Finance

Lynda Thomas, chief executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, shares her thoughts on the financial impact of cancer and why the charity is launching a guide for the banking industry to help their most vulnerable customers. The cost of cancer Cancer is an expensive disease. Four in five (83%) patients are hit with an average cost of £570 a month as a result of their illness, the same as the average mortgage. This is due to having to take time off...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The number of UK workers on zero-hour contracts is now at 801,000 up 104,000 in only a year. The Labour party tried to outlaw these types of employment deals, but instead they have increased sharply. It could be seen as a blow to job recovery, as verging on a million people are on contracts that don’t necessarily guarantee even one hour’s work in any given week, and can have hours taken away or added at...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A report says cutting huge salaries would not hurt the economy as analysis reveals top CEOs earn on average £4.6m per annum. The groundbreaking study by top headhunters has shown that Britain’s chief executives are grossly overpaid, and there would be little impact on the economy if their salaries were cut, which disproves the fear of a “brain drain,” if pay were to be slashed. The report by the London School of Economics report bring...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Since July 2015 fourteen MPs have had their credit cards suspended for not providing evidence of their spending on time or making the repayments. In total a debt of £27k has led to the blocking of their credit cards. Ipsa (Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority) issues MPs with credit cards to pay for a variety of items such as travel, accommodation and stationery. The politicians then have to prove the spending was allowable within a month,...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor As of yesterday afternoon (Tuesday 6th Jan 2016) business executives have made more money than the majority of people will make during the whole of this year according to the High Pay Centre. The research has discovered that fat cats have already passed the average UK salary of £27,645 a mere two working days into the New Year. The High Pay Centre, an independent think tank, reported that FTSE 100 chief executives receive an average...

The New Year can be an expensive time, especially if you’ve overspent during the festive period. It’s also the time of year when many of us put in place resolutions to change our lives. If you want to start lowering your energy usage in the New Year, either to save money or reduce your impact on the environment, the expert team at Pump Sales Direct have a few simple tips to help you.   1. Switch Off One of the...

Home-owners in Britain face a startling post-code lottery when it comes to the cost of repairing household gadgets and appliances. Do you repair your old appliances, or just go out and buy new ones? It's widely known that costs of living in the capital have continued to soar compared to regional counterparts.  However, new research shows that those living in London also face the highest hourly labour charges in the UK for repairing and mending old appliances, with those living...

With Halloween fast approaching, millions of Britons are preparing how they’ll spend the holiday. It is great news for retailers all over the country with Brits set to spend a mind-blowing £466m in British stores, surpassing the £442m amount set last year. Figures collated by voucherbox.co.uk  indicate that last year, people in Britain spent £148m on Halloween costumes and clothing. This year, the figure is set to rise to over £157m, with that being able to dress approximately 3.4m families...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  New research has revealed retirees have an average of only £1,343 put away for emergencies. The study on the finances and lifestyles of 1,000 retired people found one in four had less than £1,000 saved and more than half said they would be “stumped” if they had to pay for unexpected house repairs or specialist medical care. Around one in five retired respondents in the poll by financial services giant MetLife said they had less than £500...