2009 marks the 100th anniversary of the state pension: but!
State pension amount ‘inadequate’ Three quarters of Britons believe the state pension does not provide an adequate retirement income, a survey by insurer Friends Provident has found. But despite 75% of respondents saying the state pension did not provide an adequate income, 57% said they planned to rely upon it solely or partly. The [...]
KPMG predict 2009 will reach record levels on personal insolvency.
Accountants KPMG are predicting that the number of people facing insolvency in 2009 will reach record levels. The group estimates that 150,000 people in the UK will go bankrupt or enter official debt arrangements – up from an estimated 104,000 in 2008. It expects people heavily in debt owing to spending on day-to-day expenditure or [...]
Debt Relief Orders: April 2009
In April, the government plans to introduce a new system to help those with relatively small debts avoid full bankruptcy proceedings. See Debt Relief Orders; thr 3rd below. Bankruptcy: The traditional way of escaping overwhelming debt. Ends after one year, but you are likely to lose all your assets including your house to pay something [...]
Questions – the UK economy…
Q: How does the Bank of England base rate affect the retail banks’ rates? The sad reality, is that the Bank of England base rate only has an indirect effect on banks’ rates. Banks do not borrow from the Bank of England and lend on to consumers. Banks principal source of funding is deposits and [...]
There is no doubt that 2008 was the year of the smartphone.
The last 12 months has seen the launch of iconic devices such as the iPhone 3G, Google G1, Blackberry Storm and Nokia N97. It also saw the emergence of the electronic ecosystems needed to get the most out of such handsets. But all is not rosy in the smartphone garden. The popularity of these devices has brought [...]
Borrowing to Franchise in 2009
Cathryn Hayes, the head of HSBC franchise department, has just released her December e-news letter. In the letter she discusses the banks franchise lending prospects for 2009. I have posted the article below and provided a link to the article on the HSBC website. This information is provided for the interest and benefit of anyone considering raising [...]
Internet blog take on big corporations
Some of the biggest corporations have been forced to review company policy after campaigns by bloggers Internet blogs are taking on big corporations and winning. As the bloggerati continue to set the agenda Times Online provides the first full list of the 50 top blogs, corporate and anti-corporate alike. This list is a work in [...]
