Have BP directors hidden their assets?
How easy is it these days to hide assets from potential litigants? I only ask because one of the more intriguing questions of idle gossip and speculation at City lunch tables right now is whether...
View ArticleHow pension stealth tax means HMRC could get more of your pay rise than you do
Updated: Tax changes to pensions announced today mean HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will gain more from some pay rises than the employees who earn them. Complex new rules mean the tax charge on final...
View ArticleWhy pensioners are hit hardest by rural poverty
Nearly 10m people living in the English countryside need about a fifth more income than city dwellers to maintain a decent standard of living because of higher heating and transport costs. But rural...
View ArticleGrey hairs predict better times ahead for shares
Age may not be as much fun as youth but experience usually beats innocence when it comes to investment. So it is no surprise to see that Saga’s annual survey of stock market predictions by 17,000...
View ArticleCrisis? What crisis? says City regulator as payroll busts budget
Budget-busting staff costs, a whopping pension deficit and net liabilities of nearly £94m are among aspects of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) annual report, which might raise eyebrows if found...
View ArticleDear Archbish – do shut up
Religion and commerce never mix well, but for Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to throw himself onto the bandwagon already occupied by the Vatican, Jose Manuel Barroso, Uncle Tom Cobley...
View ArticleUK is the world's biggest country – judged by its liabilities
Impressive and scary at the same time. The illustrations in this blog, drawn from a recent IMF spillover assessment, show just how exposed to financial services the UK really is. No comment is required...
View ArticleRip-off Britain and why Ed Miliband can't buck the market
Bashing "rip-off Britain" is about as brave as praising motherhood and Ed Miliband is just the latest to do so – but could his proposals work? Forcing pension fund managers and financial advisers to...
View ArticleBonus boost creates new breed of City fat cat
City lawyers’ pay increased by treble the national average last year and their bonuses added another 32pc. That’s a hefty burden on pension savers and unit trust investors who must ultimately pay these...
View ArticleEven for 'good Europeans' like Angela Merkel, defending national interests is...
“Merkel lobbies to shield German automakers from emissions rules” read a headline in today’s papers. EU leaders are meeting today and tomorrow for their quarterly summit. Though rules around how banks...
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