December 2023

Welcome to our Winter Newsletter!

In this edition, we will talk about a few important areas that may be on your mind at the moment…

The last quarter has been as busy as always at Strategy, but we have had the pleasure of enjoying our annual Christmas Day Out with the team and attending an event at the Shard in London!

All of our clients invested on the Advance by Embark Platform will know that we have successfully migrated onto the Scottish Widows Platform at the end of October. You should have now received your new log-in details. If you are having trouble logging in, please contact us for a password reset.

Over the festive period our opening hours will change.



We will be out of the office between December 25th - 1st January 2024. We will resume our activity on Tuesday, 2nd January with the normal opening hours from 09:00 to 17:00.

However, we will be dealing with any ongoing business that has not been completed prior to Christmas Eve over this period to ensure there are no delays.

If there are any matters that must be discussed during this time frame please do get in touch, as any calls to the office will be redirected to our Practice Principal, Tony Ward.

As we approach the end of 2023 we would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We hope you enjoy the read and welcome any feedback or suggestions of content you would like to learn or read about.

Missed our previous editions? Check out our Instagram Highlights to access past newsletters. Simply click the Instagram icon below!

In November, we had a brilliant opportunity offered to us by one of our investment providers, Foresight, at the Shard.

We gained an insight into the workings of the Williams Formula 1 team through an inspiring talk by Claire Williams.

On 20th December 2023 the team had a fantastic Christmas Day Out where we got into the Christmas spirit!

We visited Letchworth Garden City and completed a team building exercise in the form of our first escape room! This was a brilliant experience especially for our new joiners to work together.

The Bank of England held the base interest rate at 5.25%.

It marks the third time in a row that the UK cost of borrowing remained unchanged at a 15-year high.

Governor Andrew Bailey said although "we've come a long way this year" in the fight against inflation, "there is still some way to go".



The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee voted 6-3 to hold rates, with three of its members wanting to put them up.

In the minutes from the Bank's rate-setters' meeting, it said rates would need to stay higher "for sufficiently long" to return inflation to 2%.

It contrasts the US Federal Reserve which, on Wednesday, suggested interest rates could fall significantly next year.

Source BBC

The Government are freezing Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) limits at their current levels for 2024 - 2025.

ISA Limits for 2024 - 2025:

Cash ISA - £20,000

Junior ISA - £9,000

Lifetime ISA - £4,000 excluding Government Bonus.

Child Trust Fund is also remaining at £9,000.

The Government will also allow Long-Term Asset Funds to be permitted investments in the Innovative Finance ISA from April 2024.

Inflation has likely peaked, and high interest rates are straining the economy. Central banks will likely start cutting rates as economic growth slows.

Bonds tend to perform very well when rates fall after aggressive hikes. Sterling bond market returns when rates have fallen.

When interest rates rise, bond prices fall, and bond yields rise. Higher yields on bonds offer an attractive entry point for investors on expectations that interest rates and yields will fall from here (meaning bond prices will rise).

Yields on 10 year gilts today relative to 2 years ago

Owning bonds during a market correction can protect your portfolio from extreme moves, and as markets begin stabilising, we can expect the diversification benefits of bonds to return.

Inflation is a measure of how prices of goods and services are changing in the UK and it can have a big impact on household finances.

Use this Inflation Calculator to work out your personal inflation rate.

For our practical hints and tips article, please see our Spring edition!

Open the link to view the key principles of investing created by Omnis Investments. This shows 7 different areas on how you can successfully save your money.

Why invest my money?

Investing can bring you many benefits, such as helping to give you more financial independence. Savings held in cash will tend to lose value because inflation reduces their buying power over time, investing can help to protect the value of your money as the cost of living rises.

Source FCA.org.uk

Please see below our Christmas Song performed by the talented and amazing, Georgia, one of our valued clients.

Original song ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ by Shakin’ Stevens, Re-Written, performed and edited by - Georgia Thursting - www.georgiathurstingmusic.com / @Georgiathurstingmusic on Instagram

Song recorded and produced by - Joshua Hunt - @Joshhunterdj on Instagram

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Strategy Financial Limited is an appointed representative of The Openwork Partnership, a trading style of Openwork Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Openwork Limited, Omnis Investments Limited and Openwork Wealth Services Limited are separate companies within the Openwork Group.

Openwork Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales under registered number 04399725. Registered office: Washington House, Lydiard Fields, Swindon, SN5 8UB.

Omnis Investments Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales under registered number 06582314. Registered office: Washington House, Lydiard Fields, Swindon, SN5 8UB.

Openwork Wealth Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales under registered number 10266077. Registered office: Washington House, Lydiard Fields, Swindon, SN5 8UB.