28 March 2011

Large Insurance Firm Moves To Enforce Wearing A Helmet On The Slopes

Essential Travel, an arm of the travel company Thomas Cook has made steps to make it the first insurer to insist on skiers wearing helmets if they want to be covered against head injuries.

A spokesman for the company said that the company was aiming for a “no helmet, no head injury cover”.
The move has provoked controversy as many skiers insist that wearing a helmet is over-cautious, the reserve of slalom skiers.

In Italy it is against the law for children to ski without a helmet.

Critics of Essential Travel’s proposal have pointed out that a skiers helmet would need to be seven inches thick and twenty inches wide in order to prevent injury in a head on collision at 30pmph. It would seem that insurers are not looking out for skiers’ best interests but are exploiting regulations to defend themselves against claims.

24 March 2011

The Queue For The iPad 2 Begins Thirty Three Hours Before Its Release

The first iPad 2 will go on sale at 5PM tomorrow but one man has already begun his vigil outside the Regent Street Apple Store so that he will be the first iPad 2 owner in the country. Jewels Lewis began queuing at 7.30AM.

The iPad 2 is in fact cheaper to purchase than the original iPad. The iPad 2 starts as £399 for the basic model. As these expensive gadgets become more common, more and more people are considering purchasing gadget insurance.

The average commuter on the train in London may be carrying a phone, tablet computer and maybe even a laptop too. All this gadgetry is fantastic but is also susceptible to knocks and bumps as well as malfunction. We have all seen someone spill their coffee down someone else on the tube.

In preparation for life’s accidents it is sensible to purchase a gadget insurance policy.

18 March 2011

Barclaycard Offer Credit Card With 20 Months 0% Deal

Barclaycard had made an offer on their new credit card that outstrips their competitors: The zero interest period on its balance transfer have been extended from 18 months to 20 months. Rival companies had been racing to catch up with Barclaycard’s previous offers, but when they release a similar deal, Barclaycard ups the stakes.

This competition between credit card companies is welcome as it benefits the consumer. However these credit cards are not handed over on request, you must have a good credit rating in order to be granted a card.

If this trend continues the conditions attached to credit cards may become even more favourable to the consumer. One commentator said that credit card companies may begin to offer two year interest free periods in the not so far future. Offers may not stop there as companies compete for business.

Number Of Jobless People In The UK Reaches A Seventeen Year High

Unemployment has reached a seventeen year high according to a recent study. More than 2.5 million people are without jobs at present. Youth unemployment levels have also reached a record high. The number of 16-24 year olds who are out of work rose from 30,000 to 974,000 over the past five months.

Between November 2010 and January 2011, 27,000 more people registered as unemployed: The last time unemployment levels were this high was in 1994.

There are now real worries that more and more families will fall into debt as there simply are not enough jobs being generated to support the population.

The Employment Minister Chris Grayling made the following statement: “There’s been a welcome drop in the number of people on benefits and an increase in full time private sector jobs but the rise in overall unemployment is a real concern”.

11 March 2011

It Is Getting Harder And Harder To Get A Mortgage

The number of mortgages that are being granted to house buyers has tumbled by 29.0%, according to a recent survey. Figures produced by the Council of Mortgage Lenders have shown that the slip of 29.0% occurred between December 2010 and January 2011.

This is a gloomy time for the housing market as prices appear to be dropping. The tougher the conditions attached to the grant of a mortgage only knock the market further.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders release the following statement: "With the effects of last year's government spending cuts beginning to bite, and rising inflation and tax measures putting pressure on household budgets, potential house-buyers are likely to have been discouraged".

Some commentators have said that the feelings of uncertainty that surround the UK economy create an atmosphere that flattens both the housing and mortgage markets alike.

04 March 2011

Rug Pulled From Under House Prices This Month

House prices have fallen at the fastest rate since 2009. In this month alone prices have dropped by 0.9%. It appears that demand for properties has fallen as fewer and fewer people wish to move, therefore prices have started to head south.


A further problem is that many people cannot obtain mortgages. Banks are reluctant to lend to families with children under the current economic conditions.

Perhaps falling prices will provide an opportunity for young earners to get their foot on the property ladder.

One market commentator has drawn attention to the volatility of the markets saying that observers should not watch sudden changes in the market but should consider the overall market trend. 'We expect this trend to continue for some time to come. It is best to try and draw an overall impression on all the data available relating to both house prices and activity”.

UK Consumers Should Brace Themselves For Price Rises

UK consumers have been warned that they will receive a double hit this year from rising oil and food prices. Vince Cable made a statement that said that these price rises had the potential to put the UK’s economic recovery at risk.


Price rises will also put pressure on families who are already struggling perhaps even pushing them into debt.

There is some good news; the UK fuel duty which was due to be levied by a penny next month will probably be scrapped. The fuel duty has been voted as the government’s most unpopular tax in one recent survey.

Global food shortages have been created by adverse weather conditions especially in the Canadian Corn Belt. The demand for food is growing rapidly yet there is simply not enough to go around therefore prices continue to rise. Corn prices have risen by 70.0% this year alone.