Thursday,17 May 2012

.: Money Market United Kingdom - The Consumers Voice :.

Executive pay: shareholder patience snaps

The weapons might be proxy forms rather than Molotov cocktails, and the rebellions might be staged in hotel conference rooms rather than on the streets. But there is still a whiff of insurrection in the air.

Business and Finance

Budget 2012: Osborne playing with bands

Osborne’s measures could attract five times the amount actually raised by the 50% band. Chancellor George Os-borne’s third budget seemed to shift the tax burden onto pensioners and off the seriously wealthy while dragging more into higher-rate tax bands, and others out of paying income tax altogether. Read more

Barclays Stockbrokers extends its range of funds
The move will enable it to compete with fund supermarkets like Hargreaves Lansdown. Barclays Stockbrokers, the country’s largest online execution-only broker,…
The rise and rise of peer-to-peer lending
Many doubted whether peer-to-peer lending would ever really take off, but they have been proved wrong. Many doubted whether peer-to-peer lending…
Who wants to be a director?
Regardless of being in a corporation, or a start up company, you are subject to the law relating to directors. Being…

Consumer

Steep fees fail to deter parents

By investing £250 per month with 6% average growth, you could accumulate £42,000 over ten years. With average private school fees costing £10,239 a year, it... Read more

Parents waste thousands on bringing up baby
Having a baby - particularly a first baby - is a hugely exciting time for parents, so it’s…
Crunch Watch: It IS different this time
Springtime: flowers bloom, lambs amble and recovery is in the air. Oh yes it is. That’s what the…
Why does big business think we’re all green?
Green business is booming, especially when it comes to the ‘greenwash’ that consumers need to be on the…

Savings

Look at the long term benefits of tax-free saving

Over time you can gradually shift a larger proportion of your savings portfolio to tax free status and keep more of your hard earned returns. On a couple of occasions around the start of the new tax year I heard people questioning the benefit of putting money in a... Read more

Avoid big banks if looking for short term saving bond
The newer and less well established financial providers tend to offer the same interest rate regardless of the amount involved. One sure fire way to bag a…
Loyalty doesn’t pay
Financial services companies have a nasty habit of reserving the best deals for new customers. There is little point in being loyal to your bank, building society…
Index Linked Savings have been a popular choice, but are they such a good idea?
Over the last few months many plumped for inflation linked savings bonds in an effort to get a real return on their savings. The combination of…

Insurance

Insurers left playing catch-up as consumer expectations soar

Two thirds of consumers agree that insurers are trailing other industries on customer service and rewarding loyalty. The insurance industry is trailing behind other consumer sectors on service and... Read more

Extended warranties are insurance products
Is the guarantee offered, often for a high price, protected by insurance? While many retailers sell white goods with extended warranties…
If you don’t do what I want I am going abroad
Every time a regulator or politician suggests non-popular ideas, insurers threaten to take their business overseas. Banks and insurers are starting…
Unecessary water pipe insurance costs £100m
References to water companies’ free pipe repair schemes are noted in some letters; benefits played down. Which? said it has discovered…

Investment

Index trackers: the best way to invest in America

Of all the developed economies it is the US that seems to be recovering the fastest, but it is not out of the woods yet. Of all the developed economies it... Read more

Why burial space is a good investment
Only a few companies offer these investments; but the sector will grow on steady custom. With poor returns from traditional investments,…
Investing in emerging luxury
China is home to billionaires and millionaires who like to display wealth with luxury brands. Forget the downturn, now is a…
Clarity for fund charge
Investor demand for greater clarity in fund charges appears to be met by proposals from top fund manager Fidelity Worldwide…

Ausbanc Inhouse News

Ausbanc returns to national consumer register

AUSBANC returns to the National Register of Consumer Associations run by the National Consumer Institute. The Association of Users of Banking Services – AUSBANC CONSUMO- returns to the National Register of Consumer Associations run by... Read more

Europe upholds Telefonica antitrust fine
Ausbanc welcomed the news and said this sets in motion Ausbanc’s legal proceedings to compensate consumers. The European Court of Justice has upheld an antitrust fine…
Consumers face hurdles in quest for fair and regulated services
Many of the challenges faced by consumers this year in relation to financial services and products are not new. Consumers the world over face many hurdles…

International

Latin America 2015: downfall or consolidation?

Economic growth in Latin America is still robust, but experts worry that the outlook is becoming cloudy. Economic growth in Latin America is still robust,... Read more

Remittances buoy developing economies
Remittances are a big help and can help fight poverty in the urban and rural areas of developing economies. The flow…

Poll

Mortgages

Overseas buyers snap up London properties

Savills says foreign investors increasingly see central London as “a store of value in turbulent economic conditions”. While top end properties are among the worst affected by price falls, it hasn’t... Read more

New record for UK house prices
Average UK house prices – buoyed by a jump in London and the South West – set a new average record of £243,737 and are up 3.4% on the year. The national average…