Two women who quit their city jobs to set up floral design studio Grandirosa Inside the hustle and bustle of The Ned, I eventually find Lil Caldwell and Mary Wood tucked away in the comparatively quiet Library Bar. The co-founders of floral design studio Grandirosa are sat on cosy sofas, and Wood, who is currently on maternity leave, has her sleepy three-month-old baby in her arms. Judging by the [...]
From Woodford to the leasehold scandal, here are the big personal finance stories of 2019 December is usually the season to be jolly and reflect on the past year — though perhaps it doesn’t feel that way as we head to the polls tomorrow. Nonetheless, as the year comes to a close, let’s look at the big personal finance stories of 2019, which may give us some clues about what’s [...]
You’re virtually there: How MelodyVR is helping music fans see their favourite artists Most music lovers will probably be familiar with the scramble for gig tickets, the eye-watering cost to see your favourite artist, figuring out the logistics of travelling to and from the venue. A large proportion of events are oversubscribed, so many fans end up missing out anyway. But one upbeat company is giving fans the [...]
Why another property fund freeze was inevitable December 5, 2019 Why does it feel like we have been here before? Well, it’s because we have. It wasn’t that long ago when thousands of investors in property funds flocked to the exit door after the referendum, forcing several major asset managers to temporarily block withdrawals. So cue the deja vu when M&G yesterday suspended trading in [...]
M&G suspends trading in £2.5bn property fund over Brexit fears December 4, 2019 Trading has been suspended in M&G’s £2.5bn property fund after investors rushed to withdraw their money. Asset management giant M&G said the Property Portfolio has seen unusually high outflows, and blames continued Brexit-related political uncertainty for the fund suspension, which had made it difficult to sell commercial property. Read more: UK property investors fear Brexit [...]
Avoiding the mistakes of the British Steel pension scandal December 4, 2019 For those of us who haven’t been blessed with gold-plated pensions, the mere thought of sacrificing a guaranteed income in retirement might seem insane. So it may come as a surprise that around 210,000 people transferred out of defined benefit pension schemes in 2018/19, more than double compared to the previous year, according to figures [...]
How Thriva is putting its customers’ health to the test December 2, 2019 Standing in the middle of a street in Farringdon, it’s hard to know if I’m in the right place. After scanning the list of businesses by the side of the door, I finally spot the name Thriva, and enter a reception-less building where I’m meeting co-founder and chief executive Hamish Grierson. Thriva specialises in blood [...]
How the main political parties plan to help renters November 27, 2019 Wherever you stand on the recent debate about landlords putting thermostats in cages, many of us can agree that the rental system needs improving. This has become increasingly apparent as the number of people living in private rented accommodation has grown, doubling in the past three decades. Fortunately (and perhaps unsurprisingly), the main political parties [...]
Why take-up of shared parental leave is so dismally low — and the solution November 20, 2019 When the government introduced shared parental leave back in 2015, the idea was to encourage more fathers to stay home to care for their young children so that new mothers could go back to work if they want to. It was hoped that this in turn would go some way to closing the gender pay [...]
Can you trust custom-made funds? November 19, 2019 Segregated mandates — possibly the most unsexy phrase you will come across all year. And yet, these boringly named contracts are becoming increasingly popular. When wealth management firms hire a fund manager to run a bespoke investment portfolio for their clients, this is known as a segregated mandate. Take, for example, St James’s Place (SJP), [...]
