George Osborne delivered his budget. As his last before the May general election, it gave him the chance to break the current political stalemate and gain more ground over the other political parties; but his hands were already tied by his pledge that there would be “no giveaways, no gimmicks.” Continue reading
Month: March 2015
The re-birth of the British truffle industry?
When I think of truffles, I tend to picture the rolling countryside of Northern Italy or the deeper parts of Germany’s Black Forest. What I don’t picture is the UK. However, that’s a mental picture I may soon have to change, as the first truffle to be cultivated in UK soil for an age has recently been harvested from a humble field in Leicestershire, according to one entrepreneurial plant biologist. Continue reading
Phoenix Life and the art of overcharging customers
Potentially tens of thousands of people holding a Scottish Provident insurance policy could be owed substantial refunds, now that life insurance company Phoenix has finally been forced to admit it has been overcharging its clients. Perhaps ironically, the scandal was only brought to light by the efforts of one retired independent financial adviser who took the time to sit down and analyse the charges on his own policies. Continue reading
IFS points to a possibly rocky road ahead?
The institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has announced research showing that the average household income has reached pre-crisis levels, although it’s still 2% below the 2009-2010 peak. The IFS
also found that the average incomes for full time employees are still far below 2007-2008 levels once adjusted for inflation. Continue reading
FCA Levels Playing Field for Lenders
The Competition and Markets Authority has issued a statement confirming that payday lenders will be forced to publish not only their rates, but also the total amount payable, on at least one City-watchdog-authorised price comparison website. After a gruelling 20-month long investigation into the murky depths of the payday lending market, the CMA has published the final report detailing measures aimed at increasing effective price competition between payday lenders. Hopefully these measures will help borrowers get a much better deal. Continue reading