It's said there are only two certainties in life ? death and taxes ? and as it stands the world is steadily getting older, with not enough births or young people coming through to offset the increasing ranks of the middle-aged and old-aged.Moreover, according to the United Nations' latest World Populations Prospects study which came out earlier this year, the global population is likely to peak th

There was interest this week in two new investments trusts coming to market, each promising an inflation linkage aimed at offsetting potentially higher costs and interest rates.First up is The Sustainable Farmland Trust which aims to raise £200 million to invest in US agricultural assets.The US company behind the trust, Intl Farming Investment Management LLC (IFC), has more than $2.2 billion of

Investors looking for a resilient, well-run, financially stable business to ride out the current uncertainty should look at Impact Healthcare REIT (IHR). It invests in a diversified portfolio of residential and nursing care homes.With an increasing number of elderly people needing care and a constrained supply of fit-for-purpose residences, the company is set to continue growing whatever happens i

Investors spent 2020 worrying about Covid-19 but as vaccines rollout and economies begin to gradually reopen, equity markets are getting increasingly jumpy about a new threat - inflation.Investors should not treat these warnings lightly. The most obvious response to rising inflation for central banks (the Bank of England in our case) is to reverse 'lower for longer' interest rate trends, making

The care home sector has clearly suffered a devastating impact from coronavirus but the need for quality accommodation for older, vulnerable people has arguably never been greater.We think investors should buy Target Healthcare REIT (THRL) which is growing its portfolio of purpose-built assets and offers a highly attractive yield of 6.2%.While not quite as secure as the income on offer from the GP

Income is a big motivating factor for people to invest in the markets. The idea of securing a regular stream of cash which can be used to pay the bills or reinvested to help boost capital returns is an attractive one.However, this income is not guaranteed and the last two months or so of dividend cuts, suspensions and deferrals have seen billions of pounds worth of payouts from UK stocks taken off

The healthcare sector is an interesting investment opportunity. People inevitably need some medical guidance in their life, whether it is visiting a GP surgery, hospital or receiving support in a care home and an ageing population is increasing demand for these services.One way to gain exposure is through UK-listed healthcare-focused real estate investment trusts (REITs) which invest in a range of

Generating an income from investments is one of the key reasons why people put money into the markets. The average yield on FTSE 100 stocks at present is 3.8% which is significantly higher than both the current rate of inflation (3.1%) and the top rate of interest on cash savings accounts (1.3%).As Alex Crooke, head of global equity income at asset manager Janus Henderson, observes: 'The absolute

UK inflation is at its highest level since October 2013, putting a squeeze on consumers' wallets. The latest rate of 2.3% is above the Bank of England's 2% target; and experts believe it will only get worse at the year goes on.With this in mind, you need to ensure your investment returns exceed this rate of inflation to sustain the same standard of living to which you are accustomed.We've written