Hello! I’m Esme and am 22 years old. This year I shall be taking on the challenge of running the London Marathon in April. I am not a runner by nature but it is a challenge that I am willing to embrace and hope to raise some money through doing so.

Following the absorption of the clients and funds from Organic Investment Management Plc, it is opportune to note that we are looking to take on new staff to assist our endeavours! We may well select new staff to fulfil roles such as:- administration assistant, paraplanners/trainee advisers and senior secretarial staff.

According to a report by Janus Henderson, global dividends for companies broached the highest ever level last year at £1.1trillion, up 8.5% on the previous year. We welcome this. What we think the global investment industry must do however, is much more to dispel the perceived fear of capital risk to investors without acknowledging the benefits of having at least some of your money in shares and which do produce income.

It is a pleasure to share some good news for a change. Yes, the markets have stabilised and indeed moved forward usefully and it seems that the opposite of ‘death by a thousand cuts’ has been happening – a virtuous circle of regular and gradual upticks in valuations but what a difference just a few weeks make.

Welcome formally to the new clients joining us from Organic. As they will know, following our appointment in the middle of December, Organic had administrators appointed at the end of December so it was very fortunate that we had taken-over the ongoing investment management in advance of everything coming to a juddering halt…..

Philip’s Comments

Well there is a job based at Trimstone about to become available! It is to work for me in the role as Senior Administration Assistant to the Managing Director at Philip J Milton & Company Plc. More details can be available but you will have to be efficient, dynamic and capable and able to work on your own initiative for much of the time and with a vast array of different tasks which will be added over time. The opportunity for the right person is excellent. Some knowledge of the hospitality trade is likely to be helpful too! Please send a CV and salary expectation by email!

Philip’s Comments

Leading North Devon Wealth Manager and Independent Financial Advisory Firm Philip J Milton & Company Plc is delighted to have been appointed to be responsible for managing a further £55Million on behalf of over 1,600 new individual investors. This follows the suspension of the previous London-based investment manager by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in early December. Whilst the Firm was not looking specifically at this stage to increase its responsibilities in this direction, it was contacted in view of its connections, stability, trust and reputation over the thirty-three years of the Firm’s existence.

Philip’s Comments

Still, this may cheer you all little. An interesting article in the Remain-focused Financial Times on 6 December noted that a strong focus on office space was confounding the pessimists. It refers to the old BT HQ where the incumbent buyer will have very significant costs of refurbishment to find when the present occupant vacates in the next three years. Priced at £200million, there were more than ten bidders with several well over the asking price and many from overseas’ climes and those looking through the short-term uncertainties from ‘Brexit’.