Why deflation could prove bad news for your pension February 3, 2015 WITH falling oil prices and a weak euro both contributing to lower prices for many goods, we saw the headline rate of inflation in the UK fall to just 0.5 per cent in December – the joint lowest on record. There is a technical but important argument going on among economists, statisticians and officials on [...]
Pensioners should opt-in to winter fuel allowance and jobseekers should get personal welfare accounts, says think tank February 3, 2015 A think-tank with close links to the Conservative Party has outlined a series of changes to welfare that would affect pensioner benefits and Job Seekers Allowance and child benefit payments. Under Policy Exchange's Welfare Manifesto pensioners would be asked to opt-in to receive the Winter Fuel Allowance. Currently, the Winter Fuel Allowance is given to [...]
LendInvest IPO: P2P mortgage firm hoping to be City’s first public crowdfunding site February 2, 2015 Peer-to-peer (P2P) mortgage firm LendInvest is hoping to be the first crowdfunding business to list on the London Stock Exchange with plans afoot for its debut in the next 12 months. The group’s chief executive Christian Faes told City A.M. that while the business has yet to appoint bankers to work on it, he said [...]
London is home to Europe’s hottest FinTech startups as 24 of the FinTech50 come from the capital February 2, 2015 London once again dominates in a new list of the hottest European FinTech startups as the capital continues to put its backing behind the sector’s growth. Businesses from the capital represent almost half of those chosen as the FinTech companies to watch in 2015 by a panel of senior executives from across the world of finance, [...]
General Election 2015: Gordon Brown promises Scotland better pensions and benefits than rest of UK February 2, 2015 Later today, Gordon Brown will promise to give Scots a better deal on pensions and benefits if Labour is voted in at the next general election. Speaking at a press conference in Edinburgh, the former Prime Minister is expected to say Scots will be able to top-up the normal benefits available to people across the [...]
Private equity firm Hellman in Auto Trader bid February 1, 2015 PRIVATE equity firm Hellman & Friedman is putting together a takeover bid for used car business Auto Trader, which could put an end to the firm’s plans to float on the London stock market. A source close to the deal said an offer from the US private equity house was a “logical step” for Auto [...]
TaskRabbit founder Leah Busque talks dog food and London’s penchant for gardening February 1, 2015 While most of us spent good chunks of our childhood playing shops or doctors, Leah Busque was busy heading up Pollution Solutions. “Really, it was just an excuse to boss around my little sister and cousins,” laughs Busque, who is the founder of TaskRabbit, one of the first sharing economy platforms. Pollution Solutions was Busque’s [...]
Entrepreneurs’ relief: Unnecessary fiddling with this vital policy will damage growth February 1, 2015 Given that they drive our economy’s growth, it’s vital that entrepreneurs are rewarded for their efforts – especially since they take on so many risks to succeed. Thankfully, since 2008, there has been a tax relief that does precisely this. Entrepreneurs’ relief enables business owners to pay a lower rate of capital gains tax when [...]
Gimme 5: Blogs for entrepreneurs February 1, 2015 Richard Branson’s blog The business heavyweight shares his expertise on everything from how to write a complaint letter, to why a three-day week could work. He’s happy to share personal stories and ways of working, to help you on your way. www.virgin.com/richard-branson The Entrepreneurial Mind This is the blogging home of Jeff Cornwall, chair of [...]
BT’s pension deficit hits £7bn while profits rise from TV, broadband and sport customers January 30, 2015 The figures In its third quarter results, BT revealed revenue slipped two per cent to £13.2bn in the nine months to 31 December, while adjusted pre-tax profit leaped 11 per cent to £2.1bn. BT's consumer division, including TV, broadband and those all-important BT Sport customers, increased pre-tax profit by 43 per cent to £251m. Its business division also grew [...]
