Coping with our confusing and expensive childcare system May 29, 2019 Childcare is notoriously expensive in the UK. For UK parents with two children, around 46 per cent of household income goes towards childcare – the highest of all OECD countries – while prices have risen three per cent in the past year, according to the UK’s Childcare Survey 2019. “With the cost of full-time childcare [...]
DEBATE: A new review recommends cutting university fees to £7,500 a year – is this a good idea? May 29, 2019 A new review recommends cutting university fees to £7,500 a year – is this a good idea? Matteo Bergamini, founder and director of Shout Out UK, says YES. Lowering tuition fees makes training for your future a little more affordable and provides better value for money. The current £9,000 fees act as a deterrent for [...]
LGIM’s gender diversity fund outperforms FTSE 350 in first year May 28, 2019 A fund that invests in UK companies that are prioritising gender diversity has marked its one-year anniversary, having encouraged firms to boost the number of women in leadership positions. Legal & General Investment Management’s (LGIM) Gender in Leadership UK index fund (Girl fund) allocates a score to FTSE 350 firms based on the number of women [...]
‘Lack of confidence’ to blame for gender investment gap May 28, 2019 More than a third of wealthy women do not invest due to a lack of confidence, according to new research. A total of 35 per cent of high net worth women do not have an investment portfolio, a survey of 500 wealthy individuals found, compared to 17 per cent of men. Read more: When women [...]
Vodafone dividend cut: which UK shares might be next? May 28, 2019 | City Talk By Tom Bailey from interactive investor. Vodafone's cut might be a canary in the coalmine for FTSE 100 shares. Over the past year the market has increasingly cooled on Vodafone (LSE:VOD). The company has a long list of problems, including the high cost of 5G investment, being squeezed by competition on the continent and high [...]
London takes second place in Schroders Global Cities 30 index despite Brexit uncertainty May 28, 2019 | City Talk London has overtaken Hong Kong to be ranked second in the latest Schroders Global Cities 30 index, despite economic and political uncertainty in the UK. The ranking reinforces London’s position as a significant contributor of the UK economy and highlights the UK capital’s attraction as a location for real asset investing. London remains the highest-positioned [...]
Neuroscience could be key to unlocking your brain’s true potential May 28, 2019 Our brains have been humanity’s best adaption. Despite sharing 90 per cent of our DNA with our primate cousins, it’s the faster evolution of our grey matter which has helped us rise to dominance while others are still chewing grass. Our cerebral cortex (the part responsible for higher cognition) is disproportionately larger than those of [...]
Taking the higher ground rent: How homeowners can stop themselves falling victim to dubious leasehold contracts May 28, 2019 Finally able to buy your first home, you skip away from the rat race that is the rental system, proudly boasting the much-revered title of “homeowner”. And yet, if you’ve bought a leasehold property, it might not be the picket-fenced dream that you’d bargained for. Millions of UK properties, typically flats, are sold as leasehold. This [...]
The tenant fee ban is good news for landlords May 28, 2019 From 1 June, it will be illegal for tenants in England to be charged letting fees, with deposits capped at six weeks’ rent. Anyone who rents their home will see the benefits in the tenant fee ban, with tenants expected to save an average of £400 per move. More importantly, this policy marks the beginning [...]
Sir Philip Green told to plug Arcadia’s mammoth pensions deficit with his own cash May 24, 2019 Frank Field has weighed in on the row surrounding Sir Philip Green’s proposed restructuring of Arcadia, calling on the Topshop tycoon to guarantee his staff’s pensions with his own personal fortune. Read more: Arcadia to shut two dozen stores in radical rescue plan In a letter, the Work and Pensions Committee chair said Green should [...]
