Posted on 07/08/08, filed under General Interest, World of Work | 1 Comment
‘Business Nightmares’
Here’s an interesting read for all business owners in our current troubled times -
kept me interested throughout my recent flight from Gatwick to Malaga airport. Rachel was an erstwhile ’star’ of the BBC’s Dragons’ Den until her ‘Red Letter Days’ floundered spectacularly. Rachel’s honest and readable account of mistakes she’s learnt along the way from start-up to the final end is a must-read for all budding entrepreneurs and business owners. I identified with several chapters of her book and this actually brought comfort as you sometimes think you’re the only person experiencing such moments (read ‘Beware the enemies within’ and ‘Expect the unexpected’).
The book is not what I would call a typical holiday read, but it’s written simply and concisely with contributions of various well known business personalities.
Have you read Rachel’s book? What chapters did you identify with? Post your comments.
Posted on 05/08/08, filed under Finance, General Interest | 1 Comment
Over the last week, there have been talks of stamp duty payments being deferred to try and help boost the confidence of homebuyers and to try and “stamp out” the current credit crunch. But will this really help?
Currently, stamp duty is paid on the basis of:
- 1% stamp duty to be paid on properties being sold between £125,000 and £250,000
- 3% stamp duty to be paid on properties over £250,000
- 4% stamp duty to be paid on properties over £500,000
Alistair Darling has said that they are “looking into a number of measures” however they have not concluded exactly what is to be done. It is believed that a temporary deferral will allow the buyer more time to come up with the funds and prevent the government from losing out on their revenue. Last year they earned £6.5 billion from stamp duty.
But with rising fuel and shopping bills to add to the equation of mortgage lenders’ unease at lending, will a stamp duty deferral really be enough? Could we look back at the tactics used in 1991 and temporarily suspend stamp duty for homes under £250,000?
Surely the government would prefer to lose a few ‘bob’ earned through stamp duty than even more people on benefits due to unemployment…
Post your thoughts and comments on what could be done to help the market…
Posted on 05/08/08, filed under General Interest | 1 Comment
As a customer of British Gas, I was utterly shocked, and quite frankly appalled, at a 35% increase in fuel bills that was announced at the end of July. What caught my attention even more was when their end of year profits were announced - which happened to be in the billions of pounds!
We can rant and rave at this greedy supplier, but unfortunately it won’t change the rising bills. So what can we do to keep our bills under control?
- Capped or fixed rates - you need to act quickly though, as some of the best deals have already been withdrawn!
- Switch energy suppliers - they can offer you a great deal if you decide to move
- Switch off appliances after you have used them - this can save around 8% of your electricity bills
- Turn down your thermostat - 1°C can make a world of difference
- Insulate - draught-proofing your home and insulating your hot water tank can save you £’s
- Create an eco-friendly home - if you are receiving a state benefit (e.g. pension) then you can claim up to £4,000 under the Government’s “Warm-front” scheme to pay for loft insulation, central heating, a new boiler and cavity wall insulation
For more ideas, go to http://www.landandbrandnewhomes.co.uk/b2c/eco_friendly_tips.php
If you have any additional ideas, please let us know
