September 13, 2006
| How to deter junk mail |
- Contact the Royal Mail on 0845 774 0740
- Put a notice on your letter box - "No Junk Mail" - this really does seem to work
- Ask your credit card company to mark your account "Do not sell or trade my name to another company"
- Try to avoid giving out your address if possible, when signing up for things
- Warn firms etc to stop sending you mail or you'll stop supporting them (you could ask them nicely, first...)
- Get your name on the Mailing Preference list; contact the Mailing Prefence Service 0845 703 4599
- Choose a fake middle name or initial when you sign up for things - this will indicate the culprit if someone starts illegally distributing your details
Posted by Mark at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2005
| Gender pay gap is greater in London |
The pay gap between men and women is significantly wider in London than the UK as a whole, according to new research for the Mayor of London. Women in the capital earn on average 25 per cent less than men, compared with 18 per cent less across the UK. At the same time the most common female occupation in London pays £5.38 per hour, while the most common male job pays £17.30 - three times as much. One of the reasons, as revealed in the report, is the concentration of women in low paid jobs in the capital and being excluded from more lucrative male dominated occupations.
Another report published last week by the London Business School revealed that 177,000 more women set up businesses in UK in the past year - closing the gap between the number of male and female entrepreneurs.
Women are under-represented in London's managerial and senior occupations by 25 per cent but over-represented in administrative and secretarial roles by 62 per cent. Even in sectors where women are concentrated there are fewer women at the top. In business, women represent only 6 per cent of directors of FTSE 250 companies based in London, while only one business in ten is owned by a woman. Even when women are on the board, the average total remuneration is less than half that of a male counterpart.
These findings are revealed in Women in London's Economy, a report for the Mayor of London, which details the huge inequalities women in the capital face in employment. The report contains new research from GLA Economics as well as case studies from women in and seeking work. It sheds light on the factors that prevent more women in London from taking an active role in the economy and contributes to the current discussion on legislative changes needed to create laws that really challenge women's inequality.
The report finds that London's output would be raised by almost £1.5 billion a year if the proportion of women with dependent children in the capital in part time employment were raised to the average national level. This is equal to almost 1 per cent of London's entire economic output. It finds that having dependent children significantly reduces employment rates for women in the capital compared to the rest of the UK.
Ken Livingstone said: 'London's future as a world city depends on using the talents of all its citizens to the full. As this research shows we need to make far better use than we currently do of women's potential in the capital's workplaces.
'Women are the majority of London's population yet barriers often prevent them playing a full part in the capital's economy. The inequalities revealed here are bad for women and bad for London's economy and society.
'This report also demonstrates the importance of improving the provision and affordability of childcare in the capital, and has implications for national policies on employment, benefits and equalities.'
Mary Reilly, Chair of the London Development Agency and a partner at Deloitte, who is speaking at the conference, said: 'Women are in a much better economic position now than they were 30 years ago - but as this report shows in recent years the UK as a whole has improved far more rapidly than London. We need to foster a culture shift amongst employers in the capital to improve workplace flexibility and equal pay and ensure more women fulfill their potential both in terms of personal achievement and economic success. This will deliver benefits to companies themselves by attracting more women into the workplace and help ease the skills shortages which exist in many areas of the London economy. Women in London's Economy highlights that there are strong arguments for creating a positive duty for employers to promote equality in the treatment of women and men employees.'
The report's findings will be discussed by over 300 London businesswomen and policy makers and opinion formers at a conference on the role of women in London's economy at City Hall on 13 January. The report will also inform the Mayor's submission to the government's Women and Work Commission
Posted by Mark at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2005
| Five Things To Do With A Windfall |
It's January, traditionally a time for pay rises and bonuses. You may have received some money that you weren't expecting too (inheritance/gifts etc). If you are lucky enough to have come into a lump sum of money and are wondering what to do with it, here are five ways to use £5,000.
1. Reduce Your Debt
It's dull but so worthwhile.
There's no point having a savings account, even one earning 5%, if you have debt on credit cards/loans accruing interest at 10% plus! Paying off your expensive cards and loans should be your number one priority - just think about how pleased you'd be if you had no debt!
And anything left over could go into one of the following options:
2. Put It In Your Pension
Yes, the boring option - you don't want to wait until you're 65 to see it again. But there can be big advantages of using your pension allowance are huge.
If you were to put that £5,000 into your pension, as a basic rate tax payer you would automatically get an extra £1,410 from the tax man. So your windfall is now worth £6,410. You'd get even more if you pay higher rate tax, as you get a refund from the tax man worth an additional £900.
If you are a member of a company scheme, you can pay an additional voluntary contribution, but first check to make sure these charges aren't too high.
3. Pay Off Your Mortgage
Provided your mortgage lender allows it without penalty, overpaying your mortgage is a great way to use a windfall. By reducing the interest payable you will lessen your term or reduce your monthly payments, and generally achieve a better return than you could by saving it as cash.
4. Save It
If you're likely to need your windfall within the next five years, or you don't have a rainy day account for emergencies already set up, putting your windfall in savings would be the most sensible. There are some good rates of interest available (check out our Savings centre for accounts paying 5%+), but for tax-free returns remember you can save up to £3,000 a year in a mini cash ISA.
5. Invest It
Provided you can leave your money along for at least five years, the stock market could be the way to go for better returns than a savings account. That doesn't have to mean buying and selling of shares - there are less scary methods, such as using an investment trust or an index tracker. These are simpler ways to invest in the stock market, with lower charges than most other forms of investments.
If you haven't already taken out an ISA this year, you could open a maxi share ISA with your £5,000, and you'd still be able to add up to £2,000 until April 5 if you wished. And if you have taken a mini cash ISA already, remember you can still take out a mini share ISA with up to £3,000. Have a look in our ISA centre to find out more.
Deciding what to do with a lump sum is a difficult decision, but if you can forgo the idea of blowing it all on a spending spree, you may find it satisfying to make that windfall even bigger!
Above tips by Motley Fool.
Or you could SET UP YOUR OWN BUSINESS!
Posted by Mark at 08:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2005
| Business Finance |
DTI launches finance getting guides
The government has offered cash-strapped entrepreneurs a helping hand with two new jargon-free guides to raising finance.
The guides, created by Crimson Publishing for Business Link, target small and fast-growing firms and provide advice on essential issues including business plans, bank loans and overdrafts, and government grants.
Launching the guides, small business minister Nigel Griffiths insisted that the UK is one of the best places for businesses to find start-up and growth finance, but he admitted that many are unaware of the various options.
He said: "The No-Nonsense Guides provide entrepreneurs with a single reference point for the information they need, plus signposts to help and advice on a wide range of funding issues.
"Time after time, small firms say to me that raising finance is a top priority for them. These new guides can help them make the decision over which funding route is right for them."
The start-up guide offers advice on topics including self-funding your business, government help and when to go for small-scale private equity investment.
Meanwhile, the guide for high-growth firms gives tips on finding the right funding 'mix', investment from business angels and venture capitalists, and the trappings of initial public offerings (IPOs).
The guides can be ordered at www.businesslink.gov.uk or by phoning 0845 600 9006. They aimed at everyone from pre-start ups and one-man firms, to large enterprises employing 200 people.
Information in the guides will also be helpful to advisers and the finance industry, says the DTI.
Posted by Mark at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)
January 01, 2005
| New Year's Resolution |
2005 New Year's Resolution - Make Six More Recruitment Calls A Day
This is an article by by Eileen Kent about SALES.
But use your noddle and you can use the same principles for job seeking.
If we are looking for a job, we should see ourselves as a sales person anyway, shouldn't we?
On average, it takes six "impressions" - cold calls, messages, letters and
emails -- to get an appointment out of one lead. So I would like to set a
daily challenge for each of us in 2005 - make six more sales calls between
8:30 and 9:00 a.m. every day and you'll have 20 more appointments in January
alone!
What are your odds of uncovering business? No one knows, but I can tell you
this, if you invest one half hour of your time to make six more impressions
a day, you'll get more business. I would like to invite you to this challenge
so we can track your progress.
Have you thought about your odds in Las Vegas? It probably takes at least
10 - 20 quarters to actually win 4-50 quarters back and that is a game with
odds on the house's side.
In a sales call, you have the odds on your side because you always know what
to say since you've been travelling on the "Sales Firing Line" with me the
past few months. "Hello, I don't know if you're the right person, but maybe
you can point me in the right direction..."
If they say, "I'm not the right person," you will have a simple response so
you can continue to dig deeper into that agency. "Then can you please help
me because I'm obviously lost. I am committed to assisting your agency and
I would like to speak with the key person who would need my assistance..."
Because government employees are extremely helpful, your odds are that 9
times out of 10, they'll either point you to the right person or invite
you into their office to learn more about doing business with them.
When they pass you onto someone else, your odds of closing an appointment
have doubled at least because you have been referred. We call that a warm
call - not a cold call.
If you just uncover one deal this year worth $1,000,000, don't you think
that is worth one half hour and six phone calls a day?
So, let's be on the Sales Firing Line together - Make six additional
contacts a day and let me know your progress. I would love to add up
all of the additional business across the country as a result of this
campaign.
You're not alone, let's all do it together - Six more calls a day = 20
More Appointments a Month =240 Appointments A Year! If 10% were orders,
that would be 24 Orders at an average of at least $100,000 each That's
$2.4 Million Dollars In Additional Business This Year!
Posted by Mark at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)