invigorating swim in the sea this morning. The water was 7.6 degrees off the South Coast... but the good news is that it’s expected to rise to a balmy 8.4 degrees over the coming 10 days. Tropical!
Holly
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