Long Read  

'On trend' sectors can help advisers win clients

Equally, the healthcare and bio-life science sector has long been at the forefront of advancement and progress, with vaccinations just being one fantastic recent example of this.

Pandemics aside, we have ageing and longer-living populations around the globe, representing the success of healthcare advancements while also creating new health and social care challenges.

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Unfortunately, just throwing money at healthcare service providers will not solve these challenges alone.

It will be the innovators, the pioneers and the critical thinkers that will ultimately find solutions.

Government rhetoric and tag lines alone will not inspire and empower these sectors to achieve.

Investment and patient capital is required to support the individuals and companies driving these changes.

This is exactly where the EIS comes in.

This long-standing tool to encourage early-stage investment has never been more important.

Investors wanting growth should be considering EIS opportunities as part of their well-diversified portfolio, not just for the generous tax reliefs available but also to be exposed to assets at the very heart of the vision for a 21st century UK.

EIS investments are higher risk and not for everyone, but increased awareness and appetite continue to see new investors entering the market.

It still amazes us that some IFAs dismiss EIS opportunities out of hand.

Historically, this may have been due to lack of education or understanding but with plenty of training now available, that can no longer be an excuse.

Renewable energy

Away from EIS, the third pillar of ‘Building Back Better’ is the renewable energy sector.

Although not EIS qualifying, we continue to support this sector with business-relief-qualifying opportunities.

The renewable energy sector has arguably never been a hotter investment sector with the international drive towards net zero targets. 

By 2050, about half of global energy production is expected to come from renewable sources such as wind and solar power, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Discussions surrounding this were recently accelerated at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, an annual conference where 200 world leaders and more than 20,000 delegates met to facilitate a united response to the climate crisis.

Encouragingly, a key focus emerged on companies and investors to step up to the plate and mobilise finance for decarbonisation and the net-zero transition.

The move to such a world requires significant long-term investment in renewable energy sources and the sector is now at the forefront of technological development, as providers seek to increase production efficiency and identify new ways to harness natural resources.

Opportunities to support renewable energy development projects have never been more plentiful.

Why is this knowledge important for advisers?

Crucially, if an adviser is not offering opportunities in these ‘on trend’ sectors, then it is probable that investors will go elsewhere.