How to get over your aversion to video-conferencing July 28, 2016 Meetings are a fact of business life, and their frequency seems to be increasing daily. In an international survey of businesses by Ovum Consulting, executives reported an average of 17 meetings a week. Half claimed that the number of meetings they attend every week is growing. This increase can be explained partly by the wide adoption [...]
Auto-enrolment contribution rates are far too low says Webb July 27, 2016 Former pensions minister Steve Webb demanded that more needs to be done to encourage saving for retirement after the latest auto-enrolment data was released today. Four years after the Pension Regulator introduced the initiative, six million people – or 66 per cent of the working population – have now signed up for the workplace pension. But the concern is that [...]
Till death us do part… or we buy property: One in five millennials would settle for a partner if it got them on the housing ladder July 27, 2016 If romance wasn’t already dead, it might well be now. In some of the most telling news yet about the state of the UK’s property market, one in five millennials have said they would forgo finding “the one” if they could settle for another partner in a less-than-ideal relationship… if that person could help them [...]
A woman Prime Minister. So what? July 27, 2016 Much has been made of the fact that we have our second women Prime Minister. But the question remains, what difference does it really make? In my view her appointment has multiple significance and presents us with a major opportunity. Firstly, it still has a huge symbolic value to see a woman running the country. The message that [...]
Here are the key challenges the new pensions minister will face July 27, 2016 The recent reshuffle meant a whole host of new ministerial faces both at the Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). These new ministers will have a full agenda when it comes to pensions. At DWP, the new secretary of state is Damian Green, who will be responsible for controlling welfare spending and getting people back [...]
Italian challenger bank FinecoBank set to enter UK market July 27, 2016 An Italian bank is set to enter the UK this autumn as another contender in the challenger banks’ battle against the Big Four. FinecoBank launched in 1999 as a subsidiary of UniCredit Group and has grown rapidly to have 1.1m Italian customers. It’s disrupting the banking industry by being the only company in Europe to combine [...]
How to invest in a recession – staycations and drinking at home will become trendy again if there’s a downturn July 27, 2016 One month on from the Brexit vote and the UK economy seems in a precarious state. Economic activity is slowing, and economists have warned there’s a risk of a recession this year. The out vote has, in the International Monetary Fund’s words, put a spanner in the works. The value of the pound has fallen too, [...]
Intrapreneurialism: The untapped resource UK firms should nurture July 27, 2016 It is easy to spot the entrepreneur in your company ranks. They have the ability to magic budget from other departments. They wear strange coloured socks in a muted protest against conformity. And they are never, ever at their desk. Businesses have long valued entrepreneurial personalities for their energy and constant desire to improve. But they [...]
Ex-William Hill online boss Andrew Lee joins money transfer firm WorldRemit July 26, 2016 The former managing director of William Hill Online has joined money transfer service and London-based startup WorldRemit. Andrew Lee spent four years at William Hill, during which time he led the firm's online growth. Before joining the gambling group, he worked at Jefferies International, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Dresdner Kleinwort, among other places. Lee, who announced [...]
Investec’s wealth manager moves property funds to Thorpe Park and care homes July 26, 2016 Investec Wealth and Investment has turned its attention away from conventional property investment and towards GP surgeries, theme parks, hospitals, care homes and student accommodation. The wealth management and investment services division of Investec said on Tuesday morning that it had redeployed around 20 per cent of its real estate exposure – equating to £200m – from [...]
