Life may be tough right now, but you can’t afford to neglect your longer-term financial goals

When it comes to your personal finances, it’s difficult to avoid the short-term negative effects.

There may not be an immediate end in sight to the current economic problems, but the medium to longer-term outlook for investing your money appears much more favourable – providing your money is in the right place. Investing should always be viewed as at least a five-year-plus commitment, and many industry experts agree that investment conditions look encouraging both over and beyond that period.

• The present stock market volatility might appear off-putting, but it is a result of wider political issues rather than the quality of company stocks and shares themselves. The balance sheets of many companies, for example, currently look strong – pointing towards future growth in value.

• Meanwhile dividend yield payments – a share of the profits companies pay to investors on a regular basis – are on the increase. According to Investment Week, 2011 looks set to see the fastest growth in dividends since 2008 – even allowing for the recent stock market volatility. Dividends can prove a valuable way of providing an income or supporting growth in the value of your investments.

• Whilst past performance is not a guarantee of future returns, historically stock markets have recovered strongly from the type of market falls seen recently. Time – not timing – is the key to a successful investment strategy. Generally the longer you are able or prepared to retain your investments, the greater the potential return.

If you have certain financial aspirations you hope to fulfil in future, now is the perfect time to review how well you’re placed to achieve them or whether you could be making more from your money.

NAHT Personal Financial Services, provided by our chosen partner, Skipton Financial Services (SFS), can help you by completing a no-obligation review of your existing savings and investments. If you’ve never invested before, they can explain how it all works so you feel confident making decisions based upon their subsequent recommendations.

Regardless of your investment experience, SFS will help you determine your appetite to risk and reward and assess your personal goals, so they can make recommendations suited to your individual circumstances. With no-obligation to act upon them, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain from finding out whether SFS could help you.

For more information and to arrange your no-obligation review, call SFS today on 0800 012 1248.

Please note: Any investments SFS recommends may include equity-linked products. These are not like bank and building society accounts as their value can rise and fall and your capital is at risk. SFS charges a fee for the products they arrange for you. Any SFS charges, initial and/or ongoing, will be disclosed to you in writing before you make a final decision.