'Capital is at risk': The phrase that spooked too many Brits out of investing

Yes, capital is at risk – but so is opportunity if UK capital remains idle, unproductive and disconnected from the engines of national growth, write Alastair King and James Deal, co-CEO of Retail Book

We are no strangers to the phrase “capital is at risk”. Culturally it has become set in stone as the necessary disclaimer to remind us all that investing carries uncertainty. But, we must recalibrate our understanding of risk as the real one facing us is that, currently, UK capital remains idle, unproductive and disconnected from the engines of national growth.

When investors hold cash, capital earns nothing, contributes nothing, missing the opportunity to build wealth. The capital that is truly at risk is the capital that is not working, not building, not growing and so not contributing to