Whatever criticisms can reasonably be made about annuities, they do have one great benefit. They are simple. You make a one-time purchase in return for which you get an income for life. Unfortunately that income may not be anything close to what you hoped it would be. In recognition of this, the government brought in […]
Service Industry Puts Recession Fears To Bed
The Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ index (PMI) is a monthly survey which is eagerly watched by those with an interest in the financial health of UK PLC. This month, the August data for the crucial service sector showed healthy growth. A trampoline or a dead-cat bounce? As Harold Wilson is said to have remarked, a week […]
Are You Caring For Your Workers Enough?
As the old saying goes, if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. This is why companies look to find the best candidates for any given position, be it entry-level or senior management and also why they look to hold on to good workers. Obviously there is a monetary element to worker retention, but […]
High Street Prices And What A Lower Pound Means For Your Purse
There are winners and losers in every change and this also holds true for changing currency values. In the most basic terms, a weak pound means that you need more pounds to buy other currencies and less of another currency to buy pounds. An effect of this is that in practical terms, it costs more […]
Interest Rates & Inflation
In principle, interest rates and inflation act a bit like a child’s see-saw. When interest rates go up, people are encouraged to save rather than spend. This reduces demand, which encourages suppliers to lower their prices, which results in lower inflation. When interest rates go down, the reverse happens. That, at least, is the general […]
6 Really Obvious Ways To Save Money
We hate to be the ones to say it, but now probably really is a good time to start watching your pennies in readiness for Christmas. We know it’s in December but for those who are paid monthly it’s 4 or 5 pay packets away (depending on exactly when you get paid). Looked at from […]