Val Cipriani

London

Personal Finance Reporter at Investors Chronicle Magazine

Journalist, writer, overthinker, bye-lingual. Currently at @IChronicle reporting on all things personal finance. Data rookie. She/her.

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Articles

How to start investing

1 week ago | investorschronicle.co.uk | Val Cipriani

To an outsider, the world of investing can feel intimidating if not wholly incomprehensible. However, while it’s true that investing isn’t the most straightforward of subjects, most of the difficulties stem not from complexity but from the industry’s overuse of jargon and a lack of financial education. In short, the basics are not complicated and you don’t need to become an expert to get started. This guide will help you grasp the basics and set up your first portfolio. Why should I invest?
The trouble of messing with pension policy

1 week ago | investorschronicle.co.uk | Val Cipriani

Failings at one of the biggest pension schemes in the country show how difficult it is to administer pensions well – and why there are questions about the industry’s ability to handle upcoming policy changes. The Civil Service Pension Scheme is run by the Cabinet Office, has around 1.7mn members and has a future pension benefits liability of £189bn. Earlier this week, the National Audit Office (NAO) published an investigation into its administration that painted a less-than-flattering picture.
Healthcare trusts forced to rethink discount strategies

1 week ago | investorschronicle.co.uk | Val Cipriani

Poor performance prompts governance changes as trusts face low demand from investorsPublished on June 18, 2025Trusts investing in healthcare stocks are rethinking their discount policies, as they grapple with a period of poor performance, and two are targeted by activist investor Saba Capital. In the year to 16 June, biotechnology and healthcare was the second worst performing among all the Association of Investment Companies’ sectors.
Love and money: A woman’s guide to financial independence

1 week ago | investorschronicle.co.uk | Val Cipriani |Madelaine Apthorpe

Co-habiting, marriage and buying a home impact your finances, so it’s important to make sure it’s done properly and you’re always protectedPublished on June 18, 2025by Val Cipriani and Madelaine ApthorpeRelationships are an important aspect in anyone’s life; a matter of the heart, but also for your bank account.
How to not fall foul of inheritance tax-gifting rules

1 week ago | investorschronicle.co.uk | Val Cipriani

These pages often discuss inheritance tax (IHT) and ways to organise your money within your lifetime, so that you can reduce how much your estate pays once you pass away. But it is a complicated area of personal finance and the practicalities are not always straightforward. A few weeks ago, we published a Tax Clinic query from a reader asking whether paying for grandchildren’s school fees would be exempt from IHT.
Shares I Love: Howden Joinery

1 week ago | investorschronicle.co.uk | Val Cipriani

This company could double its earnings, while downside risk is limited, says Fidelity’s Karan SinghPublished on June 17, 2025Karan Singh, portfolio manager of the Fidelity UK Opportunities Fund (GB00BH7HNY76), on why the fund invests in Howden Joinery (HWDN):“Howden Joinery is a kitchen manufacturer focused on serving trade customers and operating predominantly in the UK, with smaller operations in France. It was originally developed as a segment of MFI (Mullard Furniture Industries) in 1995.
What next for infrastructure trusts?

2 weeks ago | investorschronicle.co.uk | Val Cipriani

Asset sales and M&A activity have yet to cure the sectorPublished on June 13, 2025Around this time in 2022, share prices across the infrastructure trust sector started heading in the wrong direction – slowly at first, and then faster as the impact of rising interest rates became more obvious. Few had quite anticipated the scale of the correction, how long it would last, or how correlated to gilt yields these assets would turn out to be.
Bag a 14% yield with this trust

2 weeks ago | investorschronicle.co.uk | Val Cipriani

Investment Risk: HighInvestment Style: IncomeInvestment Timescale: Long termWith every single renewable energy infrastructure trust trading well below its net asset value (NAV), pinpointing the best opportunities is tough. The entire sector looks cheap, but it is also facing significant headwinds, and catalysts for a quick recovery are in short supply.
Why women’s money issues are different

2 weeks ago | investorschronicle.co.uk | Val Cipriani

Talking about women and money always feels a little tricky. On one hand, women do not need special content telling them how to do things. There is no reason why a guide for beginner investors should be written any differently for a female or male audience. Women are perfectly capable of investing and doing so proficiently – some studies even suggest that because they are less prone to impulsivity and overtrading, women who do invest might, on average, be better at it than their male counterparts.
Why more women don’t invest and why they probably should

2 weeks ago | investorschronicle.co.uk | Val Cipriani

Why don’t women invest more than they currently do? In this new podcast series from Investors’ Chronicle, personal finance editor Val Cipriani and digital production journalist Madelaine Apthorpe look into the financial decisions and issues facing women in the UK. In the first episode, Val and Madi look at the investment gap and why women should invest more. Boring Money research estimates that there are 3.3mn more male than female investors in the UK.