Be Smart: Keep a Healthy Fear of "Alice in Wongaland"

First off, whoever coined this expression should at least get a Pulitzer Prize for creativity. Or maybe have their name inscribed somewhere in the halls of Parliament. Because the condition that “Alice in Wongaland” describes is one that is extremely harmful, if not completely toxic, to our already delicate economy. It describes an economy fuelled by debt, mostly spurred by consumer spending and one which does not rely on more sound economic principles, such as increased industrial output or rising exports. 

We've been down this path before and not that long ago, with disastrous results. The general population in the UK needs to be aware of this trend, resist some of their impulses and allow the economy to grow in a more sensible and sustainable fashion.

"Recruitment finance is a viable alternative to keep agencies solvent"

What? Stop Shopping?

I'm probably running the very real risk of getting lynched for saying this, but it is unfortunately true. While we have had a wonderful summer in the UK, many people have been encouraged by the sunny weather and various heart-warming events to start spending money again, buying everything from clothes to electronic devices. 

Obviously, high street merchants have been delighted. According to the Office for National Statistics, sales in July were at their highest level in over two years and the projections for the entire year are equally rosy. Retailers and their employees can certainly take some comfort in these statistics, but like everything else in life, there is a real tangible cost to all this.

Looking behind the Mirror

Unemployment is still hovering close to eight percent in the UK. Not that many more people have returned to work since the recession hit with full force five years ago. So where's the money coming from to afford all of these purchases? 

The truth is, it appears to have been made possible by consumers taking on additional debt, or even depleting their savings accounts. In extreme cases, they are taking out payday loans, just so that they can confidently stroll down the High Street. Folks, this isn't the way to build a sound economy. While nobody should be denied the pleasure, or in some cases even the necessity, of buying clothes or other things that they need, there is a time for everything. This just isn't the time.

Take Two Manufacturing Outputs and Call Me in the Morning

Consumer debt will never solve our current economic woes; it will only make them worse. The backbone of any sound economic structure is manufacturing and exports. Even an overwhelming amount of services doesn't do the trick. While recent economic news shows that the UK is slowly starting to ramp up production in several key industries, it is being dragged down by increased consumer debt. 

As unpopular as it might be, one solution might be to increase the cost of consumer borrowing, while simultaneously decreasing the cost of business debt. In the meantime, people want to be able to get to work and earn what they deserve, so they can go on a shopping spree with peace of mind. 

Recruitment agencies are certainly anxious to see people get back to work: after all, their livelihood depends on it. But with the current high unemployment, few jobs are being offered and agencies are not generating the revenues they are used to. They thus have to resort to recruitment finance to make ends meet, pay their monthly obligations and continue to keep their doors open.
Let's hope our economy can get itself back on the right track soon, so that everyone can benefit from the results.

What you Should Consider Before Hiring an Accountant

A large organisation might hire several accountants whereas a smaller business could employ just one individual. Before starting the application process, here are a couple of things to think about before doing so:

Fees

How much accountants charge does vary from one person to another. For example, a newly qualified individual could charge less than accountants that have decades of experience. Either way, an organisation should find out what their fees are.

Qualifications

An accountant’s qualifications and employment history should be checked to make sure that they aren’t lying. Newly qualified accountant’s might lie on their CV and also those that have years of experience. Nevertheless, their details should be looked at in greater detail before making a final decision about who to hire.

Specialities

Accountants don’t specialise in all areas of finance. By asking what their area of expertise is, the right person can be found which has undergone the relevant training or has provided the same services for other organisations before. If accountants don’t have the relevant level of training, someone else should be hired.

How often they will be needed

Accountants aren’t always required throughout the year. In fact, they might only be needed to submit a tax return to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at the end of a tax year. On the other hand, a team of accountants might be required to constantly update corporate accounts. By knowing how often they are needed for, an organisation can budget accordingly. It also means that accountants won’t be hired for longer than expected. 

When budgeting effectively, an organisation won’t waste money at all. Consequently, the right amount of capital will be spent on their wages and not what an organisation can’t afford. To calculate how long this particular employee will be hired for every week or month, a work rota can be created. By referring to it, how many hours they are needed for can be determined immediately.

Provide assistance when an audit takes place

HMRC can audit any company in the UK. Either way, an organisation should know if accountants can assist them during an audit. As it can be stressful for a company to be audited, the support which is provided by accountants will be invaluable, especially as they can answer any questions which HMRC has about the information that was submitted to them.

When they are available

An accountant should be asked about their availability. When they cannot be called upon at the last minute, another individual should be hired who can give advice immediately. If an organisation has a question regarding their accounts, any uncertainty can be overcome by asking this person directly. Although they might not be able to answer queries straight away, an organisation should find out if an appointment can be arranged within twenty four hours or a couple of days. Consequently, by hiring an accountant that has a flexible schedule, peace of mind is guaranteed because any questions can be answered as soon as possible.

This advice was provided by rawlenceandbrowne.co.uk. As professional Accountants in Salisbury, they offer a wide range of accountancy and tax services for small businesses and company formations.

Common Rules You Should Follow in Your Saving Adventures

Knowing how to save money efficiently is one skill everyone should develop if they want to have financial stability. Starting the habit of saving money on a regular basis is not something that is easily done. 

To guide you, here are the common rules you should follow in your saving adventures:

1) Clip coupons. If you really want to save, then look for ways. An easy and simple way is to take advantage of those coupons you see on a lot of magazine and newspapers. These offer discounts and other promos that will surely stretch the purchasing power of your dollar.

Note down the promo duration on items you need. The amount saved from clipping coupons may seem small but a little definitely goes a long way when it comes to savings.

2) Go to sales! Some department stores have sales a lot of times a year. This is the best time to go and shop for some things you need, like a new pair of shoes or pants. Going to sales may sometimes be quite tiring because of the long lines both at the cashier’s counter and to the dressing rooms.

Yet, the few minutes of standing in line is all worth it if you pay less for something you really need, and maybe have more money to buy another item.

3) Change for the good. By change, we mean loose coins. Get a container to put in your loose coins at the end of the day. Coins left in your pocket should go into this container. It may be in the form of a jar or a piggy bank.

The idea here is to save even the littlest of amounts, which will later multiply and add up as savings. This is an easy and simple way to save without much effort, who knows by Christmas you might have a whole lot of coins to add to your Christmas budget.

4) Make a grocery list. Listing down what you really need is something that should be done by every household. A lot of people do not realize that by making a grocery list, you know what you need, as opposed to what you want. This will help you spend within your budget. 

By listing the items down, you know what you came there for and avoid any last minute trips to the grocery for things you forgot. This not only saves your money, but also saves money for gasoline or transportation costs as well.

5) Follow your budget, always. There is no sense in drafting a budget, only not to follow it in the end. This is what happens to those whose plans are only in paper, and are never put to action. Be true to your budget and in no time see your savings add up and make budgeting worth all the effort.

These are just some of the common rules that are followed by most people to save. It involves the correct mix of self-control and sacrifice for you to successfully pull it off. You can develop you own or tweak some of these rules to suit your lifestyle and be on your way to success in savings.

Irina is a finance advisor and professional blogger.She writes for http://martinbrook.co.uk website.

The 5 Smartest Investments To Make After Retirement

When it comes to investing, the level of risk you can take and your age have somewhat of an inverse correlation. As your age goes up, you want to take on less risk. This never rings more true than after you retire. At this point in life, you're living off of the wealth you've accumulated while still trying to generate more through investments. It's important to be savvy, and that's why we've come up with the five smartest investments for after retirement. 

Dividend-paying stocks are a beacon of safety. These are typically offered by companies that have strong roots in the economy and aren't likely to collapse in a hurry. The lack of expected rise in value is a big part of why these companies pay dividends, but it's great to have that security and still see a return just for holding stock. You don't necessarily want these to be a large part of your portfolio, but having a few is a great idea. 

Foreign assets are also a great pick. In the long run, the shift to a global economy means that more assets are overseas than ever. As the US economy and the dollar start to see parity with the output of other nations, the relative value of those foreign assets is going to see an unprecedented jump. By holding a small amount of foreign assets and increasing that share as the market appreciates, you'll have security. 

Companies that fill a need are also a wise sector to invest in. An obvious pick here is medical companies, but there are other companies that also offer products that will always be needed. Take home security, for instance. Most people live alone, so home security will always be in demand and is unlikely to be replaced in the market. The best alarm services to monitor are the ones that have an established customer base.

 
Fixed-rate assets are another sound investment. Think securities and fixed-rate bonds. Anything that pays a guaranteed amount of money is a strong pick in a retirement portfolio. 

Boom industries round out the list, although this one requires prudence. Getting in front of the technology boom of the last several years would have been a wise position, just as getting a jump on investing in healthcare would be wise now. 
Investing after retirement doesn't have to be tricky—just stick to the same goals you've always had, and always consult with a financial professional.

How to Find a Barter WebSite

Bartering is not an activity confined to Victorian England where goods were exchanged between companies for the same value because it is still practised today. In the digital age, there are many barter sites which are used by scores of organisations around the world. The services which it provides can be exchanged for what other companies or individuals specialise in. Tracking down a barter site can be difficult but here’s how to find one:

Ask contacts 

The contacts which an organisation has can be asked about the bartering sites they use. By asking multiple contacts, they could be given information about various bartering websites. When the same bartering website is mentioned, it is very popular and could be what an organisation joins.

Before choosing a bartering website based on such recommendations, ask contacts about their experience. If they have encountered any problems, an organisation will know what they are. In fact, there can be no faults with some websites or any of them. Consequently, these bartering websites could be used because of such positive feedback.

Post a message in an online forum

There are many online forums which enable organisations to pose questions to each other. By asking a question about a recommended barter site, an organisation could be inundated with replies. Although some bartering sites might not be trustworthy, the same logic here applies as with asking contacts – when the same bartering website is suggested several times, this indicates that it is popular.

Ask friends

Not only can a business contact be asked regarding the bartering sites which they recommend but also friends. The skills which a friend has can be bartered for goods between other people. The bartering sites which friends suggest could be entirely different than what various contacts mentioned and these can also be considered. 

Some of the bartering websites which are mentioned by friends could be the same as what an organisation’s contacts said which, therefore, further demonstrates their popularity. By investigating all of the sites that friends and other loved ones suggest, the merits of each can be written down. If there is one which seems to stand out from the rest, it can be added to another list that contains the sites which look very impressive and could be the most beneficial.

Search on video sharing websites

Many barter sites have released promotional videos stating the benefits of choosing it over their rivals. Explaining how easy it is to barter goods and services, videos for many bartering websites can be watched on such video sharing websites as YouTube and Vimeo. By entering ‘bartering site’ onto these and any other video sharing websites, several promotional videos can be found. 

Although not every video has to be watched because it can take a long time, the ones that have the most hits can be viewed instead. When a video has been watched thousands of times, the site which it promotes can be investigated further and could be what an organisation finally chooses.

Author Bio

Bartercard is one the leading barter sites that offer businesses a platform to exchange goods and services rather than part with currency such as cash. Find out more by visiting http://www.bartercard.co.uk today.

Start Investing in Your Future Now

Manage your money with investment portfolio management tools

You are never too young to start investing for your future. While you may not really be concerned about your retirement right now you should still start putting some of your money aside. Investments are a great way of supplementing the income you have in your retirement and it can make a huge difference to the quality of life you’re able to afford when work is no longer an option. And let’s face it, do you really want to work into your seventies?

If you are smart you’ll begin investing your money as soon as possible. If you build a diverse portfolio you can reduce the risks that can be found when investing and build a great income to help you in the future. Lack of knowledge can result in many individuals not even considering investing their money but you can get over this step. There is plenty of advice that can be found online and you should always consult with a financial advisor who will be able to give you some valuable information.

You’re not too Young to Start Planning for Your Retirement

The earlier you begin investing the better; your investments will have much longer to grow in value. However, you should never simply buy stock or start investing in shares without managing your money and keeping an eye on what’s happening in the markets.

As soon as you begin work you should ask your employer about their pension plans if they have one. It is worth paying into a pension plan and if the company doesn’t offer one, you need to look into finding your own. Don’t leave it there though; you can also start saving money in ISAs or buying stocks and shares.

Diversifying your investments involves spreading out your money over different market categories. You can look at putting some cash towards stocks that are more conservative that have regular dividends as well as ones that offer more long term growth opportunities. Additionally you might like to take some greater risks that have the opportunity of receiving much greater returns.

What You’ll Need When You Start Investing

It is important that you seek some advice before you do anything. You will need to establish how much money you will want to invest initially and decide where you would like it to be invested. You can choose to play it as safe as possible, choosing only the low risk options, but if you are ready to accept more risk, you could put aside a small proportion of your funds for something that could really pay off in a big way.

When you decide how to proceed you will need to find yourself a way of managing your stocks and shares. The best option is to use an investment portfolio management tool. This allows you to monitor your diverse investments in one place. By doing so you will be able to react quickly when you need to and help reduce the risks of losing your investment simply because you haven’t been paying enough attention.