So where do I invest my money?

Uk interest rates on hold at 0.5% - great for borrowers, terrible for savers.

In these latter days of the credit crunch, we see Mr Brown and his Darling friend trying to do everything they can to bring a bit of life into the British economy (and into their chances for the next election!) whilst bankrupting the country in the process. We have interest rates sitting at an all time low of 0.5% which is great news for people like me with an un-restricted tracker mortgage, but what about savers?
Current deposit rates are hovering around the 3-4% mark if you are lucky, and if you are very lucky a little more than this; but hang on, no sensible person has their money tied up in a deposit account do they?  Long term investments are surely the smart way to go, oh and the stock market….OK let’s not go there.

Yes, times of low interest rates are great for borrowers but not such good news for the few amongst us that might have a bit of cash tucked away for a rainy day. If you have a big wodge hiding away somewhere, now could perhaps be the time to start snapping up some cheap real estate with an optimistic view that the property market has bottom out……hmm, maybe not?
Perhaps we might consider alternative investments? The contemporary art market has taken a big speculatively fuelled dive recently, the majority of buyers in this market place in it not because they thought Damien Hirst’s works were the best thing since Rembrandt, but like the property game they felt as though they would be left out of a surging modern art market if they didn’t get in there quick….well they have – out of pocket that is.

So where can we put our cash so that it is relatively safe which maybe has a tangible asset to back up our investment, and perhaps also even enjoy as well? 
This is where I come clean. I run a Fine Art & Antiques Business, selling fine quality British furniture & clocks from circa 1680 through to 1830 (perhaps the best period in history for quality and aesthetics of hand crafted pieces) and paintings from the 19th and early 20th century.  Whereas all the junk that you see on day time TV antique shows is going down the pan like anything else, the quality end of the market is actually still creeping up in value and so is the traditional art market.

The key?  Who knows, this market is generally frequented by the super rich throughout the world, fashion does not matter to them, they have made it and know where they are going, so the things they buy are all bought with a long term strategy in mind. They may one day sell what they have just bought and they know that in the long term quality sells and their investment will be safe.

For instance, we have a piece of furniture at the moment that was made in about 1760 and for all intents and purpose is a chest of drawers. This piece was sold to its previous owner in 1963 at the Grosvenor House Fair in London for £2250, it has been used every day for the last 40 odd years and we have just sold it on for 2600% more than it was bought for in 1963, try that with something contemporary!

Millington Adams stand at the 2009 Olympia International Art & Antiques Fair - turnover up by 2.5 times.

This June we exhibited the Summer International Fine Art & Antique Fair at Olympia in London and our turnover during the 10 day event was up 2½ times that of the previous year, with many of our more costly items selling within hours of the event opening.  So maybe people are putting their money into fine art & antiques? You can use it or look at it every day, enjoy it, admire it and one day if you decide to sell, your pride and joy will still be worth something……maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel!

If you feel like looking at something alternative drop by our site www.millingtonadams.com