Category Archives: Financial Information

Financial Information

Saxo Bank Launches SaxoTrader 2.5 with Improved Navigation and Position Management

Saxo Bank, the specialist in online trading and investment, has announced the launch of SaxoTrader 2.5, the latest update to its multi-asset class trading platform. The new version includes improved navigation and added features to manage positions and orders, and is available to customers from July 2011.

Saxo Bank has replaced the old SaxoTrader menu with an intuitive, easily navigable ribbon-style toolbar. The menu items are now grouped by function which takes up less screen space whilst making the breadth of functions available more accessible and simple to use. “News and Research” as well as “Account” tabs enable users to easily access all the information they need. In addition, new product icons clearly differentiate the various products tradable on the platform.

Enhanced position management features include a module allowing users to view and manage positions and related orders in one integrated workflow. This enables to flexibly close positions, set stop and limit orders, and provides users with a customisable display of all open and closed positions. A heatmap visualisation gives them an additional instant overview of the performance of their positions.

Henrik Dyrholm Holst, Head of Platform Management at Saxo Bank, commented:
“SaxoTrader 2.5 is designed to make trading even faster and more efficient. Nowadays, traders demand intuitive tools that are rich in data and analytics. SaxoTrader is a multi-asset trading platform with a specific set of tools for each asset class. We have therefore focused on making the trading experience for all types of traders as positive and intuitive as possible, and clearly guide users through the broad range of features on the platform.”

This latest release is a subset of the functionality Saxo Bank will be adding to SaxoTrader. The Bank will continue to upgrade the platform in phases this year.

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Saxo Bank Wins Two Awards At The World Finance Foreign Exchange Awards 2011

Saxo Bank, the specialist in online trading and investment, has been named “Best Forex Broker in Northern Europe” and “Best White Label Solution Provider” in the World Finance Foreign Exchange Awards 2011. This accolade acknowledges Saxo Bank’s position as an established FX house and its leading role in the foreign exchange market.

Kim Fournais and Lars Seier Christensen, founders and co-CEOs of Saxo Bank, said in a joint statement: “We are delighted that Saxo Bank has won these two awards. Modern traders and investors demand usability, mobility, performance, and service when executing online trades, all of which we will continue to provide our clients with.”

Saxo Bank, which is renowned for aggregating liquidity from the world’s leading FX dealers, facilitates Forex trading on three different online platforms, covering the needs of those who are new to the Forex markets as well as professional investors who demand a wide selection of trading instruments and a variety of product types for multi-asset portfolio creation.

Saxo Bank’s many years of experience in the online trading business and accumulated knowledge of the markets as well as the needs of clients translates into a proven success formula for completely scalable White Label solutions. The solution is built around a customised version of Saxo Bank’s award-winning platform and then branded under the White Label Client’s name.

The World Finance Awards are chosen by an expert panel. They identify industry leaders, individuals, teams and organisations that represent the benchmark of achievement and best practice in the financial and business world. Now in their fourth year, the awards reflect a wider spectrum of financial services and related industries than ever before.

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Confused.com Reveals Big Rise In Prices For New And Learner Drivers

Confused.com has revealed that newly qualified drivers can expect to pay around £2,000 or more to insure a small hatchback this year as the cost of insurance continues to soar.

This time last year the cheapest premium for a new driver insuring a Ford Ka for a year came in under £900. Now the best quote for a newly qualified driver wanting to insure a Ford Ka has soared to more than £1,900, according to consumer research by the popular comparison site Confused.com.

The Fiat 500 Pop now tops the list of most popular vehicles for a newly qualified driver, based on 6 months of quotes from Confused.com during the first half of 2011. Unfortunately, for many newly qualified drivers it will cost more than £1786 to insure it. The Fiat 500 knocks last year’s favourite, the Vauxhall Corsa, from the top spot, becoming the most popular choice in this Confused.com study of learners and drivers who passed their test within the last 12 months.

Confused.com’s head of car insurance, Gareth Kloet said: “The Fiat 500 is a new favourite with freshly qualified drivers – this model didn’t appear at all in the Confused.com top ten for new drivers last year. The popularity of these cars may have been led by their use by many driving instructors, and also by the relatively cheap insurance cost compared to other small cars.

“Getting reasonably-priced car insurance can be a nightmare for younger drivers but 50% of under 25s could save up to £571 on car insurance* premiums by using Confused.com to find the best deal. With rising premiums it’s more important to compare prices now than ever before.”

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Saxo Bank’s ForexTrading.com adds new product offerings

Saxo Bank, the online trading and investment specialist, has announced the addition of 12 CFDs on major stock indices and 7 commodity CFDs to its ForexTrading.com platform for private traders.

ForexTrading.com was launched by Saxo Bank in early June 2011 and provides traders with browser based and downloadable trading platforms, supporting a range of the world’s most liquid forex, and CFD instruments at competitive spreads.

Claus Nielsen, head of markets at Saxo Bank, said: “The addition of stock index CFDsand seven further commodity CFDs to ForexTrading.com now enables private investors to trade in the most liquid contracts across a range of asset classes. The majority of clients use ForexTrading.com as a no thrills account to trade currencies, however we want to make sure that they have the opportunity to leverage the opportunities they see in other asset classes.”

“We expect dedicated index and commodity traders to enjoy the tight spreads for the CFD indices. The indices are priced competitively with the UK 100 and Germany 30 indices spread going as low as 1 point and the US SPX500 as tight as 0.75 points.”

The minimum initial deposit when opening an account with ForexTrading.com is $2,000 or equivalent, and no interest will be paid on funds on deposit. ForexTrading.com supports retail trading accounts and offers support and service in English.

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Confused.com designs new pothole warning sign

Confused.com has designed a new road sign, specifically to alert road users to the UK’s two million potholes*. The road sign is the first of its kind and the car insurance expert is petitioning to urge the Department for Transport to introduce it to roads across the UK.

A constant source of frustration for drivers, the sign has been developed in response to recent findings that even with sufficient budgets; it would take councils at least 11 years to repair the UK’s damaged roads**. With this in mind, 82% of drivers would like to see a road sign dedicated to potholes.

Mike Hoban, chief marketing officer at Confused.com said: “Although repairing these roads is obviously the long term solution, something needs to be done now. Currently the UK’s road signs include warnings for wild horses, wild animals, cattle and even toads but potholes aren’t considered worthy enough? A pothole road sign is a vital step in preventing accidents and reducing insurance claims whilst road maintenance continues.”

The road sign design was inspired by local pothole crusader Ted Relf, a plumber from Kent, who made national headlines in April 2010 when his home made warning sign against potholes was removed by the local council.

Ted Relf commented: “We all moan about potholes and now we have the chance to do something about them. I created my own pothole sign last year because I was concerned for the safety of drivers on my road. I fully support the introduction of an official pothole road sign and urge the nation to sign the petition at Confused.com.”

The pothole road sign has been produced in accordance with the signage guidelines set by the Department for Transport and is the brainchild of Phil Baines from Central St Martins, University of the Arts London. Baines, designer and signage expert, added: “Warning road signs are there as a safety measure to warn drivers of potential dangers, and potholes certainly fall within that category. Given the scale of the current problem I would welcome a specific pothole sign being added to the Traffic Sign Manual.”

Via EPR Network
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Russell Investments launches new online information suite

Russell Investments has launched a new dedicated website specifically for retail financial advisers.

The new online portal, available direct from the Russell Investments UK homepage, brings together the most relevant investment information from Russell’s extensive range of detailed and unbiased industry analysis and allows financial advisers to cut through the noise to hone in on the topics which are important to them.

Alongside this, advisers will be able to quickly navigate through Russell’s tools and investment services which can help them get under the bonnet of its funds, build and manage client portfolios, and enhance the value added to clients’ investments.

Adviser visits to Russell’s website have tripled since its launch in March which is a clear indication that the provision of online help and support is increasingly vital.

Danny Callaghan, head of IFA sales at Russell Investments, said: “Financial advisers need support so they can spend their time generating value for their businesses, and advising their clients. They are bombarded with news and investment information from a variety of sources and it can be difficult to steer a course through the content and find the relevant pieces.

“Russell has teams of experts across a wide range of investment capabilities and they regularly produce insightful and impartial commentary – so we have made advisers’ lives a bit easier by consolidating this into one place alongside the tools they need to help provide the best investment advice for their clients. We want to help them spend as much time with their clients and less time searching for information and support – our new online information suite does that.”

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elephant.co.uk reveals young men have more expensive car crashes

elephant.co.uk has revealed that while many men like to think they are the superior gender when it comes to driving, new research from the car insurance specialist shows men have bigger crashes that cost more money than women.

elephant.co.uk looked at more than 200,000 claims and found young men in particular have more expensive crashes. Accidents involving men aged under 25 cost on average 15% more than those involving women of the same age. In fact, the cost of accidents involving male drivers of all ages is 6% higher than accidents involving women.

To help improve the driving ability of both men and women, elephant.co.uk has joined forces with Fifth Gear’s Tim Shaw and made three short films which can help any motorist learn how to drive like a professional and control their car should they get into trouble.

The insurance videos (http://www.elephant.co.uk/drivelikeapro) contain tips and advice from a professional driver and reveal how to manage a car if it begins to skid, how to corner safely and why vision is so important when it comes to reacting quickly and braking in a safe manner.

elephant.co.uk managing director, Brian Martin, said: “Since passing our driving tests most of us might have picked up some bad habits and probably don’t give too much thought to improving our driving skills. But driving well can mean more than just keeping out of trouble on the roads.

“At a time when most of us are trying to save money, as well as demonstrating how best to control your car, our films also reveal how smooth and efficient driving can help your car perform at its peak and be more cost efficient.”

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Saxo Bank Stays With Riis Cycling in 2012

Saxo Bank and Bjarne Riis, owner and manager of Riis Cycling A/S, have announced that Saxo Bank, a sponsor for the cycling team since 2008, will remain co-title sponsor in 2012 with SunGard, one of the world’s leading software and technology services companies.

Bjarne Riis said: “It is indeed a great day for our cycling team. Saxo Bank is an extremely professional company, so I am proud that Saxo Bank has a strong faith in our work and continues to see the commercial benefits in sponsoring our team.”

“Since 2008 we have shown in both words and actions that we are a great match, and I am convinced we will continue to grow together because of the obvious benefits in a long term relationship. The continuity in our partnership also means a lot for the riders and for me personally. Now we can focus all our attention on creating results and the working process of putting together a strong rider group for next year.”

Saxo Bank, the online trading and investment specialist, recently launched Saxo Privatbank, combining traditional banking services with a professional investment universe, and the bank says it has taken a strategic decision to continue the sponsorship in 2012.

In a joint statement, Kim Fournais and Lars Seier Christensen, co-CEOs and co-founders of Saxo Bank, said: “Saxo Bank has always believed it was a sound commercial decision to support Bjarne Riis and the rest of the team but at the same time, it is hard to exaggerate the impact Bjarne Riis has on Danish and international cycling. We have a genuine desire to support Bjarne and provide the team with the necessary resources it takes to stay on top. Bjarne Riis and the team are a huge inspiration and motivation for many young talents, and Saxo Bank is proud to continue to ensure a world class cycling team in Denmark.”

The name of the team will remain ‘Saxo Bank-SunGard Professional Cycling Team’.

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Vebnet Announces Partnership With vielife

Vebnet has enhanced its employee benefits, offering to allow global access to an online health and wellbeing solution, by partnering with employee health solutions specialist vielife.

Employers using Vebnet’s reward and flexible benefits technology can now offer their employees a personalised, multi-language and interactive health and well-being service through vielife Online. The service lets employees measure and monitor their sleep, stress, nutrition and physical activity levels and encourages them to make healthier lifestyle choices, while helping employers to improve employee engagement and combat reported rises in sickness absence.

Employees start by taking an online assessment. This forms the basis of a personal report which identifies any areas of concern in their lifestyle and gives practical advice on how to address them. The recommendations can also be tailored to help employees make the most of the benefits their employer provides. Employers can also build lifestyle communication programmes to support employee engagement and employees can regularly re-assess themselves as their lifestyles change.

For Vebnet, part of the Standard Life group, the partnership with vielife provides a multi-modal health and wellness platform that is integrated within its own global employee benefits and reward portal. Importantly, vielife Online’s management reporting capabilities can help employers pinpoint specific staff health and wellbeing issues, creating highly targeted corporate employee health and wellbeing strategies strategies which in turn lead to greater employee engagement with Vebnet’s technology and higher solution return on investment.

Mike Beason, managing director, vielife, said: “As the population ages and organisations downsize to cope with economic pressures, more employers will start taking an interest in the health and wellbeing of their employees.

“Our technology provides a platform for global businesses who want to help their workforce make healthier lifestyle choices. Wellbeing is no longer perceived by employers as just another company perk, rather it’s a highly effective channel for increasing productivity, reducing sickness absence and improving job satisfaction.”

Richard Morgan, director of consultancy, Vebnet, commented: “Our reward and flexible benefits portal is already helping employers to enhance their total employment proposition and this latest addition forms the cornerstone of creating a joined up approach to health and wellbeing strategies.

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Standard Life Warns Public To Inflation Proof Retirement Incomes

Standard Life is warning anyone thinking about retirement to consider the effects of inflation eroding their income. New data released today by the savings and investments specialist shows that many people could see their retirement income swallowed up by the basic costs of living within seven years, as the effect of inflation impacts their spending power.

Using Office for National Statistics data and official Government inflation figures, Standard Life has calculated that someone with a personal pension pot of £80,000, buying a level annuity, will spend their entire monthly income (from private and state pensions) on basic living costs like food and fuel within just 7 years of retirement*.

John Lawson, Head of Pensions Policy at Standard Life said: “The cost of living is rising fast for most people in the UK, but this can be particularly acute for pensioners. Their spending habits are driven by commodities such as food and fuel bills and these inflation rates are much higher than the overall UK inflation rate**.

“People need to consider how to protect their buying power in retirement from the ravages of inflation over a long period of time, which could be 30 years or more. If pensioner inflation remains at around 6% a year, people with a fixed income could lose almost half of their spending power within a ten year period.

“There are many options to consider at retirement which could minimise the impact of inflation on your income, so seeking professional financial advice is vital.”

For further information on inflation proofing retirement income, and the choices available, interested parties can visit www.standardlife.co.uk/retirement_solutions/search.html.

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Confused.com Launches New Savings Site

Confused.com has announced the launch of its new online savings site to help savers compare interest rates, find the most competitive ISAs and understand some of the jargon often found in financial documents.

Confused.com have also launched a new redesign of the savings section of the site to help users navigate the page easily and quickly find the best deal on their savings accounts.

With the brands such as Nationwide, Santander and ING on board, Confused.com’s savings offering is free and independent. Savers can quickly and easily compare different types of savings accounts, from simple instant access accounts to tax free ISAs and fixed rate bonds. This service compliments the existing loans, mortgages and financial services products already compared by Confused.com, which compare deals from the major high street and online financial service providers.

Chris Griffiths, head of savings at Confused.com said: “With interest rates being low and inflation high, it’s important to check that your savings are in a competitive account otherwise you could be missing out on improving your interest earnings. We aim to give savers more information about the different accounts available, as well as information on each specific account and its provider – ultimately to allow our customers to quickly and easily compare a variety of savings products to find the best one for their needs.”

Confused.com has provided information for customers about savings and how to switch their accounts on its savings account page on the website.

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Claude Penland and Sally Ezra Launch Ezra Penland Actuarial Recruitment in Chicago, Illinois

Claude Penland and Sally Ezra, two global leaders in the international actuarial recruiting industry, today as partners announce the launch of their company, Ezra Penland Actuarial Recruitment (“Ezra Penland”) in Chicago, Illinois.

Joining Sally and Claude at Ezra Penland are five outstanding employees. They include Debbie Charbonneau, Kevin Elliott, Dana Kelly, Yvonne McArdle and Emily Moss. To read more about their top quality staff, see EzraPenland.com/recruiters.

Initially, the Group of Seven will be focused on the North American actuarial recruitment market, and then rapidly expand into the global market. It is Ezra Penland’s plan to be the market leader in their niche, as Sally Ezra has spent nearly two decades recruiting actuaries, has developed strong professional relationships and a vast network of clientele. They value her commitment, resourcefulness, her personal attention and, above all, her high level of professional ethics.

Claude Penland is an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He has over twenty years of experience as a casualty actuary and as a web strategist for actuarial recruitment organizations.

Ezra Penland additionally announces the timely publishing of their 2011 industry standard United States actuarial salary surveys at EzraPenland.com/salary. These 11 salary surveys include unprecedented detail on compensation for Property and Casualty, Life, Pension and Health actuaries. The details further break salaries down by consulting, reinsurance and insurance/all other employers of actuaries. An Adobe Acrobat file of all surveys is immediately available to be downloaded, printed and shared.

Ezra Penland is becoming known as the publisher of C-level insurance and reinsurance US salary surveys at EzraPenland.com/c-level. These CEO/CFO/CRO/etc. studies can also be found at  LifeSalarySurvey.com,  HealthSalarySurvey.com, CasualtySalarySurvey.com and ReinsuranceSalarySurvey.com.

To read more about their mission, types of searches and their specialities, see EzraPenland.com/about. Past clients and candidates recommend their services highly at EzraPenland.com/testimonials.

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Markit BOAT to Provide First CFD Trade Reporting System to Saxo Bank

Markit, a leading, global financial information services company, has announced that Saxo Bank, the online trading and investment specialist, will begin to report its contract for difference (CFD) trades via Markit BOAT, the trade reporting platform, in September 2011.

Saxo Bank will become the first financial institution to report its CFD Single Stock trades on a voluntary basis, in a bid to bring greater transparency to this fast growing market.

Sophia Kandylaki, Director, Head of Markit BOAT at Markit, said: “We are excited that such a large player in the CFD market has decided to report its trades via Markit BOAT. We will be enhancing our platform to identify CFD trade reports with a unique trade flag. This will differentiate these trades from all other cash equity trades reported to our venue and support Saxo Bank’s efforts to make this market more transparent.”

Claus Nielsen, Head of Markets at Saxo Bank, said: “Saxo Bank has always been a leader and innovator when it comes to transparency and fairness in the trading arena. We are committed to set new standards and by taking an over the counter CFD product like CFDs, and publishing our execution to Markit BOAT, we will bring added value to our clients. This initiative makes the CFD product 100% comparable with the listed stocks traded at the exchange which will have a positive impact on the industry.”

CFDs are over the counter (OTC) contracts between two parties in which the buyers pay the sellers the difference between the current value of an asset and its value at contract time. CFD trades do fall within the scope of the European Union’s Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid) but trades are not required to be reported to the market.

Markit BOAT gives users access to trade reports on an average of EUR 375 billion of OTC trades in equities every day. This is equivalent to approximately 70% of the daily volumes reported on all European OTC equity markets.

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Brainwashing Book Readers Prepared For Stock Market Correction — Again!

“The Brainwashing of The American Investor”, now in its second edition, provides you with a proven methodology for successful personal investment portfolio management. Step by step instructions for asset allocation, security selection universe creation, diversification, and profit taking are presented in an anecdotal manner, based on the Author’s hands-on professional experiences.

Author and former private investment manager Steve Selengut developed the Market Cycle Investment Management (MCIM) methodology in 1970, way ahead of the Wall Street product development curve that has now succeeded in bringing the most speculative and risky ventures on the planet into your investment portfolio.

MCIM is a disciplined, common sense, approach to investing without needless speculation. It is an approach that semi-automatically takes your profits out of bubbling markets, and for all the right reasons, re-enters weaker markets systematically in preparation for the inevitable “next” rally.

“The Brainwashing of the American Investor” teaches you about old-school investing without gimmicks, derivatives, incomprehensible “modern portfolio management” techniques, funds of funds, or astrological charts.

The Market Cycle Investment Management methodology helped navigate thousands of “Brainwashing” book readers around and through the three major financial crises (stock market meltdowns) of the author’s lifetime: the “Crash of 1987”, the “Dot-Com Bubble”, and the recent “financial crisis”.

The first time through “Brainwashing” you’ll learn about Wall Street, and why they would prefer that you didn’t read the book in the first place. Your eyes will be opened by the simplicity of the security selection process, the no frills approach to sensible asset allocation, and the ease with which you can increase your annual investment income in a reduced risk environment.

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Confused.com Reveals 56% of Drivers Forget Where They Park

Confused.com has revealed that 56% of UK drivers have at some point, forgotten where they have parked their car, and 3% have picked up the phone to ask their breakdown service to help them find it. More than 50 in 2,000 drivers in the UK admit to making that call according to a new survey by car insurance comparison site Confused.com.

The Confused.com survey has revealed some of the gaffes of UK drivers, which have led them to phone for their breakdown service, like 25% of drivers have locked their keys in the car and 10% of drivers have had to call for their breakdown service to help them sort the problem out. Putting the wrong fuel in the car has happened to more than 10% of Brits, with half of those affected (5%), also calling for assistance from a breakdown service to put things right. A small number of UK drivers also admit to calling the breakdown service, not just when their car fails but when they get lost (3.5%), lose their car (3.5%) or the sat nav is playing up (2%).

Needing help changing a wheel (21%) and topping up oil or engine coolant (13%) are other reasons why drivers have called out their breakdown service.

When it comes to forgetting where they’ve parked, women fare worse than men with 63% of women owning up to losing track of where they parked, compared to 43% of men. A whopping 78% of women have run out of petrol, with 69% of men admitting that gaffe. 9% of men and 5% of women have called their breakdown service to help them when their fuel ran dry. This is assuming they’ve managed to put the correct fuel in the car in the first place: more than 14% of men have put the wrong fuel into the car, compared to just 8% of women.

Gareth Kloet, head of car insurance at Confused.com said: “This survey just goes to show how much people use and appreciate their breakdown cover, especially when they get themselves in a potentially embarrassing situation. Shopping around for breakdown cover by using a website like Confused.com can make it more affordable. Although it’s no substitute for remembering where you parked.”

According to the survey of 2,000 drivers, which was carried out at the end of May 2011, almost a quarter of men and just under a quarter of women do not have any breakdown cover.

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Saxo Bank Launches Retail FX Trading Platform ForexTrading.com

Saxo Bank, the online trading and investment specialist, has announced the launch of ForexTrading.com which will offer retail investors a select range of FX crosses and CFDs with variable spreads – as low as 0.8 pips. ForexTrading.com provides investors with a range of basic functionalities designed to make trading flexible and straightforward.

ForexTrading.com is powered by Saxo Bank, which is renowned for aggregating liquidity from the world’s leading FX dealers. ForexTrading.com gives traders the ability to trade in the world’s most liquid currency pairs and global commodity CFDs at very competitive spreads.

Claus Nielsen, head of markets at Saxo Bank, said: “Saxo Bank will continue to cater for high-net-worth and institutional traders who increasingly demand usability, mobility, performance, and service when executing online trades and orders. At the same time, ForexTrading.com will appeal to Forex and CFD traders who are price sensitive and do not require a personal service, but still want the ability to utilise an award-winning online trading platform.

“We believe the retail foreign exchange market will maintain its growth trajectory for the next 10 to 15 years and we want to cater for high-net-worth investors as well as high-frequency traders to who tight spreads and deep liquidity are essential. There is no additional commission on ForexTrading.com and we see ForexTrading.com as bringing new competition to the smaller competitors, outside the tier-one banks, in the market focused on foreign exchange.”

The minimum initial deposit when opening an account with ForexTrading.com is $2,000 or equivalent and no interest will be paid on funds on deposit. ForexTrading.com will only offer English support and service and ForexTrading.com only supports retail trading accounts.

More information on Forextrading.com forex accounts can be found on the ForexTrading.com website.

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Prudential Research Finds Many 2011 Retirees Unable to Leave Inheritance

According to new research from Prudential, only half of those retiring this year will be able to afford to leave an inheritance. Just 52% of those questioned are confident they have enough income and assets to fund their retirement and still be able to leave money to relatives and dependents.

Prudential’s Class of 2011 research questioned people planning to retire this year and found that 26% have already ruled out being able to leave any inheritance while another 22% were unsure whether their personal savings would be sufficient to fund their retirement. The results also show that 9% of those planning to retire this year will cancel their inheritance planning in order to boost their own retirement income.

Gerry Brown, a tax and trusts expert from Prudential said: “Obviously the focus for retired people has to be on their own retirement income and so leaving a financial legacy can become a secondary consideration. Our research shows that inheritances are increasingly in the ‘nice to do’ rather than the ‘need to do’ box because of uncertainty around being able to afford a comfortable retirement.

“For those who do hope to leave a financial legacy there is a risk of assets that increase in value being left exposed to tax as the threshold for inheritance tax is frozen until 2015.

“It is therefore imperative for people looking to leave an inheritance and secure a comfortable retirement income to seek professional financial advice in the run up to retirement and to save as much as possible, as early as possible.”

Men are more confident of leaving a financial legacy – the research results show that 56% of male retirees plan to leave an inheritance compared with 48% of women.

The Class of 2011 research has previously found that this year’s average expected retirement income is£16,600 with just 39% confident they have saved enough for a comfortable retirement.

Across the UK those planning to retire in Scotland this year are the most positive about their ability to leave an inheritance – 67% of them believe they will be able to leave a financial legacy for their families, compared with only 43% of retirees in Wales.

The information contained in Prudential UK’s press releases is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions. Full consumer product information can be found at www.pru.co.uk.

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Confused.com Reveals The Unluckiest Make Of Car

Confused.com has revealed the unluckiest make of car in the UK by looking at 12 months’ worth of customers quotes and finding out which make and model had the highest accident rates.

Top of the list was Honda’s FR-V six-seater. 2,529 owners of this vehicle made 466 accident claims in the past five years. That’s a claim rate of 18.4 per cent, or almost one in five.

Next came Volvo’s XC90. Of the 3,886 drivers of this model who bought cover through Confused.com, 619 made claims for accidents – a rate of 15.9 per cent.

The Lexus RX had a claim rate of 15.5 per cent (574 claims out of 3,701 drivers), followed by the Mazda 5 (15.3 per cent, or 373 out of 2,431).

Also in the top 10 vehicles for claims were Honda’s Jazz and CR-V models, Volkswagen’s Touran, the Hyundai Santa, the Toyota Rav and the Mazda 3. Each had a rate of about one accident claim for every seven vehicles insured through insurers on the Confused.com panel.

Confused.com also looked at which cars were least likely to be involved in accident claims.

Apparently the ‘safest’ of all was the Mazda 2 TS TD – out of a total of 1,076 owners, only nine accident claims were recorded in the last five years. That makes a claims rate of less than one in 100. Also hovering around the 1 per cent claims-rate mark were Nissan’s Skyline, the Ford Focus RS and the Fiat Cinquecento.

Confused.com’s head of car insurance, Gareth Kloet said: “Car accidents are rarely a result of mechanical failures: they are more often caused by human error or just bad fortune. It could be that drivers of this model happen to be more careless or reckless than other motorists. Or it could simply be that this group of road users has been particularly unlucky in the period when the data was collected.”

Confused.com’s statistics show just a snapshot of accident-related claims made by owners of a particular make and model of vehicle. So it is worth stressing that if one particular car appears to have a relatively high rate of claims, it does not follow that this vehicle is inherently more dangerous than others.

This research reflects only the experience of Confused.com customers: other companies’ figures could show different trends.

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Umbrella Company Tarpon Encouraged By Report Showing PAYE Umbrella Contractors Prosper Within Financial Services Sector

Umbrella Contractor Tarpon have been encouraged by new research released by the specialist recruitment company Marks Sattin. It was revealed that salaries amongst financial services professionals rose by 8% during last year, and are predicted to rise by a further 13.5% this year.

Managing Director of Marks Sattin, Dave Way, said that the recession had had a negative effect on salary increases last year as employers looked to balance their deficits. If such trends were to continue into 2011, he explained, we are looking at similar rises (8.5 per cent), however, there are signs of optimism amongst professionals in the sector that business will pick up.

Mr Way added a cautionary note, however, and suggested that any hopes of a salary rise of 13.5% may be “over optimistic.”

Umbrella company Tarpon commented on the findings. A spokesperson for the company said:

“The study’s finding that pay rates for temporary staff in financial services remained higher than those for permanent staff and freelancers on long-term contracts is obviously great news for our sector.

“However, the findings should not be taken as read, when an alternative study has found that a sharp decline in financial services recruitment has declined.”

The contrasting study in question revealed that the two 4-day weekends in April was largely to blame for such a drop in recruitment. The study also stated that investment banking jobs declined by 30 per cent during the month, and that there was less recruitment activity in hedge funds and stockbroking.

Despite this, recruitment for investment banking countered the general trend by rising 19 per cent on the previous month. For umbrella company Tarpon, the signs overall are positive.

Another set of results published this month by the Recruitment and Employment Federation demonstrated that, although the pace of contract staff recruitment is on the up, the pace of expansion was at its lowest dso far in 2011.

Via EPR Network
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Confused.com Reveals The 10 Most Popular Car Games

Confused.com has revealed the 10 most popular games families play in cars on long journeys.

52% of UK car owners avoided the tailbacks on the Bank Holiday and stayed at home or used another method of transport, according to new research from car insurance comparison site Confused.com.

But for those who stuck with tradition, a car packed with kids, pets and picnics awaited. Gareth Kloet, head of car insurance at Confused.com said: “Keeping your kids entertained on long car journeys is always a challenge.Of course there are a lot of gadgets such as games consoles and DVD players that can help time pass more easily, but some families might prefer a more sociable solution.

“Car games that mum and dad can play with their kids have a long tradition in Britain – so we’ve tracked down 10 of the best to help you stave off boredom on those long trips.”

Classic games such as ‘I spy’ and ’20 questions’ made it on to the list, alongside more educational pursuits such as encouraging children to help with map reading and getting them to spot landmarks as they are approaching.

Many of the games which made the list focus on what things children can spot while they are travelling. These include the ‘yellow convertible mini’ game, where children have to spot a yellow car, a mini or a convertible, but get more points for spotting combinations of the three. There is also the ‘three for a pig’ game, where different amount of points are awarded for all the different animals that are spotted, and the alphabet game, where children aim to spot consecutive letters of the alphabet on road signs or registration plates. Children can also make a simple game out of counting cars, and trying to be the first to spot a certain number of a particular colour or make.

Other games to make the list were ‘I went to the shops’, where children try and list items while working through the alphabet, and ‘What can you do with?’ where players think of all the possible uses for household objects.

No doubt the most popular game amongst travelling adults is ‘sleeping lions’, where children have to try and keep quiet for as long as possible.

Via EPR Network
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