Expat blog: 11 Fun Financial Facts

By Carlton Crabbe - December 18, 2014

Did you know?

One subject that a lot of people are interested in is money. Because it is the fun, festive season that is December, and just to give you something to discuss with your friends over wine and food, AES International gives you these 11 Fun Financial Facts in our expat blog:

1. Warren Buffett was a millionaire by age 25.

2.There were 402,000 iPhones sold in a day during the first quarter of 2012. This is more than the average number of babies born per day worldwide, which is 300,000.

3. According to Business Insider, Microsoft legend Bill Gates earned $23,148 per minute last year. PER MINUTE.

4. Since we are into earnings per minute, Apple makes a dizzying $328,965 in revenue in 60 seconds.

5. The average Briton has a £147,314 net worth, which is 0.01% of football player David Beckham's.

6. Aruba had the highest top marginal tax rate in 2014 (at 58.95%), followed by Sweden (57%) and Denmark (55.56%).

7. Only 39% of Americans have a 3-month financial cash emergency fund.

8. S&P 500 gained 135% from March 2009 to January 2013 and people called it 'The Great Recession.' They had the same amount of gains 1996 to 2000 and people called it 'The Greatest Bull Market in History'. Ironic?

9. The Dow Jones has had a 10% increase in a day eight times; 10% decline in a day four times; and 5% increase or decrease in a day 136 times!

10. The Santa Rally is real! S&P 500 has had positive returns every 24 December for the last 21 years (2.0% on average since 1990).

11. As of 2013, one in ten British households has £1million worth of assets.

The information in this material is intended for the recipient’s background information and use only. It is provided in good faith and without any warranty or, representation as to accuracy or completeness. Information and opinions presented in this material have been obtained or derived from sources believed by AES to be reliable and AES has reasonable grounds to believe that all factual information herein is true as at the date of issue. It does not constitute investment advice, recommendation, or an offer of any services or products for sale and is not intended to provide a sufficient basis on which to make an investment decision. It is the responsibility of any persons wishing to make a purchase to inform themselves of and observe all applicable laws and regulations. Unauthorised reproduction or transmitting of this material is strictly prohibited. AES accepts no responsibility for loss arising from the use of the information contained herein.

‘AES’ refers to the AES Group’s separate but affiliated entities generally, rather than to one particular entity. These entities are AES Middle East Insurance Broker LLC registered with the UAE Ministry of Economy, United Arab Emirates, Licence no. 571368, and Commercial Registration no. 75162 and regulated by the UAE Central Bank license no. 189; AES Financial Services Limited, incorporated and registered in England and Wales with company number 06063185, authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority FRN: 464494; AES Financial Services (DIFC) Ltd, registered in the Dubai Financial Centre (DIFC) as a foreign company, license no.2128, and regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) Reference No F003476; AES International Limited, a private company incorporated and registered in the British Virgin Islands with company number 1839872; AES International Global Limited, a private company incorporated and registered in the British Virgin Islands with company number 1887885. Please visit our authorisations page for further information on regulation, redress and accessibility.

If you are outside the UK and we advise you or carry out other business, nearly all the rules, regulations and arrangements made under the UK regulatory regime (including the rules made by the FCA and the dispute resolution process provided by the UK Financial Ombudsman Service) will not apply to most aspects of the service you receive, such advice or business being provided from outside the UK. You should therefore clearly understand such rights and protection as are afforded in the jurisdiction where you receive advice. Local law, regulation and redress processes will apply in almost all cases, and will be different from that of the UK.

RISKS

Investments involve risks. The investment return and principal value of an investment may fluctuate so that an investment, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the capital invested. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. There is no guarantee strategies will be successful. For further information, please click here.