Finance
How long before your business accept payments in bitcoin?
For many businesses, talking about bitcoin is like talking in a foreign language. With adoption levels currently quite low, most business people know little or nothing about it. As a consequence, apart from early adopters, most businesses are avoiding it as an unnecessary inconvenience. But what if your next great contract is a customer who wanted to pay you in bitcoin? Would you know what to do? Is Bitcoin a secure method of payment? We asked payment specialist Helen Child...
Brits Plagued With Sleepless Nights Over Finances
Millions of Brits are plagued with sleepless nights because their finances are in a mess. A new study found six in ten people constantly worry about being able to afford unexpected bills such as car repairs or home maintenance, and more than half panic knowing they’ll have to fork out for Christmas and Birthdays. A quarter of Brits can’t make their wage packet last for the whole month and 22 per cent of people say they can’t afford to go out socially. A...
A third of British super-rich are under tax inspection
Do the very rich pay their fair share of taxes? The general consensus across the country would probably assume they don’t, well a new report seems to confirm our suspicions. A third of British super-rich people are having their tax situation investigated. Some people may also be surprised that it is only a one in three of the richest people who might be fiddling the system, but it is at least a start. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is running...
London Businesses Likely to be Hit Hardest by Rate Increases
Thousands of businesses across the UK are set to be hit with changes to their business rates, with the majority of increases affecting companies based in the capital. Business rates are calculated in part based on the rental value of properties, and since the last revaluation in 2010 the value of many London properties has significantly risen. Central London, Mayfair, Brixton and Hammersmith are some of the areas set for a major increase in rates. Many will be able to...
NHS nurses using food banks and pay day loans to survive
Shocking news has emerged via a study that has found the shocking situation NHS workers have found themselves in. The study, by Unison, discovered that nurses are using food banks and applying for pay day loans just to get through the month, until the next pay day. The trade union said that years of pay freezes has left NHS staff without the funds to make ends meet. The survey of 21,000 workers found that one in ten had to pawn...
How to Tackle Dropping Wealth Levels
Recent research has found that people in their 30s are half as wealthy as those in their 40s when they were the same age, signalling a drop in wealth levels. This has made it harder to afford houses, led to lower pension levels and made it harder to save up. In the short term at the very least, Brexit is also set to force down the standard of living for most people as huge drops in £GBP is leading to...
More than £1bn at risk as renters languish on expensive energy deals
49% are given no information on their energy supplier at the start of their tenancy. 18% of renters miss out on huge savings available by switching. 12% think landlords are responsible for shopping around for a better deal, even when the tenant pays the bill. MoneySuperMarket urges renters to take control wherever possible and switch for savings of up to £359 per household. UK renters1 are missing out on savings worth over £1 billion2 collectively on their energy bills, because...
During “Wolf of Wall Street-style” drinking sessions City boss committed sexual assaults
A senior city worker is facing a jail term after sexually assaulting two women at the company’s main office, during drinking sessions described as “Wolf of Wall Street-style.” Anthony Constantinou, head of financial group Capital World Markets (CWM), treated one of his victims "like a piece of meat". The 34-year-old pushed a lump of hot wasabi paste in her mouth, and told her she had a "cracking a*** and pair of t****" before forcing his tongue into her mouth. He...
Could your finances survive “One Unfortunate Week”?
It’s estimated that 4 in 10 adults in the UK have less than £500 in their savings account and around 28% of adults have nothing saved for a rainy day! That’s why PayPlan has created an interactive journey entitled “One Unfortunate Week” designed to raise awareness of the importance of a savings buffer. The piece puts you in the shoes of the average Brit, five days before payday and subjected to some of the worst luck you have ever seen,...