knowledge centre
The latest financial news and thought pieces from the team.
What can a banker and a fisherman teach us about growth?
A familiar tale reflecting on the purpose of capitalism and the desire to grow, albeit with a slightly different conclusion and a call to action.
International Investment Awards 2021
Delighted to announce that for the second year in a row, we have won 3 awards at the International Investment Awards ceremony. We collected Excellence in Client Services (Advisers) – Middle East and Excellence in Advisory Best Practice – Middle East and the overall award for Excellence in Advisory Best Practice. A testament to our wonderful team’s consistency.
Whose side are you on?
Understanding incentives is particularly important when it comes to financial advice. Your outcome may depend on it.
Just review it.
We all prioritise different aspects of our life, based on what we deem important. When it comes to important financial decisions however, a delay can be costly.
The best compliment you can give is a referral.
At Abacus, we’ve been thinking about referrals a lot in the last few weeks. In particular, why the experience in the UAE is so markedly different from that of the US and UK. In those countries, a personal recommendation from an existing client is the primary source of new clients for most high-quality advice firms.
Reflect on your past, to clarify the future.
The events of 2020 were unprecedented. As we head into 2021, you may be thinking about what you want to change in your life and the goals you want to hit. Working with a financial planner to develop a clear plan of action, could dramatically increase your chances of success.
Focus on a better future in 2021
For the team here at Abacus, 2020 was always going to be a year to look inward, invest and build for the next decade. We are focussed on growing our business, to help a greater number of people achieve their most important goals, while they live and work in the UAE.
Here comes Bod 49 – A move in the right direction.
Bod has arrived to help investors get a better deal. While you might be thinking of the little yellow character from the 1975 kids TV show, this is actually Bod 49, a new piece of legislation introduced by the UAE Insurance Authority.
Proud to be recognised at this year’s International Investment Awards.
We recently won three awards at the prestigious International Investment Awards. A very different experience this year, for obvious reasons. No business travel, getting dressed up or mixing with our peers during a glamourous evening. Perhaps the experience of being at home and watching events unfold online, allowed for some useful reflection.
Count on our connections.
At Abacus we provide financial planning and investment management services to our clients, but as the wider impact of the pandemic unfolds we can also refer our clients to firm’s who can help with a wide range of issues.
Your journey home doesn’t have to be taxing.
Most foreign nationals currently living and working in Dubai, will not remain in the principality permanently and eventually return home, or head off to new horizons. From a financial planning point of view, moving from a largely tax-free environment, to a taxed one often has its complications and early planning is essential if you want to avoid costly mistakes.
Staying invested, but where? The importance of diversification.
In our previous blog we discussed moving to cash and why inflation and market timing are two good reasons why that’s probably not such a good idea. In this blog, we look at diversification, which is a natural supplementary question when an investor is told to stay invested. In other words, I will stay invested but where should I be invested?