Resist Temptation When Offered Credit By Online Stores

Commentators have argued that online shoppers are being taken advantage of by greedy shops. Some online stores are now charging almost twice the usual rate of major credit cards when they use buy now, pay later credit accounts.

The rates of interest that these in store accounts use are eye wateringly high. Interest rates of 39.7% are not uncommon. Some people feel that the rate of interest on standard credit cards is too high at 17.0%.

People already get themselves into enough debt by overspending on credit cards and eating into their overdrafts. These store accounts are another way to bleed money from those foolish enough to keep spend beyond their means.

It is all very well that saying that people should be disciplined with their spending but the fact is that these stores take advantage of people who are quick to react to the call to arms to spend, spend, spend.

UK Household Spending Hits A Low

Britain’s economy is not as stable as some commentators would like to have us think. House hold spending - a useful indicator of the state of the economy- is scraping the lowest rate for two years.

Understandably, people just don’t want to hit the high street when their most basic expenses such as gas and electricity are shooting through the roof.

It is doubtful that consumer spending is going to be revived by creating a shopping Tsar. David Cameron’s latest gimmick of placing a television savvy celebrity in a position of governmental responsibly is worrying.

Mary Portas may be nicknamed the “Queen of Shops” but I hardly think that tinkering with a few window displays will mend our broken economy.

What is next? Nick Clegg gets “Jimmy” of “Jimmy’s Farm” fame (Heard of it?) to head up the United Nations World Food Programme?

The mind boggles.

Current Generation Don’t Understand The Meaning Of Money

Will the current generation of university graduates ever be financially independent? Worryingly, many commentators think not.
The current generation of graduates have got so used to the financial support of their parents that they could not do without it.

Where financial support ended at employment for the previous generation, now children expect their salaries to be topped up by their parents.

Research carried out recently has shown that children, far from becoming less of a drain on their parents’ resources on leaving school become even more of a financial millstone.

In the current economic climate many parents’ finances are already squeezed to bursting point yet they still feel the duty to help their children out.

The generation labelled the “coping generation” has spawned a generation of takers. The question is when do parents say no?

It appears that parents set themselves no boundaries when it comes to providing for their children, they will even push themselves into debt.

University Fees – The Price Of A Good Education

Universities can now charge a maximum of £9,000 per year. Although universities cannot exceed this limit there are other factors that need to be taken into account when assessing how much a university education now costs.

Very few universities provide accommodation for their students all the way through university. If you want to study in central London you have to take the price of renting into account.

Students attending the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE) will have to suffer the most expensive living costs and education combined. It is estimated that three years studying at LSE will cost £52,319.

Both second and third place are taken by other London universities.

Cambridge pips Oxford to the post in terms of expense: Three years in the fens will cost just shy of £50,000.

If you want to go to university you need to have a good job lined up for after graduation.

Energy Bills Will Continue To Rise This Summer

The past few months may have been scorchers but this will not stop your energy bills rising. Both oil and gas prices have steadily risen over the past year.

Crude oil prices have risen due to worries about supplies caused by the Arab Spring. Rising crude prices mean inevitably mean rising energy bills.

Average energy bills are now almost £200 more than they were three years ago.

In order to find the best deal for your utility bills do some research, it really pays off. Use price comparison websites to get money off.

Rising utilities bills will hit families with lower incomes who will already be feeling the pinch. One commentator said that if things carry on this way then the government will need to provide some sort of subsidy or relief for lower income families.

Our advice is, keep the heating down.

Increasing Frequency Of Financial Worries May Be Linked To Rising Number Of Cases Of Depression

A number of indicators are revealing a possible link between worrying about money and depression.

Over the past four years the number of prescriptions issued for Prozac has risen by 40.0%. GPs have said that more and more people are contacting them citing debt or job fears as the cause of problems ranging from anxiety to full blown depression.

One commentator said that GPs expected mental health problems to become more common in times of economic difficulty.

One problem is that medicating a patient may help deal with the symptoms of depression but it does not tackle the root of the problem. If people are suffering from depression due to their financial circumstances then they need help with that too.

The government needs a two pronged approach to these kinds of issues: The NHS can treat the patient and the social services should advise people on financial issues.

All First Choice Holidays To Become All “Inclusive”

As of summer 2012, all First Choice holidays will be “all inclusive”. In a bid to save customers money, they will now pay a flat rate that covers transport, accommodation, food and drink. This style of travelling harks of past decades, until recently the trend for organising your own holiday and finding deals on the internet was popular.

A package holiday is a good option for anyone who does not want costs to build up. In the current economic climate it would not be a surprise to see a resurgence in the popularity of package holidays.

There are critics of package holidays who have been branded “travel snobs”: Some people argue that a package holidays removes any of the spontaneity of travel and only provides revenue for the holiday company, not the local economy.

There may be vocal critics of package holidays but that did not stop 17.9 million people booking one last year.

£7 Billion Of Mortgage Debt Paid Off In Fourth Quarter of 2010

According to the Bank of England’s (BoE) records homeowners have paid off their mortgages at a record rate. £7 billion of debt was paid off in the final quarter of 2010.

The performance in the fourth quarter of 2010 built on an already solid performance earlier in the year. 2010 saw the largest input of equity ever recorded.

Due to interest rates being maintained at a record low, homeowners have been more inclined to pay back larger slices of their mortgage than they are required to each month. Low interest rates have been married to low savings rates therefore giving an extra incentive to reduce mortgages rather than save money.

One knock on effect of high spending on mortgage repayment is lower spending on other goods: Consumer spending is at a low as people are more inclined to pay off debts rather than spend on material goods.

House Prices Rose by 0.5% In March

A survey by Nationwide building society found that house prices rose by 0.5% in March. In reality this news should not be too awful for first-time buyers: House prices have only increased by 0.1% on last year.

Although prices have gone up a little, this should not be taken to be the new trend in the housing market. Nationwide’s chief economist, Robert Gardener made it clear that the outlook for the housing market remains uncertain.

One key problem for the housing market is that first time buyers are not being approved for mortgages; therefore many people can neither buy nor sell their property. There is very little movement in the property market.

A recent report by the Bank of England has found that the number of households defaulting on mortgages rose in the first quartile of 2011. If people default they risk losing their house which may add some dynamism to the market.    

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

Will Your Insurer Cover The Damage Done By Household Pets?

According to a recent survey, pets have caused around £690 of damage to average UK household over the past year. It is unlikely that many of these people would be able to claim for damages on their insurance as very few insurers cover damage caused by pets.

Out of insurers surveyed twenty nine (incuding some of the market leaders) did not cover pet damage. The explanation for the lack of insurance for pet damage is that the behaviour of pets depends on whether they are trained or not and if they are trained, to what extent, and are thus impossible to underwrite.

Obviously some pets are more likely to cause damage than others: Dogs and cats are not only the most commonly owned pets, they are also prime candidates for causing domestic damage whereas birds and fish and smaller animals do little damage.

When purchasing insurance check the terms and conditions of your policy to see if it covers pet related damage.

London Stock Exchange Shuts Down For Four Hours Due To Computer Glitch

Trading on the London stock Exchange was suspended this morning after a new computer system broke down. The London Stock exchange blamed market data technology for the problems and said that an investigation would be launched to look into the matter.

Traders will not be best pleased by the stoppages, the current volatility of the markets requires traders to be on their toes, not hanging around twiddling their thumbs.

It would be difficult for the timing of these problems to be any worse; the London Stock Exchange has been negotiating a merger with the TMX (the Canadian stock exchange). No doubt the Canadians were not impressed.

This is not the first mishap the London Stock Exchange has had to face recently, trading was suspended in November for three hours and there are rumours that prices were incorrectly displayed on their system last week.

The Co-operative Becomes The Pioneer Of ‘Ethical’ Insurance

The Co-operative has implemented a policy of vetting their investments to make sure that they meet the criteria of their ethical code. The Co-operative Insurance now screens the assets that underpin their business.

The Co-operative will not invest in any businesses that are felt to be unethical; Arms manufacturers, tobacco manufacturers, fossil fuel companies and furriers are not approved by the current regulations. This policy not only governs future investments, it is also retroactive. Eighty million pounds of assets that were considered unethical by the Co-operative have been sold off, and the money has been reinvested.

This ‘operating plan’ is the first of its kind implemented by an insurance company although other organizations with large investment portfolios have drafted similar investment codes. Oxford University has pledged to remove some of its assets from arms manufacturers, although these kinds of investment achieve the greatest returns.

Current Levels of Inflation Result In Savers Losing Money

Official data can be misleading. It is true that the Consumer Price Index has risen to 4.0% this January, and this does not sound disastrous. Take for example, someone paying the basic tax rate with £10,000 deposited in an instant access savings account paying 0.67% interest. He or she earns £53.60 a year: So far so good. However, the saver in fact loses around £400 a year due to inflation.

It is possible to find higher rates of interest than 0.67% but these rates are not increasing at nearly the same rate as inflation. Savers may be relieved by the fact that growing inflation will force the Bank of England to raise interest rates but question is always, when?

Current economic trends hit the elderly hardest. Most pensioners live off a combination of fixed incomes supplemented by savings which are undermined by high inflation and low interest rates.