Spear's Salon
Strong Opinion from our Stable of Star Turns
William Cash
This is the first outbreak of a new wave of very English local revolutions - call it the English Spring come to the May council elections
Anthony Haden-Guest
A Royal princess has a wardrobe malfunction... A dirty bomb is set off in a major city...
Vanessa Neumann
I remember vividly my struggles with the English language - but I was already in love with its potential.
Nigel West
Many believed Roth to have been Canadian, a view he often encouraged, but in reality he was steeped in Soviet espionage
Annette New-Money
There is a lot of wealth being made in Asia right now but I’m going to write something pretty obvious – the supply of private bankers just isn’t there
Petronella Wyatt
A restoration of growth requires far more than can be offered up by following the dictates of smug EU bureaucrats
Unbillable Hours
Our specialists solve your HNW problems (gratis!)
Q
Is it really possible to avoid stamp duty land tax when purchasing land and property?
A
A lot has been made recently in the press about buyers of some of the UK’s most expensive homes avoiding stamp duty land tax (SDLT) by purchasing their home through a company.
Q
As art has out-performed equities in recent years, I am thinking of buying art for investment. How can I avoid the sort of disputes I've seen reported where people buy art and then find out it belongs to someone else or it's fake?
A
The art market is huge and disputes only arise from a tiny proportion of transactions but, when they do, it can be very serious and costly. There is no way to be sure of avoiding them, but you can reduce the risk.
Q
I am 18 years old and have been playing the multi-player online games of World of Warcraft and Runescape for several years. I have recently become aware that one of my characters may be worth as much as $14,000 if traded. However, please could you advise what the position would be if I died before trading my characters and whether my family could benefit from the value in my place?
A
Acknowledging and protecting the value (real or sentimental) of virtual profiles and other assets is an issue that has only begun to immerge in recent years. The increased use of social networks, blogs and gaming sites makes it ever more important that the Law is clarified in this highly uncertain area.
The Hedgehog
Spear's Spiky Undercover Agent Dishes the Gossip
The Hedgehog Issue 23
The Hedgehog is proud to introduce Spear's Credit Ratings Agency Programme (SCRAP) designed to tell you what's good as gold for your money and which ideas are going down like lead balloons
99th Velazquez Uncovered and Up for Sale at Bonhams
The 99th picture assigned to Velazquez has been unveiled at Bonhams, one of only five in private hands. It is expected to fetch £2-3 million when it is sold on 7 December
Big Bang 25th Anniversary Party More Like a Wake
The party at Drapers Hall last night to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Big Bang was made cheerful by the reunion of traders who had been on the floor in 1986 when the City ceased open outcry, but it was more like a wake because most felt that the City was a far worse place after Big Bang
