Spectrum sponsor the DFAS event – Costa del Sol
By Charles Hutchinson
This article is published on: 16th December 2016

The Spectrum IFA Group again co-sponsored an excellent DFAS (Decorative & Fine Arts Society) lecture on 14th December at the San Roque Golf & Country Club on the Costa del Sol. We were heartily represented by one of our local and long-serving Advisers, Charles Hutchinson, who attended along with our co-sponsors Richard Brown, Lewis Cohen and Harriette Collings from Tilney Bestinvest. Tilney Bestinvest also very kindly hosted a lunch afterwards for selected potential clients, the DFAS Chairman and the Lecturer.
The National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Society (NADFAS) is a leading Arts charity which opens up the world of the arts through a network of local societies (such as DFAS in Spain) and national events throughout the world.
With inspiring monthly lectures given by some of the country’s top experts, together with days of special interest, educational visits and cultural holidays, NADFAS is a great way to learn, have fun and make new and lasting friendships.
At this event, over 120 attendees were entertained by a talk on Dutch Genre Painting by Lynne Gibson who is one of the UK’s top experts in this field. She was excellent and kept the audience gripped and entertained with her knowledge and humour – especially the hidden saucy side to the art which she revealed to great effect!
The talk was followed by a drinks reception which included a free raffle for prizes including CH produced Champagne, mince pies and a lovely coffee table book on Dutch Genre Painting. Tilney Bestinvest also supplied a wooden permanent calendar designed and beautifully crafted by Viscount Linley, the Queen’s nephew, which caused a further stir after their last year’s prize!
All in all, a great turnout and a very successful event at a wonderful venue. The Spectrum IFA Group were very proud to be involved with such a fantastic organisation and we hope to have the opportunity to do so again.
[nggallery id=64]
President Trump “The brand and businessman”
By David Hattersley
This article is published on: 15th November 2016

Firstly excuse the pun, but if one considers Donald Trump as a “brand” then he did one great job in getting elected as President of the USA. Somehow he sensed that the electorate had grown tired of the political elite and that the establishment needed to be changed and shaken up. That is common knowledge, after all Farage did it based on the cigarettes and beer outside a pub. The same applies to Margaret Thatcher.
Putting it into perspective though, others have gone on to challenge the established order in their respective business fields that then became global household names. The likes of Branson, Doug & Mary Perkins (Specsavers) , Michael O’Leary (Ryan Air) and James Dyson all challenged the status quo and vested elitist interests at the time, much to their dismay and their eventual demise. All the former have gone on to be recognized as global brands that have led a revolution in their fields in their own lifetimes.
In this respect President Trump has, forgive the pun, “out trumped” the recognized establishment in recognizing a true niche market that would follow him. He marketed a particular brand, appealing to a certain audience that felt that it had been left behind in the event of globalization and other ills.One now has to consider the impact on the rest of the world and its impact on investment. In his early days as President elect, he has already shown signs of an element of pragmatism, like a businessman would do towards the need to understand and temper the advertising campaign – for example, recognising what is good in Obamacare and what needs to be modified fiscally to make it a success.
It also depends on who he appoints as his “Board of Directors”, to help him carry through the reforms that are needed for his “New Company” will succeed. No doubt and hopefully, the same will apply to business in general, the need to negotiate where need be, to gain better terms, but at the same time realize the greater picture. He is after all now the CEO of the USA, and that needs to be understood first and foremost.The old order is being replaced, old perceptions will no longer be relevant, and that too can have an impact. As much as Thatcher-ism and Reaganomics changed the world, the Brexit and President Trump’s election will change it too. One has to follow that the old order has been overturned and that whilst the new company has just started, it too needs to act like a company, a far cry from the current political elite. It is almost that a revolution is taking place.
In relation to investments, this means change, but change brings opportunities. Realising this takes skill, and the selection of funds and managers that recognise that change, rather than following old ideas that are now outdated, need to be considered. At the moment though, one cannot take knee jerk reaction as the inauguration does not take place until January 2017, so investors need to keep an eye on the near future, whilst considering other investments that are unlikely to be affected by the above changes.
The Brexit or Invoking the Law of Unintended Consequence.
By David Hattersley
This article is published on: 28th October 2016

Since the Brexit vote most news has been about potential Trade deals, and Sterling’s fall. However it perhaps has gone unnoticed, that from a variety of differing scenarios with outcomes by no means certain, a Constitutional crisis could be gathering steam.
It all stems back to the European Referendum Act 2015, that didn’t consider the variety of outcomes and was legally non binding. In addition, the power of the Royal Prerogative that was curbed when King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215 is being used by the Government, and in essence his successor Theresa May, to make or break treaties with other countries including the EU, in this case invoking Article 50 without the need for it to be passed into law via an Act of Parliament.
Critics of this say that the 1972 Act (based on the UK joining the Common Market) ceded power from the UK Parliament and allowed EU law to pass into UK law. This gave the British people protection under a new constitution based on EU law (based on Napoleonic Law). The UK has never had a written constitution that protects it citizens and gives them certain rights. It is being argued by a variety of bodies via legal challenges against the PM for using the Royal Prerogative to take away rights bestowed to Parliament. Some go as far to say “enforced removal” of citizenship rights from 65 million people would be “completely unprecedented “in modern democracy. Expat campaigners are also arguing that the “rights enjoyed by British citizens beyond these shores are so fundamental that legislation is required to take them away”.
The legal challenge has been mounted to the process of withdrawing the UK from the EU without a vote in Parliament and is going to the High Court, to be heard within the next two weeks. If the government lose due to Judges imposing their will (note unelected!), it would then be ironic for this eventually being heard by the European Court of Justice, the UK’s next step .
If the UK government win this current legal challenge on the basis “ Respecting the outcome of the referendum and giving effect to the will and the decision of the people “, that too could lead to further challenges for whom the right to vote was taken away i.e. a large percentage of Ex Pats and those Europeans citizens in the UK.
Additionally, working on that basis could give credence to Scottish Independence should they have a 2nd referendum and vote to remain in Europe. The same could be said of Northern Ireland, which has its own Parliament as well, and perhaps even Gibraltarians, as they overwhelmingly voted to remain.
The other major crisis in the making is the “Great Repeal Bill” debate that is due to be put to the House next year. A number of scenarios could occur. Many M.P.’s supported remain and the government still has deep divisions within its ranks. With only a majority of 10 seats in the House, a loss could force a vote of confidence, an early election, and a greatly disenchanted and potentially a disenfranchised electorate that voted to leave.
If they win then it passes to the House of Lords, who overwhelmingly wished to remain in the EU, and should they vote against it, take note Leave campaigners, an unelected body voting against the wishes of the majority!!
The Law of Unintended Consequence reigns supreme, or quite simply chaos. It makes Spain’s recent political turmoil insignificant, and I wonder how many of those that voted to leave or indeed did not vote at all, would have wanted these potential outcomes.
What would be even more ironic would be that the UK Government, in its current format, with many of the Ministers that supported the Leave campaign in positions of power, having to go to the European Court of Justice to overrule either singularly or both the UK Judges or the House of Lords to push through the Brexit, whilst at the same time preside over the breakup of the Union.
The Spectrum IFA Group co-sponsored NADFAS lecture
By Charles Hutchinson
This article is published on: 25th October 2016

The Spectrum IFA Group co-sponsored an excellent NADFAS (National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies) lecture on 19th October at the San Roque Golf & Country Club on the Costa del Sol. The Spectrum IFA Group was represented by one of our local advisers, Charles Hutchinson who attended along with our co-sponsor Paul Ellis from Currencies Direct.
The National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies is a leading arts charity which opens up the world of the arts through a network of local societies and national events.
With inspiring monthly lectures given by some of the country’s top experts, together with days of special interest, educational visits and cultural holidays, NADFAS is a great way to learn, have fun and make new and lasting friendships.
At this event, over 130 attendees (all our target market) were entertained by a talk on The Life and Work of Henry Murphy, one of Britain’s best but most neglected Goldsmiths. The presentation was given by John Benjamin of Antiques Roadshow fame, who kept the audience gripped with his knowledge and humour. We were fortunate enough to have him agree to private valuations of attendees’ jewelry and especially any Fabergé items before the lecture.
The talk was followed by a Spectrum sponsored drinks reception which included a free raffle for prizes including a CH obtained (very difficult to find, as out of print) glossy coffee table book on Henry Murphy and his works by John Benjamin himself which he gladly signed for the lucky first prize winner. Also bottles of Champagne and Cava. Currency Direct supplied a bottle of fine Brandy and a very useful car sunshade.
All in all, a great turnout and a very successful event at a wonderful venue. The Spectrum IFA Group are very proud to be involved with such a fantastic organisation and we shall be sponsoring the December lecture and drinks reception after, when we will have Tilney Bestinvest as co-sponsors.
[nggallery id=”62″/]
Dread and Brexit
By John Hayward
This article is published on: 24th October 2016

Fear causes thousands to hold off making decisions pre-Brexit
Uncertainty over what will happen once the UK has left the European Union has led people to make one important decision. Not do anything until it happens. This means delaying actions for around two and a half years. This could be a really disappointing, if not dangerous, decision to make. As much as we intend being around in two and a half years, there is no guarantee we will be. Who knew two and a half years ago what was going to happen next week?
Brexit is another event in our lives. None of us, not even the politicians, know exactly what is going to happen but you can plan for all eventualities. If there is a full-on Brexit, then you need to be in a position whereby your money is not exposed to future monetary restrictions. You need to do this BEFORE the shutters come down. Waiting two and a half years may be too long and too late.
If there is a “soft” Brexit, as I suspect there will be, with deals being done over a gin and tonic in Le Chien et Le Canard, it will still be important that your investments are recognised as being tax compliant in the country you live in. It will also be important that any financial planning advice you are receiving is coming from a company registered in your country. Some financial advisers in Spain are allowed to operate using a UK licence because the UK is in the EU. The professional indemnity insurance which they (may) have could become invalid.
Another change likely to cause a big problem post-Brexit is Spanish inheritance tax. UK inheritors are benefiting from Spanish rules introduced in 2014. These rules only apply to EU residents. Therefore, it is now time to look at how to distribute wealth in readiness for these changes.
Interest rates are low and will stay that way for some time to come, probably for at least two and a half years. The pound has collapsed in value meaning that income in euro terms has reduced dramatically. Banks have little or nothing to offer. We can help you with this NOW. We do not charge for a chat, or even for investigating what you have. We tick all the boxes regarding licences and compliance and we live in Spain.
The Spectrum IFA Group Award for their Technical Articles
By Spectrum IFA
This article is published on: 20th September 2016

Technical knowledge and a deeper understanding of tax, investments, pension and financial planning means a better outcome for our clients and also a more satisfying professional outcome for us. One of the ways we do this is to use a technical articles website called Mondaq for our research. We also contribute to this site by writing articles.
In August 2016, The Spectrum IFA Group was pleased and extremely proud, to have been awarded the ‘Top Communicator Award’ for Spain. Our posts have covered a series of topics such as “Brexit and Tax in Spain“, “Insight into Wealth Management“, “Final Salary Pension Deficits” and more. Our articles had the most reader response of any contributor.
This was no mean feat given that Mondaq publishes thousands of high quality articles each year from thousands of sources!