Update on 20/11/2024: HNW Lending has informed me that it will appeal the court decision outlined below. Specifically, Ben Shaw says: “Despite the dramatic headline, the judge did find in HNW’s favour on nearly every issue in contention. For example, the judge stated that despite…
Just brief thoughts on this new story. LandlordInvest is apparently winding down at the insistence of the FCA, which appears, according to brief reports from Alternative Credit Investor, to have issues with its CEO, Filip Karadaghi, who has been forced to step down. We have…
The 4thWay Peer-to-Peer And Direct Lending Index (PADL Index) enables investors to compare long-run returns to shares and other asset classes. Constituents’ returns have massively outpaced the stock market. In the ten years since start of the index, annualised returns after costs have been…
Peer-to-peer lending is on average relatively low risk compared to the stock market and it is relatively easy to assess compared to picking shares – provided you arm yourself with knowledge. But it’s still, most definitely, an investment. This means carelessness, greed, panic, pride, fear…
The 4thWay Peer-to-Peer And Direct Lending Index (PADL Index) enables investors to compare long-run returns to shares and other asset classes. Constituents’ returns have massively outpaced the stock market. In the ten years since start of the index, annualised returns after costs have been…
As of 30th June, 2024 The new 4thWay Peer-to-Peer And Direct Lending Index (PADL Index) was launched in August 2024. It enables investors to compare long-run returns to shares and other asset classes. Constituents’ returns have massively outpaced the stock market. In the ten years…
4thWay has long collated more data on peer-to-peer lending than probably anyone else, stretching back to the very first P2P loan ever made. And now, we have sufficient data from a large enough number of important P2P lending providers to start accurately tracking performance. So…
I’m back! It’s been ages since I told you about anything through 4thWay, so I’m pleased to take you through the latest on cashback. Whatever happened to P2P lending cashback? A few years ago, the regulator banned cashback, which had been used to lure people…
Borrowers were hit hard over 2022 and 2023. Property prices were unclear and somewhat rocky. And those who were borrowing to complete property developments have been suffering a shortage of workers. The worst for borrowers though was rocketing inflation. That didn’t just push up interest…
People who invest through AxiaFunder’s online platform are funding claimants’ legal cases. Investors typically take huge profits when these claims are won – sometimes even projected to earn 2-3 times the amount invested – albeit with substantial downside risk when cases are lost. Most cases…
Two great have had a cascade of effects throughout this guide, so there are lots of updates. Those changes are: You can now make new contributions into as many IFISAs as you want, at any time. The last of the restrictions on partial transfers of…
A peer-to-peer lending secondary market – or marketplace – allows you to buy and sell existing loans after they have already begun. Why would you do this? Because it can be quicker, safer or more profitable: You might sell because you need the cash before…
Some lenders choose to lend through a type of pension called a self-invested personal pension, or SIPP. These are many and varied, but they often give investors an expanded choice of what they can invest in, albeit for a high price. SIPPs have historically suffered…
We have nagged the taxman’s notoriously tight-lipped officials, and chased down accountants, IFISA providers and even 4thWay’s own skilled experts to give you answers to all your IFISA questions, as well questions you never thought to ask. Here goes: What is an IFISA? An IFISA…
We told HMRC that, reading the rules for ISAs, “they don’t actually prohibit people opening multiple IFISAs in one tax year, provided they only subscribe new money to one of them”… Do they? A representative from HMRC has told us this “looks correct”. That’s about…
P2P lending companies’ financial health is of great interest to lenders and of course to us at 4thWay. If a P2P lending company is already making money then it lowers the risk that it’s going to close. Closure can cause you uncertainty about your loans,…
Last year, in 2023, if you invested in one of the cheapest and best share funds to cover the entire UK stock market, through Vanguard, and you did it directly through them in their own ISA, you’ll probably have made around 6.8%. That’s assuming you…
When you earn money through peer-to-peer lending there are huge tax breaks available to you. For most people there’s an automatic tax break on all P2P lending accounts. You can also open specific peer-to-peer lending accounts, called IFISAs, which are always free of income tax…
Update on 12th August 2023: Crowd2Fund’s accounts have now been filed and the strike-off action discontinued. Details of its accounts here. You’ve not heard anything from us on Crowd2Fund for a while. Crowd2Fund hasn’t been in a position to provide detailed data to us to…
Lande* has re-established its data pipeline and so we’ve reassessed its 4thWay PLUS Rating. Despite quite a few more loans falling late or turning bad as its history has been maturing, it has easily maintained its 3/3 “Exceptional” 4thWay PLUS Rating. Its high interest rates…
The 4thWay® PLUS Ratings are calculations developed by professional risk modellers (someone who models risks for the banks), experienced investors and a debt specialist from one of the major consultancy firms. They measure the interest you earn against the risk of suffering losses from borrowers being unable to repay their loans in scenarios up to a serious recession and a major property crash. The ratings assume you spread your money across hundreds or thousands of loans, and continue lending until all your loans are repaid. They assume you lend across 6-12 rated P2P lending accounts or IFISAs, and measure your overall performance across all of them, not against individual performances.
The 4thWay PLUS Ratings are calculated using objective criteria that can be measured and improved on over time, although no rating system is perfect. Read more about the 4thWay® PLUS Ratings.
Independent opinion: 4thWay will help you to identify your options and narrow down your choices. We suggest what you could do, but we won't tell you what to do or where to lend; the decision is yours. We are responsible for the accuracy and quality of the information we provide, but not for any decision you make based on it. The material is for general information and education purposes only.
We are not financial, legal or tax advisors, which means that we don't offer advice or recommendations based on your circumstances and goals.
The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not held by 4thWay. 4thWay is not regulated by ESMA or the FCA. All the specialists and researchers who conduct research and write articles for 4thWay are subject to 4thWay's Editorial Code of Practice. For more, please see 4thWay's terms and conditions.
*Commission, fees and impartial research: our service is free to you. 4thWay shows dozens of P2P lending accounts in our accurate comparison tables and we add new ones as they make it through our listing process. We receive compensation from Lande and other P2P lending companies not mentioned above either when you click through from our website and open accounts with them, or to cover the costs of conducting our calculated stress tests and ratings assessments. We vigorously ensure that this doesn't affect our editorial independence. Read How we earn money fairly with your help.
