Introduction To say that George Osborne faced a difficult task when he stood up to deliver his Budget speech on 20th March 2013 was one of the year’s major understatements. Both economically and politically, the backdrop to his Budget was bleak, particularly with an increase of 48,000 in youth unemployment announced barely three hours before […]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has launched an investigation into the £15bn annuity market, prompting criticism that the City watchdog has taken so long to act. It is estimated that a thorough investigation into retirement income payouts with consequent regulation and actions within the industry, and clear advice to consumers, could benefit pensioners by £1bn […]
Introduction Politics seems to impact more and more on economics – and somehow, always at the end of the month. December ended with the last minute deal which averted the Fiscal Cliff in the US; January with Spanish premier Mariano Rajoy denying allegations of secret payments and at the end of February there were yet […]
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Introduction It was a sign of the times that the first official word on George Osborne’s Autumn Statement was a tweet from his boss. David Cameron told his 178,514 followers on Twitter: We are on the right track and making progress. His previous tweet had intimated that the Chancellor would announce further investment in education, […]
Introduction Whatever else happened in October, Hurricane Sandy happened. Or Superstorm Sandy or ‘Frankenstorm.’ Take your pick. A week before America was due to go the polls, the storm hit the North Eastern seaboard with tragic consequences. President Obama broke off the campaign to help and Mitt Romney wisely decided that addressing a tanned group of supporters in the sun […]
Changes to the rules on Child Benefit come into force in January 2013 and will reduce the entitlement of about 1.2 million families. Families where one parent is earning more than £50,000 a year will no longer be able to claim the total amount of child benefit, under government rules which will be implemented by […]
The UK insurance industry uses many risk factors in order to work out the cost of insurance to the consumer. Insurers collect claims and other statistics and use this information to ensure that customers who are more likely to claim, pay more for their insurance. For example, statistics indicate that women live longer than men […]
The votes have been cast, Mitt Romney has phoned President Obama to concede and the victor has graciously accepted the challenge of guiding the faltering US economy through the next four years. But what does Obama’s re-election mean for world stock markets – and more particularly, for your savings and investments? At first glance, the […]
Yesterday the Chancellor presented his Budget for 2012. We have prepared a free analysis highlighting the key impacts and this is available as a download at the end of this text. This Budget was heralded as a Budget for economic stability, tax simplification and growth, but was set against a relatively benign economy that is […]