Government Gilts
Gilts or gilt-edged securities are loans made to the Government to help it fund its spending. Much of the national debt is comprised of Gilts, so when the Government needs to 'borrow' more, it simply issues a new tranche.
Gilts provide the investor with interest payments, at either a fixed percentage or a rate linked to inflation. If held to maturity (known as redemption) the government should offer to buy back the debt at the Gilts face value (known as nominal value) and this is normally £100. As such it is generally possible for the investor to calulate the return they will receive and used in this way, Gilts are relatively low risk investments.
Gilts are also traded on the stockmarket and their price can rise or fall depending on what people forcast will happen to interest rates. Broadly speaking, when interest rates rise the value of the Gilt will fall and vice versa. When actively traded Gilts potentially present a riskier proposition than if bought and held to redemption. Many professional investors and fund managers invest part of their portfolio in Gilts because Gilts can help them to spread risk and provide an income.
Your First Meeting is at our Expense
The briefing stage of our Wealth Architecture Program ( see our process chart here )
is an opportunity for us to get to know you better and for us both to assess if we would like to work together.
In this meeting we’ll help you get a better understanding of what financial issues you need to be considering.
We'll also simplify your financial future by busting through a lot of the jargon that exists in this profession.
And then we’ll quote a fixed price before moving to the next step, with no obligations.