A family affair: How Ben and Ollie Black built their childcare empire June 6, 2016 Two minutes with the Black brothers and Laurel and Hardy come up. “You know, ‘another fine mess you’ve got me into’,” says Oliver Black, describing how he initially conceived of working with his brother. “I spent Christmas trying to convince Ollie that I knew about buying a company,” says Ben Black. The pair bought failing childcare [...]
Investors look to production data as FTSE flattens June 6, 2016 Industrial data will be in focus this week as investors look for signs of life in the sector. With rising fears of a second quarter slowdown for the UK economy, poor industrial and manufacturing production figures on Wednesday could stoke broader fears. In March industrial production was wallowing 10 per cent below pre-crisis levels, with the [...]
Entrepreneurs signal the economy is looking up despite warnings over the impact of Brexit June 6, 2016 Economic confidence among entrepreneurs has taken a big step forward over the last year. The number of business owners who feel confident about the direction of the global economy climbed by 18 percentage points to 69 per cent over the last 12 months according to a survey from accountancy giant EY. The UK economic outlook [...]
Public encouraged to take more risk to compensate for smaller pension pots June 5, 2016 “Work longer, save more and look to take more risk” was the gloomy advice from the pensions sector following the reports over the weekend that those entering retirement now can only expect to receive half the income of their counterparts at the turn of the century. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will lay [...]
Proposed government plans on steel pensions could see oldest pensioners losing out on thousands, warns former minister June 4, 2016 Proposals to rule changes for the British Steel Pension Scheme could strike the oldest and most vulnerable pensioners the hardest, a former pensions minister warned today. Steve Webb, who is now director of policy at Royal London, said his firm's calculations suggested that an 80-year-old currently receiving an income from the scheme could be as much as £10,000 [...]
Jobs are big business: Google just bet on Glassdoor again in $40m funding round June 3, 2016 Google has bet on jobs being big business again – after it invested more in US jobsite Glassdoor.com. The company said it had raised $40m from investors including T Rowe Price Associates, Battery Ventures, Sutter Hill, Tiger Global and Google. The site, which provides details to would-be job hunters including salaries, benefits and even interview questions, said it currently [...]
This is how many people think they won’t be able to afford to leave anything to their loved ones June 3, 2016 They say you can't take it with you but a significant number of people are worried that they can't leave it behind either. Less than a third (28 per cent) of those retiring this year think they can afford to leave an inheritance, research released today has found. The study by Prudential discovered that the [...]
Why the mortgage market is due to be shaken up by the tech revolution June 3, 2016 Scaling the housing ladder can feel like climbing Everest and nowhere more so than in the capital. From saving every penny for a first deposit, to scouring the tube map for the next undiscovered, reasonably priced gem, the affordability challenges are well documented. But there are other unnecessary challenges driven by an outdated industry that [...]
Mental health: First aid could save your company money June 3, 2016 With knock-on effects like sickness absence, loss of productivity and diminished morale, it is estimated that mental health issues cost the UK economy anywhere between £70bn and £100bn a year. Personal experience of working in a range of occupational health settings has shown me that being at work is actually beneficial for the majority of people [...]
These are six ways banking is about to change, according to former Barclays boss Antony Jenkins June 2, 2016 Antony Jenkins thinks that banking is having an "Uber" moment, undergoing a transformation that will leave the sector looking entirely unrecognisable. Jenkins, who is currently chairman of Business in the Community and was previously group chief executive of Barclays, imparted his wisdom at an event hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales this evening, remarking "there [...]
