Working nine to five – is it how we make a living? February 28, 2019 For years, workers have resented the 40-hour working week. The iconic title track of Dolly Parton’s movie, now a high-profile West End musical, shines a light on these frustrations. “Working nine to five” is a byword for inflexibility, few prospects, and insufficient pay. But is the nine-to-five working week a thing of the past? According [...]
The EIS has cost the government £3bn in tax relief, so why has it become more generous? February 27, 2019 The enterprise investment scheme (EIS) celebrates its silver jubilee this year. Announced by the then chancellor Ken Clarke in the Autumn Budget in 1993, the scheme was launched at the beginning of 1994. The benefits of the EIS have remained generous – in fact, they’ve become more generous. Until April 2011, the up-front tax relief [...]
If you’re stuck on which tax-efficient investment scheme to go for, let’s weigh up your options February 27, 2019 At first glance, venture capital trusts (VCTs) and enterprise investment scheme (EIS) funds seem like peas in a pod. They are both government-backed tax wrappers, and they both let you invest in risky young companies. They also come with the same 30 per cent income tax perk, meaning that if you invested £10,000, you would [...]
The EIS evolution: How will incoming changes affect investors? February 27, 2019 The enterprise investment scheme, or the EIS, is a shape-shifter. Unveiled by the government back in 1993, the scheme was designed to help small, promising companies access finance by offering generous tax breaks to investors (you can claim income tax relief of 30 per cent when you buy shares in EIS-eligible companies). The EIS has [...]
This time with Alan Partridge: Lessons from the great man February 25, 2019 I'm fairly certain that whatever the creators of Alan Partridge intended for him, it wasn’t to provide guidance for businesses. He has, however, become an unlikely icon, and when he eventually passes to the tiny studio in the sky, he’ll be granted a period of national re-runs. Many brands also aspire to becoming “iconic”, so [...]
The rubbish revolution: How to profit from plastic policy changes February 21, 2019 It is estimated that eight million tonnes of plastic packaging end up in the world’s oceans every year. The plastic problem has jettisoned into social consciousness over recent years, helped by TV programmes like Blue Planet and Plastic Ocean. Now our lives are littered with concerns about the impact of this material on the environment. [...]
We need female tech trailblazers if the UK is to keep its unicorn crown February 20, 2019 The UK has been crowned the “tech unicorn capital of Europe”, by virtue of the fact that we have more billion-dollar-valued tech companies than any other country in the EU. But the next generation of unicorns, which include the likes of Just Eat, Deliveroo, and Purplebricks, could well be under threat if the tech industry, [...]
Beyond the bottom line: UK asset managers aren’t ready for new stewardship rules – should we be worried? February 19, 2019 From questionable corporate incentives to excessive risk-taking, there were plenty of red flags that should have warned asset managers of the impending financial crisis in 2008. And yet, many turned a blind eye, ultimately choosing to risk people’s pension savings for the sake of short-term gains. Since then, codes of practice have been introduced around [...]
A real Labour split won’t guarantee a surge in sterling February 19, 2019 Investors who are predicting a sterling rally if there if a full-blown split in the UK’s opposition party are likely to be sorely mistaken. The Labour party has leaned increasingly to the left since Jeremy Corbyn took the reins in 2015. Many currency experts have warned about his policies, saying that they fear a Labour [...]
The Pharmacy2U boss on saving the ailing NHS and stockpiling medicine February 18, 2019 The first ever UK chemist opened its doors in 1734, says Mark Livingstone when I meet him for breakfast. But it’s not so much this 285-year history that’s remarkable – it’s the fact that the business of dispensing drugs has barely been disrupted during that time. As the former managing director of Lego says: “When [...]
