There are pitfalls to avoid when filing your tax return January 20, 2013 THE online tax return deadline – the paper return deadline has long since past – is at the end of this month (31 January). The process is a dreaded one, but it is important to get it right. Recently the number of people who are self-employed has been on the rise – but they’re not [...]
Tying the knot can help you maximise your allowances January 20, 2013 WHEN it comes to tax, we don’t often have a lot to cheer about. That is unless you have tied the knot, since married couples and civil partners have some juicy advantages. Planning in advance, and seeking expert advice, can prove an efficient way of maximising your joint tax allowances. INVESTMENT INCOME The income tax [...]
Entertainment pros who thought outside the box January 20, 2013 WHEN Michael Comish and Adrian Letts first met, they prefaced everything they said with “just so you know I’m not stealing your idea, here’s what I think”. They needn’t have worried. What emerged was a concept that seems so obvious now it may leave you pondering that frustrating question: “Why didn’t I think of that?” [...]
The cosmetic confession of a sheepish looking Frankenstein January 20, 2013 I LOOKED like something out of a Frankenstein movie, but it was going to be a fun party and I didn’t want to miss it. Fingers were soon being jabbed towards my forehead by friends who looked puzzled and slightly repulsed. “What happened to you?” they demanded. I had dotted lines of dark and blotchy [...]
Why your brand has cash value January 20, 2013 THE British public has a reputation for nostalgia, and its reaction to the failure of HMV last week showed that this isn’t limited to culture or history. Despite its problems, HMV’s brand identity gave it a valuable connection with its audience. And even if this wasn’t enough to sustain its obsolete business model, it perhaps [...]
FTSE hits another 4.5 year peak as afternoon session scares off bears January 17, 2013 BRITAIN’S blue-chip shares reversed early losses to hit a four and a half year high yesterday after several big fallers bounced back to expunge sellers from the market. Banks gained 0.9 and are now up around 2.5 per cent since the previous session’s lows, boosted by forecast-beating earnings from JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs [...]
S&P reaches its highest level for five years January 17, 2013 STRONGER-than-expected data on US housing starts and jobless claims lit a fire under stocks yesterday, pushing the S&P 500 to a five-year high and its third day of gains. Shares of chipmaker Intel rose in extended-hours trading after the company forecast better-than-expected first-quarter gross margins. Intel gained 1.85 per cent after closing up 2.6 per [...]
Downbeat World Bank forecast and mining shares drag FTSE 100 lower January 16, 2013 A downbeat growth forecast from the World Bank together with weak mining stocks helped tip Britain’s top shares into negative territory yesterday, with Anglo American among the biggest losers after worker unrest at its platinum mines. The World Bank cut its global growth outlook for 2013, citing, a slower-than-expected recovery in developed nations. In its [...]
Goldman and JP Morgan help boost Wall St January 16, 2013 THE S&P 500 ended nearly flat yesterday as solid earnings from two major banks and a bounceback in Apple shares offset concerns about a lower forecast for global growth in 2013 (see UK report). Shares of Goldman Sachs hit their highest since May 2011 as earnings nearly tripled on increased revenue from dealmaking and lower [...]
The benefits and limitations of furthering your education January 16, 2013 TAKING a masters in finance or management can be tempting for many graduates, especially given the need for a competitive edge in today’s tough City jobs market. The data lends some support to this view. At Imperial College Business School, a respective 87 and 88 per cent of 2011 masters in finance and management graduates [...]