EU banking union: Less may be more when devising financial regulation September 16, 2012 THE Eurozone crisis and domestic banking issues have been enjoying a summer holiday, no doubt helped by the Olympics. But they will now move back to centre stage. The European Commission’s proposals for an EU banking union are ambitious and, if accepted, would entail the biggest transfer of national powers since the start of the [...]
Ten golden rules of investing September 16, 2012 YOU DON’T have to understand how silicon chips work to buy a silicon chip maker, but you do have to understand what they are used for, as well as some of the basics of manufacturing process such as the inputs and costs. On the other hand, simple products like mortgages can be wrapped in businesses [...]
Are the coalition’s proposals for employment law reform enough to satisfy UK businesses? September 16, 2012 YES Vince Cable The UK has one of the most flexible labour markets in the world, second only to the USA and Canada according to the OECD. Despite our economic difficulties we have had over 1m new jobs created in the private sector over the last two years. But we know we can do more [...]
Rapid responses September 16, 2012 Banking rules [Re: Why Britain’s banking rules arent’ restricting economic growth, Friday] Paul Fisher’s article is excellent. It challenges the public perception that banking rules are too restrictive and kill, effectively, the economic recovery. There are real problems facing our economy, but there is also no substitute for good credit risk analysis. The time of [...]
Simple tax planning helps to reduce costs September 16, 2012 But a new EU directive will hike price of life assurance for women I MET a new professional client recently who has just taken out £300,000 of life insurance online. She is married and both she and her husband have made wills, but their combined estates are over the inheritance tax (IHT) threshold. Therefore, on [...]
Investors need to actively manage their Sipp funds September 16, 2012 SELF invested personal pensions (Sipps) are an increasingly popular kind of tax-efficient pension scheme. But like all investments, they are not suitable for everyone. Sipps allow better control over what your money is invested in and investors benefit from increased transparency. Compare this to stakeholder pensions, for example, where you have no control over how [...]
How computer science will rescue fashionistas September 16, 2012 WHAT PROBLEM DOES YOUR BUSINESS SOLVE? Due to the boom in online shopping that’s taken place over the last five years, the internet is swarming with items of clothing for us to buy. If you’re trying to find something similar to an item that you’ve seen in a magazine, or on the catwalk, it can [...]
Reinventing the wheelchair: Sometimes it pays to take the cash September 16, 2012 I’VE been doing this for four years. I’ve put a huge amount of money, my money, my wife’s money, which is our future, on the line. I can’t make a mistake now. I don’t want to be the founder that ended up with the tiny little minority share of the thing he started, while other [...]
UK start-ups need Silicon ambitions September 16, 2012 AMAZON is coming to London’s Tech City. Jeff Bezos’s company will do a lot to help build what many entrepreneurs call an “entrepreneurial ecosystem”. This analogy is a useful one: a self-sustaining system in which entrepreneurs feed off one and other’s talent. Tech City – still primarily based around Old Street’s Silicon Roundabout but theoretically [...]
Elba: the majestic Little Tuscany September 16, 2012 IN THE summer, the British head for Tuscany, lured by the classic Italian combination of sun, scenery, fine food and wine. But the Italians themselves head for sleepy Elba, “Tuscany’s island”, with its 150 spotless beaches, romantic villages and breathtaking mountains. Although is a National Park of outstanding natural beauty, tiny Elba is perhaps best [...]
