It’s reasonably safe to say that we’re all pretty miffed with the last few hands we have been dealt.

We’ve come through national problems affecting our health, our family, our jobs, our global standing, our reputation, our financial freedom, our political discourse, our identity, to name a few. We’re enduring this pandemic and we have, apart from the odd imbecile, done our bit but what happens now?

From June, the gears of the UK economy will have been lathered with grease and put back on a ‘roadmap to recovery’. Interest rates are set for destination ‘negative’, a prospect I’m sure Andrew Bailey never envisaged for his first few months in charge.

We have a gradual release plan to get us back to work and restart the economy. I never thought in 2020 that the UK GDP would depend so much on my local chippie, what a crazy world.

Honestly, at this stage, many British businesses will struggle to envisage any ‘roadmap to recovery’ that doesn’t lead them straight off the Telscombe cliffs. I lived in the North Laine of Bright- on for a long time and fear for what the future holds for such a wonderfully diverse hub of independent enterprise.

We are reliably informed that these ‘smaller, nonessential retailers’ will be allowed to open from the 15th June. Then what? We have a string of shops open and no one with any money to spend? There are tough times still to come for businesses, and if they do not receive the help from the people of Britain, dire circumstances await.

We must realise how important it is that those who can, get out there and do what we can to help UK Businesses, in whatever capacity.

In 2019, Amazon made £10.9billion in revenue from the UK. They paid £220million in tax. This is just shy of 2%. If they paid 20% tax, that equates to £2.1billion and would have more than covered a huge amount of business relief support. For too long the British consumer has voted with their feet, away from the high street at a drop of 1% annually and into the arms of one guy, and his ex-wife.

Investing in these uncertain times - Short Term Vs. Long Term Investing

One thing is for sure, things move very quickly now and knowing what is go- ing to happen in one or two months is a challenge, making personal investment decisions over 5+ years a significant risk.

For those that do not know Avantis Wealth, we are a Hove based company helping UK businesses raise capital to fund their ventures. As part of the process, we have conversations daily with investors who are looking to make judgement calls on the future performance of individual British businesses and industries.

There is usually concern about the unknown and what the future might hold. I would argue that as investors, you have more control over the outcome of this pandemic than you think. Without people making the leap and investing their hard-earned money, there is no more grease for the wheels, and we are in serious trouble.

In the past, investors have often committed to longer-term investments of around 5-10 years, in exchange for higher returns. Savings institutions consistently offer 3 and 5-year terms as well as the shorter versions. The theoretical benefit of longer-term is that the rate will be higher, in return for you locking up your money for this extended period. That is mostly true.

It is also possible, as demonstrated by the Avantis Wealth portfolio of investments, to receive +10%p.a. on short term investments of 12-36 months.

Short term investments allow you to reassess your own position and cash needs more frequently, something that is becoming ever more important. It also keeps you in touch with the market and adjusting your investment strategy will benefit you significantly, on an ongoing basis.

The moral dilemmas keep coming. Our society is now emerging from the shadows, slightly plumper and dishevelled. We need to get out there and support our smaller businesses in any socially distanced way that we can. If that means putting down the Amazon App for a few months, then go for it.

If you would like to talk to our office about supporting UK businesses, please contact us on 01273 447299 or find us at www.avantiswealth.com