Cash on deposit is earning next to nothing and the stock market is becalmed, with many companies unable to afford to pay dividends.
Richard Dyson, Financial Mail – 18 July 2009
So where do you go if you want a reliable income? Believe it or not, the answer for some people is property. Yes, house prices are still falling and taxpayers continue to pick up the pieces of some of the big lenders that destroyed themselves in pursuit of property-related profits.
And yes, thousands of amateur buy-to-let landlords and distressed homeowners face repossession and bankruptcy.
But many of those currently eyeing property investments are cautious investors. They don’t aim to make quick money from rising property prices, but just want a steady income – and they believe current investment opportunities are outstanding.
They include couples such as the Humes, who have both suffered badly in the recession. Lisa Hume, 36, better known under her own name Lisa Knights, was a presenter on Setanta.
The sports TV channel went into administration in June and Lisa, who was on maternity leave while she looked after five-week-old India, was formally told of her redundancy last week. Husband Nick, 41, was national performance director for water polo in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, but cuts to sports funding triggered his resignation in March.
