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The Search for Income

An investor's guide to income-paying investments

By Maike Currie

Paperback £18.99 / $29.99
eBook £16.99 / $30.00
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The Search for Income

An investor's guide to income-paying investments

By Maike Currie

Jacket text

One of the major pursuits for investors is the search for income. This ongoing search can be more difficult at some times than at others. For example, when interest rates are low and when companies cut dividends, traditional income sources come under pressure. However, the fundamentals of income investing remain in all economic conditions. These fundamentals can be learned and applied by investors, thus improving their chances of finding and securing income.

This guide begins by covering the basics, providing you with an essential platform for effective income investing by giving detailed explanations of the concepts of interest rates, inflation and yield. The focus then moves on to the investment assets themselves: cash, fixed interest, equities, funds including ETFs, property, infrastructure and timber. For each there is a careful explanation of its traditional income performance, how income is paid and how investors can use the asset in question as part of a broader income-generating portfolio. Attention is also given to the risks involved when investing in each type of asset.

In the final part of the book, the focus falls on asset allocation and portfolio construction; how investments from various asset classes can be bought and held together to create a successful and balanced income portfolio. This includes ideas on how to set up and manage a portfolio along with example model portfolios for different risk appetites and age groups. The issues of securing an income from your pension in retirement and shielding your investment income from falling prey to more tax than is necessary are also covered.

If you are in search of income this thorough and accessible book, written by experienced personal finance journalist Maike Currie, will prove to be an indispensable guide.

About the author

Maike Currie writes about income on a weekly basis. She has worked across the Financial Times Group - notably for Investors Chronicle magazine - as a reporter and editor covering the fundamentals of income investing in its various forms.

Maike started her journalism career in South Africa, moving to the UK just in time to witness the excesses of the boom years descend into an environment of low interest rates, high debt levels and the culling of dividends. She is in no doubt that the age of austerity has arrived but maintains that there is still income to be found - provided you look in the right places.

Reviews

“Maike Currie’s book, The Search for Income, is essential reading for investors who want to put their money to work for them. Written in clear and concise language that has a conversational style, it is accessible for beginners yet is thorough enough to be valuable for experienced investors needing a reference guide on investing for income. Maike’s professional experience in writing on personal finance issues clearly shines through as the language is jargon-free and easy to read, yet all of the technical issues of investing are covered without cutting corners. It is a true testament to her experience as a financial journalist.”

– Geordie Clarke, Deputy Editor & News Editor, Money Management, Financial Times

“I can’t think of a more pressing personal finance need than that of the search for income. Maike’s book is perfectly timed, comprehensive, full of useful information, easy to read and a must read for all income seekers “

– Jeff Prestridge, Mail on Sunday

“These are tough economic times and what the average retail investor needs is a trustworthy and simply explained guide to their investments and how best to extract an income without putting their capital unnecessary at risk. Maike Currie has done a brilliant job in meeting this need with this book, The Search for Income. It should be compulsory reading for all inexperienced investors.”

– Hal Austin, Senior Editor, Financial Adviser newspaper

“Maike Currie’s book is a wonder of common sense and plain speaking. After all the horrors of bank-speak and obfuscation, Currie explains to the man or woman on the Clapham omnibus how to make the most of his or her money. In The Search For Income, Maike Currie demystifies the process of investment for even the most die-hard investophobes. While most ordinary people would rather not invest their money (and increase their returns) than trudge through the mire of the relative merits of equities, gilts, property and bonds, those who read Currie’s book will feel heartened that the process is not as complicated as it seems. Readers will feel empowered to take control of their own finances. And empowerment is what this book is all about. Currie’s use of empirical evidence and historical context is refreshing in a world of financial gobbledygook and hocus pocus. Somehow, Maike has managed to bring to life and make relevant what could otherwise be an unbearably dry subject.”

– Lief Schneider, Managing Partner, Schneider Bartosch Communications

“The Search for Income is an easy to read foundation for anyone who is serious about not only surviving the current financial climate but also prospering in it. There is a serious argument to be made for not only making this recommended reading for financially minded adults but also having this material taught at school level, providing a deeper understanding of financial investments for school leavers. A must read.”

– Paul Harrison, The South African

“Maike Currie has taken a potentially complex subject matter and used her deep industry insight to produce a seriously comprehensive and engaging one-stop guide for income-seeking investors. Articulated with ease, worked examples and easy-to-follow explanations of financial theories, this book really is a must-have!”

– Erum Quddus, Kudus Corporate Writing Services

Media coverage

From Investors Chronicle:

The Search for Income by Maike Currie is a comprehensive guide to investing for income. The book also covers how to secure an income in retirement, discussing the different options that investors can use to draw money from their pension fund. Having the right strategy in place is important not only to ensure that you… Read more »

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From Money Observer:

Income is a popular subject at the moment, which is why you’ll find a special income supplement in the May edition of Money Observer, on sale next Thursday in WHSmith. The Search For Income by financial journalist Maike Currie covers the basics of income-paying investments, and suggests how to position your portfolio to maximise income.… Read more »

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From Your Trading Edge:

The Search for Income ‘The Search for Income’ is a step-by-step guide to income-paying investments and to the construction of an income-generating portfolio. It is aimed at longer-term investors. The book focuses on the UK and so on are based on UK rules, but in other areas the contents of the book apply equally to… Read more »

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From FT Adviser :

Maike Currie?s book, The Search for Income is written in a very clear and accessible way making it appropriate for the average retail investor but it will also be useful for the experienced professional who simply wants to refresh/update their knowledge. The book is helpfully divided into three sections, dealing first with a definition of… Read more »

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From Investors Chronicle:

If you’re looking to set up an income-generating individual savings account (Isa) with this year’s annual allowance, you could be forgiven for feeling bereft of investment opportunities. Interest rates in most of the developed world are at near-zero with predictions that rates will stay at these low levels as far ahead as 2016. Meanwhile, core… Read more »

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From This is Money:

Generating half-decent income from savings is proving an impossibility as interest rates remain stubbornly low and banks and building societies squeeze returns. Even National Savings & Investments, the most trusted savings brand, has withdrawn its popular inflation-linked savings certificates. Savers are therefore having to look further afield for income, even if it means risking their… Read more »

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From UK Analyst:

In my experience I have found that many private investors spend an extraordinary amount of time searching for shares which have the potential not to just deliver modest year-on-year gains but those which could double, treble and rise by even more in value. And that’s not surprising considering the stratospheric gains which some stocks have… Read more »

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From Media Review:

Maximise income with investments ? South African Weekend Post January 2012

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From Trading Diary:

Maike Currie ?The Search for Income? Interview Maike Currie author of The Search for Income talks to www.tradingdiary.co.uk about investing and how to generate more income from your money. Who are you? I am a financial journalist covering all aspects of personal finance from investing to pensions and tax issues. In short: I write about… Read more »

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Contents

About the Author
Acknowledgements
Risk warning
Preface
Introduction

Part A: What is Income
1. Income Matters
2. Interest Rates
3. Inflation

Part B: Income Generators
Low-risk income investments
4. Cash
5. Gilts and Corporate Bonds
Higher-risk income investments
6. Equities
7. Funds
8. Property
9. Alternative Income Investments

Part C: Building and Managing An Income Portfolio
10. Building an Income Portfolio
11. Model Income Portfolios
12. Pensions
13. Tax

Index



Published: 25/11/2011
Edition: 1st
Pages: 352
Formats: paperback - ISBN 9780857190345
ebook - ISBN 9780857191977
Media enquiries

If you’d like to get in touch with the author for interview or comment, or you’d like a review copy of this book, please contact us at pr@harriman-house.com or call +44 (0)1730 233870.

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