Finance

Foreign exchange bureaus at one of Britain's busiest airports were offering just €0.89 for each pound today ahead of the big summer getaway. With schools across the country set to close for the holidays in the coming week the pound to euro exchange rate hit one of the lowest rates ever seen. The pound fell below $1.30 on Thursday - its lowest level since September last year -after a surprise fall in retail sales in June, confounding expectations of an increase....

The Government’s refusal to change its position on monthly calculations for Universal Credit payments will continue to unfairly punish the self-employed, IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) said today. The Government ruled out making changes to the system of monthly calculations in its response released today to the Work and Pensions Committee ‘Universal Credit for the Self-Employed’ report. IPSE’s Policy Development Manager, Jordan Marshall, comments:“It is disappointing that the Government hasn’t listened to the repeated warnings of industry, trade...

Gone are the days of carriage clocks, uncomfortable presentations and a pat on the back as you clear out your desk at age 60 or 65. Retirement at a certain age is no longer a foregone conclusion (if it ever was). These days, people can retire at any age, but many keep working into their 70s and even beyond. Is there really a right time to retire? Let’s take a look at retirement through the ages and some of the...

A new study has revealed buyer's remorse is becoming increasingly prominent as cashed-strapped Brits are forced to dip into their savings for extravagant buys. Clothes, a car – and engagement rings are among the purchases Brits have bought but later regretted, A poll of 5,000 adults found. More than half have dipped into their savings to splurge on an extravagant buy but ended up wishing they hadn’t. And almost one in ten even admitted regretting their purchase within minutes of...

Amazon.com is a mammoth company with $571 billion as market cap. On S&P 500, its shares are the 4th largest and still going persistently. Below are good reasons why Amazon shares are good as long-term investment. Amazon is piloted by its founder Amazon was launched on 1994 by CEO Jeff Bezos. He is very passionate about his company and obviously takes good care of its performance than non-founder CEO’s can. Surveys have studied that companies led by founders have a...

UK consumers are being put at risk of fraud because banks are “seriously lagging behind international competitors” when it comes to security. New research has revealed UK financial services organisations are failing to invest and not keeping up with digital investment seen in other sectors. While other countries are taking a lead in facial recognition, social media data and automated electronic data capture to ID customers and improve the customer experience, British-based banks are stuck in the dark age. A...

Acrimonious splits bring out the worst in people. With emotions running high, it’s not unusual for individuals going through a divorce to feel aggrieved about the idea of sharing anything. Financial settlement is one of the most contentious areas of divorce, along with child custody. When a marriage or civil partnership breaks down, both sides can feel they have a genuine right to money and assets. But, selling assets, transferring assets or hiding them to stop your estranged partner getting...

Amazon execs are talking to JP Morgan Chase about creating a bank service aimed at young consumers, according industry insiders. The e-commerce firm is pressing ahead with plans to open a banking service with talks underway with a number of financial institutions, including financial services giant JP Morgan Chase. Last year Amazon considered buying the US bank Capital One, highlighting the appeal of the banking sector to Amazon. This week the Wall Street Journal revealed Amazon is in talks with several...

The engineering sector has been a cornerstone of the UK's economy over the years, and will be a factor in building the nation's prosperity as Britain braces itself for a new future. A lot has gone down in the sector and there is a number of issues to be addressed if the economy will see growth in the coming years. Presently, in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA), the contribution of engineering to the UK's GDP is 26% - more...