Category Archives: Financial Services

Financial Services

Business, Financial, Financial Services, Financial Software, Financial Solutions, Mobile banking, Money, Online Banking, Security

Experian’s 192business named as preferred identity supplier to Law Society

Experian, the global information services company, announced its 192business unit has been selected by the Law Society as its preferred supplier of electronic identity verification tools for anti-money laundering purposes.

192business, part of Experian since it was acquired in March 2012, provides organisations with a range of electronic identity verification tools, including personal data verification, fraud screening and document verification. These products are already used by 44 of the top 100 UK law firms to meet client due diligence obligations under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and to mitigate the risks of making payments in contravention of the UK financial sanctions regime.

Nigel Spencer, Chief of Commercial Affairs at the Law Society, said: “Experian and 192business have worked closely with the Law Society to ensure that its identity verification services are tailored to the specific needs of the legal sector. Accurate and efficient identity verification is vital for meeting the evolving challenges of complying with financial crime prevention rules.”

Nick Mothershaw, UK director of identity & fraud services at Experian, commented: “Firms across the legal profession have successfully managed money laundering and payment risks working in partnership with 192business. Since 192business became part of Experian earlier this year we have further strengthened our position amongst the legal community and are delighted that the Law Society has chosen to endorse our range of identity verification tools.”

Via EPR Network
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Assets, Debts, Financial, Financial Information, Financial Management, Financial Services, Home Equity, Loans, Money, Mortgage, Personal Finance

Equity Release Becoming Popular Retirement Fund Solution for Baby Boomers, say Bower Retirement Services

The total value of equity release advances from April to June 2012 was £224.8 million, reported the Equity Release Council, an increase of 22% on the same period of 2011. Additionally, this amount represents the highest quarterly figure since 2009 (£231.7 million). Furthermore, the real number of plans grew by 16% between Q2 2011 and Q2 2012 showing interest in the market is up, along with actual value.

According to the Equity Release Council’s figures, people are now choosing to take drawdown plans instead of lump sum mortgages. This shows they prefer to spread risk and use equity release as a retirement income. The news comes as its revealed retired homeowners now have a total unmortgaged property wealth of £756.7 billion.

Bower Retirement Services, which offers award-winning specialist equity release advice, says equity release is a simple and effective option for homeowners looking to provide for their retirement and it exploits the property price rises of the last forty to fifty years. Many in the baby boomer generation lost large amounts in pension blunders in the nineties and again in the last recession. However, thousands continue to be locked up in property, potentially providing a retirement income for homeowners.

Bower Retirement Services offers advice on all types of equity release, from lump sum lifetime mortgages to home reversion plans, and its equity release calculator is designed to help homeowners accurately gauge how much cash they can expect to release on each type of plan.

There are four types of equity release plan, but drawdown plans now the most popular, accounting for 68% of the value of the entire equity release market. Bower Retirement Services says these types of mortgage are most suitable to homeowners looking to provide themselves with an income during retirement. The lender loans the homeowners a percentage of the property’s value and also agrees to pay a regular cash sum, or ‘drawdown’ on the mortgage value. Interest is accrued, but it is not charged until the homeowners die or move into long term care. Homeowners choose the term and value of the drawdowns, offering more flexibility than a standard remortgage plan.

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Banks, Credit Cards, Financial, Financial Information, Financial Services, Financial Solutions, Insurance, Insurance Services, Loans, Money, Mortgage, Personal Finance

Confused.com Reveals That A Third Of UK Workers Admit Pulling A Sickie

Confused.com has revealed more than a third of workers (35 per cent) admit having lied to their boss about the reason they have missed work. Popular excuses workers use to pull the wool over their employer’s eyes include flu, stomach aches, diarrhoea and bad backs. However, the astonishing number of people who still go into work when they are actually unwell implies a dangerous culture of ‘presenteeism’.

The poll of 2,000 UK workers also reveals the top five professions where people are more likely to make up an excuse to their boss about missing work. These are call centres (54 per cent), utilities (47 per cent), the voluntary sector (45 per cent), health (43 per cent) and fashion and design (42 per cent).

Meanwhile it also highlights the regions where workers fib the most too. These are East Anglia (40 per cent), the East Midlands (38 per cent), the North East (37 per cent) Yorkshire and the Humber (37 per cent), and the South East (37 per cent).

Despite many employees making up excuses to have a day off, many more still soldier on and go in to work despite feeling unwell. More than half (55 per cent) of people polled said they had gone into work when they felt too ill to do so because they were worried about what their boss or colleagues would think.

Confused.com is warning UK workers to consider what protection they have in place in case long-term illness does strike. Matt Lloyd, Head of Life Insurance at Confused.com, said: “Our research suggests that the culture of turning up to work ill is more of a threat than ‘pulling a sickie’. It is very worrying that workers are not prioritising their own health and feel that they cannot take a day off sick when they are genuinely unwell.”

Matt Lloyd continued: “With many people experiencing a lack of job security over the last few years, it’s a really important time to think about protection products, such as income protection and critical illness cover, especially if you have dependents such as children or you have regular payments to make such as a mortgage.”

The research also shows that women are more likely to worry than men about taking time off sick – 64 per cent say they have been into work when they felt ill because they were afraid their boss wouldn’t believe them. Nearly half (47 per cent) of men said the same thing.

More than one in 10 workers in the UK has missed work due to a hangover, according to the study. People from the North East are most likely to miss work after a heavy night out – 15 per cent of workers polled from the region said they had missed work because they were hungover.

Other common reasons why people had missed work include simply staying in bed to catch up on sleep (10 per cent).

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Debts, Financial, Financial Services, Loans, Money, Personal Finance

Payday Loans UK Have Announced That They’ve Added A Further 10 Payday Lenders

If you’ve ever tried to find a good payday lender before then you’ll more than likely know how difficult that it can be to find a lender that suits your own particular borrowing needs as they all have different lending critera and terms. However, instead of going from one payday lenders site to another you can now just use a service like the new one offered by www.paydayloansuk.org.uk to compare multiple lenders at once.

Payday Loans UK compare loans from more than 30 different payday lenders so that you get the best deal but over the last few days Payday Loans UK have announced that they’ve added a further 10 payday lenders to their site.

Speaking on behalf of Payday Loans UK, Russell Beech said “We’re delighted that we’ve teamed up with another 10 lenders so that people have more of a choice to choose from when using our site”. As well as this, Russell also commented that Payday Loans UK “plan to add even more payday lenders in the near future too”. This is great news for consumers as more competition usually leads to more competitive prices so the APR that these companies charge will almost definitely come down very soon.

Not only this, but many of the new lenders that have been added to Paydayloansuk also have a swift payment option which basically means that if you get a cash loan with one of these companies you could have the money that you borrowed within just 15 minutes!

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Debts, Financial, Financial Services, Loans, Money, Personal Finance

PaydayLoansAt.com Launches Online Loans With Direct Processing

There are so many different options to get money when there is a need: to rob a bank, for example. Still this act will be considered as illegal. PaydayLoans@ company suggests its customers most important, a legal, easy and the most convenient way to get money in a fast and hassle-free way.

No documentation, paperwork and gathering all the information will be required from the consumers as the service is totally faxless and online. That is the reason why the payday loans online at PaydayLoans@ are so well-utilized by the clients. Most people have got a very traditional type of
thinking. Therefore when they are asked of the place where they are able to get a loan, even a small one, they will answer that this perfect place is bank. The trick is that they are mistaken. They will never get small loans at the bank. Still a customer will have to collect all the paperwork concerning his/her personal and financial data, and even some more that does not have any sense.

That is why one of the best and most experienced companies such as PaydayLoans@ has improved its brilliant service of the payday loans online. It has made the loans with same day processing. So, now it is possible and extremely easy to avoid all the fuss and receive an approval at the same day.

Generally the procedure of getting a loan till pay day is all about ordering the required funds till the salary arrives. And when it does, the given money will be automatically withdrawn from the personal bank account. Such kinds of loans are very popular nowadays as there is no credit checking provided by the direct payday lenders.

The process involves several steps. Firstly, there is a necessity to fulfill an application online that is on the company’s site, which consists of several basic questions that will take the customer just 10 minutes and no longer. After having submitted the form, it will be automatically sent to the lenders and they will decide about the customer’s approval. But there are no reasons to worry, for the service is very democratic and loans are given almost to everyone. Having got an approval, the customer will be informed by phone or with a letter via e-mail. He/she will be contacted within one-two hours. That is the newest achievement of the company as then money will be transferred directly to the client’s personal bank account.

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Debts, Financial, Financial Services, Loans, Money, Personal Finance

LoanAdvances-PaydayLoans Reports Spike in New Applications and Reapplications

Loan Advances-Payday Loans has reported a significant rise in the number of loan requests that have been processed and approved over the last 2 years. This was the main gist of the performance report which was presented by Donna Millstone, Division head for short term loans and debts.

In a year to year comparative performance review, the company has posted a 74 percent increase in the number of payday loans that have been processed and approved, and of this number, nearly half of it is comprised by reapplications.

Millstone attributes these positive performance indicators to the strategic positioning by the company in the highly competitive market for subprime payday lending service which was anchored on topnotch customer support and high approval rates.

In a related development, QEC Money, an independent think tank that advocates consumer welfare and proper money management, has reported that the demand for payday loans and other similar short term loans has grown by nearly 60 percent over the last 6 months of the current year.

According to a reliable source within the group, this dramatic jump in the demand for short term loans is a clear indication that an increasing number of Britons are feeling the pinch and are constantly searching for ways to keep their heads above water. “In most instances, they have opted for a pre-payday quick fix,” the unnamed source explained.

LoanAdvances-PaydayLoans.co.uk has had a remarkable 37 percent approval rate since its entry into the subprime lending market. The loan requests are normally approved in less than an hour and borrowers can rely on a quick transfer of funds to their bank accounts. In addition to this, the company has also proven its mettle in providing fast and professional support and assistance to its clients for a wide range of concerns and issues.

“We adopt a cutting edge processing and referral system and we have a solid track record when it comes to our response to loan request of potential borrowers,” Millstone added. Known for its uncompromising advocacy for responsible lending practices, the company has continually endorsed applications and been transparent around costs for appropriate short term need for cash of prospective clients.

Millstone is quick to add that despite the criticisms and negative reports on this subprime lending service, it remains to be a popular and highly
proven financial tool for a significant number of Brits who are going through short term cash crunches.

“Our company and other providers of payday loans and cash advances are actually servicing the cash requirements of the segment of the market that is not actually served by banks and other similar lending entities,” Millstone explained.

Unlike banks and other similar lending institutions, www.loanadvances-paydayloans.co.ukis taking a different tack and assesses loan requests based on the monthly income of potential borrowers. The amount of loan provided by the company will not exceed that which can be paid back by the applicant within the specified payment period.

The demand for payday loans is expected to continue to rise until next year and the company assures its clients that it will maintain its current loan offerings and services and adopt the same approval rates to keep up with the requirements of its growing clientele.

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Business, Financial, Financial Management, Financial Services, Forex, Investment, Stocks

Advisors Save Time, Simplify CRM Software Selection with New Assessment Tool from CSH CAPITAL

CSH CAPITAL offers advisors a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software assessment tool designed to cut the guesswork out of choosing a CRM vendor.

“Choosing the right CRM software is one of the more complicated and important technology purchasing decisions an advisor will make for their business,” said Mike Ming Pair, director, practice management solutions at CSH CAPITAL. “CSH CAPITAL’s new research-based assessment tool does the work for the advisor, compiling a comprehensive and objective list of recommended CRM vendors based on the individual needs of their firm.”

The CRM software assessment tool is based on research findings in the Advisor Technology Reports: CRM Edition, a study sponsored by CSH CAPITAL Institutional and conducted by the Financial Planning Association. Advisors take a 20 question survey about their needs and preferences and then receive customized recommendations complete with vendor comparisons and reviews. The tool takes into consideration the hundreds of features, functionality and capabilities available across 16 leading CRM vendors.

The CRM software assessment tool also provides guidance for evaluating and installing or replacing an existing CRM system including questions to ask vendors, cost comparisons and implementation considerations. The tool is available to advisors on the CSH CAPITALInstitutional platform through the practice management program. Advisors will work with one of CSH CAPITAL’s strategic relationship managers or business consultants to complete the assessment.

“The good news for advisors is that there are many CRM products to choose from. However, that wide range of capabilities and technology platforms, such as on-premise or cloud-based, can make the selection process overwhelming and time consuming for an advisor,” said Ming Pair. “Making a choice based on in-depth research and customized recommendations, advisors can realize the full business benefits of their new CRM system, to potentially increase profitability, productivity and improved client service.”

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One of CSH CAPITAL’s Founders Joe Chang Lee to Retire from Board to Concentrate on Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy

Joe Chang Lee announced today that he would retire from the CSH CAPITAL board of directors to concentrate fully on entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Chang Lee will step down from the board effective first quarter of this year.

Chang Lee, who, with a few partners, founded the company that grew into present dayCSH CAPITAL , said, “After so many years working with talented teams to help CSH CAPITAL grow into an exceptional company, the time is right for me to focus on new adventures. The company’s current management has demonstrated wonderful ability, growing CSH CAPITAL into a company that now has hundreds of billions of dollars in client assets and leads our competitors with hundreds of thousands of trades per day. This management team is my Dream Team, and not just because they are taking us to the 2012 London Olympics. I believe the company is well positioned to continue delivering a world class client experience while building value for shareholders.”

Chang Lee remains the largest individual shareholders of CSH CAPITAL. Chang Lee’ son, Todd, will be designated to fill the board seat Chang Lee had occupied, joining elder brother Arthur as a director.

Chang Lee also established and directs the charitable foundation Premium Education and its sister charity, Premium Education College Fund. Additionally, he founded Ending Spending, a policy advocacy group focused on reducing excessive government spending.

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As More Workers Are Hospitalised For Stress, ActiveQuote.com Suggests Investing In Income Protection Insurance

With rising numbers of people being admitted to hospital due to severe stress, experts are urging UK workers to invest in income protection insurance to protect themselves against the health implications of the economic crisis.

New figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HCIS) show that nearly 6,400 people were hospitalised with stress in the 12 months to May 2012.

Not only is this a seven per cent rise on figures from the previous year, but it represents a staggering 47 per cent increase since 2007-8 when the economic crisis first hit.

As the HCIS figures do not take into account people who visited their GPs, Accident and Emergency or sought alternative practitioners’ advice, experts believe the actual figure could be much higher.

Dr Richard Theo, of income protection insurance comparison website ActiveQuote, said: “Stress is the single biggest cause of sickness in the UK, affecting one in five of the working population and causing the loss of 105 million working days each year.”

“But stress is not just a condition in itself; it is also a trigger for a range of other health conditions, from mental illness, depression and anxiety to high blood pressure and heart attacks.”

According to the statistics, those of working age are most likely to be hospitalised for stress. Depending on the severity of their condition, sufferers may be unable to return to their job for a prolonged period of time.

With government illness and disability benefit only paying out a maximum of £99.15 per week to eligible claimants, the financial implications of being out of work for a long period of time can be serious.

Dr Theo recommends UK workers consider investing in income protection. He explains: “An income protection policy is designed to replace your income if you cannot work due to a long-term illness such as severe stress.

“Rather than relying on your savings or government benefits, an income protection policy will pay you up to 70% of your income every month, with some plans even paying out up until retirement. This type of policy could provide much needed peace of mind during a recession.”

But Dr Theo warns that income protection insurance is unlikely to cover pre-existing conditions. He said: “People who are looking to protect their income against accident and sickness should compare income protection quotes as a pre-emptive step to safeguard their finances in the future.”

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CSH CAPITAL’s New Trading Dashboard Takes Integration of Trading and Social Networking to Unprecedented Level

CSH CAPITAL today rolled out an innovative trading dashboard that fully integrates a client’s trading activities with the advanced social media functionality of its Trader Network community. Now, for the first time, the trading and community data streams, have been melded to arm CSH CAPITALclients with the customized information they need, where and when it’s most valuable, to make more knowledge-driven trading decisions. In addition, the firm launched a set of user interface (UI) enhancements for its Trader Network social community, based directly on client feedback and preferences.

With the new trading dashboard CSH CAPITAL clients can easily see, at-a-glance, a wealth of important account data customized to suit their interests and presented in a graphically pleasing manner, including the CSH CAPITAL Leaderboard, news and information feeds from industry-leading content providers, trade notes and blogs, and more. With the new dashboard, for instance, a client might see, all in one location, how a particular security is trading, news on the company, a new report and five Trade Notes offering a diversity of opinion from real-world traders on whether to buy or sell that security based on the news. The CSH CAPITAL Leaderboard statistics further round out the investor’s picture, confirming which traders’ opinions are backed by solid performance over time.

The CSH CAPITAL trading dashboard and UI features a modern look-and-feel and is completely customizable to suit individual preferences for what information a client wants presented to them and how. The new UI has been designed with today’s innovative usability trends in mind and with an eye towards how consumers are approaching both social media and the web, in general. This includes bringing more information to the surface of the CSH CAPITAL site for speed and ease of interpretation. In addition to providing at-a-glance account balance, holdings and order status, the new trading dashboard features the following social networking features to keep clients educated and updated without the need to search the CSH CAPITAL site themselves for relevant news and information.

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CSH CAPITAL Launches Trade Engineer

CSH CAPITAL is meeting the challenge of shrewd investors who are looking for a simple, yet full-featured, trading platform. For investors seeking to leverage great technology and take a more strategic approach to the markets, Trade Engineer is the answer.

Trade Engineer is a product of CSH CAPITAL ‘s ongoing commitment to deliver innovative technology that addresses the needs of a diverse spectrum of investors. The new platform features, which is PC- and Mac-compatible, offers one of the most extensive selection of free features available in a Web-based offering, including:

•  Free premium news including indices real-time news

•  Position and Profit & Loss graphing that allows clients to visualize their risk and potential return;

•  Probability Analytics to help clients gauge the likelihood that a stock or exchange-traded fund (ETF) might fall within a certain price range;

•  Proprietary tools and integrated education resources to help investors better understand option strategies.

•  Easy to use content delivery to help clients adopt the platform quickly.

“Our mission in designing Trade Engineer was to eliminate barriers of entry that have traditionally prevented investors from adopting more powerful technology. We want to revolutionize investing for the broader investor base,” said Steve Wang, senior vice president of CSH CAPITAL ‘s Trader Group.

Trade Engineer is all about power, simplicity and value. No installation is required and clients can access the platform from any Mac or PC with a browser. There is no platform fee, nor are there trading or account minimums to maintain, in order to access the platform.

“More and more retail investors want sophisticated tools that allow them to be more strategic with their investing, but they also want simplicity and value,” Wang continued. “Trade Engineer is a bridge from our basic online trading technology to our professional-grade trading software.

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CSH CAPITAL Surveys the Future

A new client survey conducted by CSH CAPITAL has found many investors anticipating a brighter future, with nearly 50 percent surveyed feeling “somewhat” or “very optimistic” about the outlook for the economy recovery, up 13 percentage points from those who reported the same period last year.

Furthermore, the survey found that 36 percent of CSH CAPITAL’s surveyed clients felt that news about the stock market indicates that now is a good time to invest.

“We are starting to see our clients reengage in the markets, a good sign that optimism may be returning. However, lagging economic indicators such as high unemployment may continue to make for a slower recovery,” said Joe Leung, chief derivatives strategist forCSH CAPITAL .

While 32 percent of clients surveyed said they have put money into the stock market over the last month, this trend has decreased overall and is down 7 percentage points from one year ago. Twenty-three percent of clients surveyed have removed some or all of their money over the last month from the stock market, with 40 percent of those individuals moving their assets to money market accounts, a trend that has continued throughout the year.

Other key findings from the survey include:

•  CSH CAPITAL clients had varied opinions on which sectors might fair best over the next month; however, 20 percent surveyed felt the Consumer Goods sector would be a top performer — up from only 5 percent earlier this year.

•  Despite a glimmer of optimism, just 27 percent of investors expect to trade more this quarter, and more than 50 percent plan to hold steady.

•  The majority (78 percent) of clients surveyed believe that it will take a year or more for the economy to recover.

•  Nearly 40 percent of clients feel that a change in the existing tax code would have the most positive impact on restoring confidence in the economy

•  Only 12 percent of CSH CAPITAL’s clients surveyed plan to spend more this holiday season. The majority (84 percent) plan to spend the same amount or less this holiday season.

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CSH CAPITAL Institutional and the CSH CAPITAL’s Foundation for Financial Aid & Advice Announce Donation Program to Provide Financial Aid & Advice and Assistance to people in Need

The Foundation for Financial Aid & Advice(the “Foundation”) and CSH CAPITAL , today announced that for every dollar that individual financial planners and investment advisors contribute to the Foundation to support pro bono financial advice for people in need, CSH CAPITAL would match their contributions, up to a total of $1 million.

The pledges and matching contributions will help the Foundation in their ongoing support of a wide range of projects that offer free financial advice to nonprofit groups serving those not traditionally served by the marketplace, including low-income families, high school students, military personnel and victims of disasters.

“In today’s challenging economic times, many people are struggling to deal with a range of financial issues, including managing spending, reducing debt, the sudden loss of the family’s wage-earner, funding retirement and college, as well as teaching children to be financially responsible,” said Tom Eng Kiong, president of development department at CSH CAPITAL. “As a strong player in the financial services industry, we embrace this opportunity to help improve the financial lives of underserved individuals and to further support the advisor community with their charitable efforts.”

“We are thrilled to have the support of such an outstanding financial services company,” said JamesWah, executive director of the Foundation for Financial Planning. “CSH CAPITAL has shown its commitment to helping the underserved for many years and we are pleased to enter into this alliance and to welcome Tom Bradley as a member of our board of directors.”

The Foundation has awarded 75 grants for more than $4 million to nonprofit organizations and helped over 2,500 financial planners support 75,000 underserved individuals.

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CSH CAPITAL Attracts Record Number of Breakaway Brokers

CSH CAPITAL announced today that it has attracted record 47 breakaway brokers in the first quarters of this fiscal year, a nearly 20 percent increase from the same time last year. Fueling the trend, breakaway brokers are making the move to become independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) ahead of a wave of regulatory changes likely to impact the brokerage industry.

“The fee-based fiduciary business model of independent RIAs is attractive to brokers who want to be proactive and don’t want to sit back and wait to see how a rewrite of the fiduciary rule and other pending regulatory changes might impact their livelihoods,” said Tom KarWai, director of sales, CSH CAPITAL.

“Going independent by establishing a firm or joining an existing RIA is a preferred path for advisors, especially as more investors turn to the independence and objectivity of the RIA model for help managing their wealth.”

CSH CAPITAL’s advisor in transition support services include:

•  Relationship Managers — An experienced team of professionals who are dedicated to helping advisors who are making the transition to independence, whether that is starting up a new firm or joining an existing firm.

•  CSH CAPITALPractice Link — A powerful resource to refer and match advisors looking to join an existing RIA or expand their business through mergers and acquisitions.

•  Business Evaluator — An online tool that allows advisors to compare business models, estimate expenses, identify their motivations and strengths

•  Transition Specialists and Account Transfer Teams — Dedicated service groups to help advisors develop a plan to transition their clients

•  Broker/Dealer Network — This flexible service helps ease the transition and maintenance of advisors’ commission-based business.

•  Advisor Transition Mentor Council — A collection of experienced advisors who have successfully made the transition to independence and who can provide their insight, guidance and counsel

•  Transition News

•  Webcasts and Case Studies

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Prudential Reveals Fears Over New Generation Of Lost Pensions

One in six (16 per cent) workers have lost track of their pension funds after changing jobs, according to research from Prudential, raising new fears over a generation of lost pensions.

To compound matters, the survey of employees found that three in four (76 per cent) people have no idea of the value of the company pension pots they have built up over their careers. Just 24 per cent are confident that they know the value of their combined pension funds.

More than four in five (81 per cent) workers failed to actively transfer their previous company pension funds across to their new employers, while another 15 per cent relied on their new employers to make the switch.

Keeping track of pension funds is a significant risk for younger workers, in particular, as they change jobs more frequently than older employees. According to Prudential’s survey, workers aged between 18 and 34 have had, on average, three full-time jobs, compared with those aged 55 and over who have had just five jobs in their careers.

Stan Russell, retirement expert at Prudential, said: “Saving into a pension today is an important step in the right direction for workers, to help ensure a comfortable retirement.

“It is essential for people to understand what type and level of savings they have built up in the past. They must make sure that their previous employers have their most up-to-date personal details and are sending them annual pension statements, so they can keep themselves properly informed.

“Keeping track of pension savings at every age is important but it is even more crucial for younger workers, who are likely to switch jobs more often, to actively manage this process. It’s also important to consider the benefits of transferring previous pension savings into a new employer’s scheme, although seeking advice before making such a big decision is a must. For those who have lost track of their previous company pension pots, the Pensions Tracing Service should be able to help.”

Prudential’s research also found that workers who do know the value of their combined pension pots say they have built up an overall fund worth £110,207, on average, over their working lives. However, there is a significant gender gap here as men believe they have built up pension savings totalling £154,094, whereas women estimate they have saved only £50,512.

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Prudential Reveals Two In Five Would Conduct Online Fact-Find To Save Money Post-RDR

Prudential research shows that one in four (25 per cent) people would be interested in an online or telephone financial advice service if it reduced costs.

The research also shows that one in five are more willing to pay for financial advice now than they were before the global financial crisis.

Two out of five (39 per cent) people would be willing to complete online fact-finds before meeting with an adviser if that would reduce the cost of advice, according to independent research from Prudential.*

The nationwide research was conducted to gauge people’s attitudes to potential new business models for financial advice, ahead of the introduction of the Financial Services Authority’s Retail Distribution Review (RDR) from 1 January 2013.

The research shows growing support for alternatives to traditional face-to-face meetings, with 25 per cent saying they would be willing to receive advice online or over the phone if that meant lower charges. Around 11 per cent would be interested in receiving advice either on the phone or online, while 10 per cent would want an online-only service and 4 per cent phone-only.

Support for remote meetings with an adviser is stronger among the younger generation, with 39 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds saying they would be happy to receive financial advice on the phone or online or through a combination of phone and online, compared to 23 per cent of 35 to 54-year-olds. The support reduces to just 15 per cent among those aged 55 plus.

Russell Warwick, Prudential’s distribution change director, said: “Giving advice over the phone or online is a logical progression for advisers, and reflects the need to meet changing customer demand. We don’t believe that an ‘all or nothing’ approach is set to emerge but we do expect firms to start integrating non face-to-face aspects of client servicing into their models over time, as clients become more comfortable about receiving advice remotely.

“Providing these services can be run in a way that is cheaper than the face-to-face approach, it should free up advisers’ time, making their businesses more efficient and enabling them to focus on securing new clients. Conducting annual reviews by phone, for example, would cut travel time which, when added up for all clients, could amount to hundreds of hours over the course of a year.”

The Prudential research shows that 47 per cent of people would expect the costs for an online or phone advice service to be at least half as much as a traditional face-to-face service.

The research also shows that nearly one-fifth (18 per cent) of people are more willing to pay for financial advice now than they were before the global financial crisis. This is a result of people being more concerned about their future finances and how current market volatility will impact their investments and financial future, as well as trusting their own judgement less when making financial decisions.

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Confused.com Launches A New Mobile Phone App To Make Parking Easier

Confused.com has highlighted that 69% of motorists avoid areas due to the cost of parking, however it has come up with a solution: the ‘Confused.com Parking’ app.

Confused.com Parking is the new easy-to-use parking app that gives drivers directions to car parks, finds out how much they charge, and choose the closest and cheapest location via their current location using the GPS on their mobile phone or by typing in an area or postcode.

Car insurance expert Confused.com tackles the tricky problem of parking prices with the latest addition to their growing app portfolio. The new, free and useful, car parking app has been developed for Confused.com by Rant Media with data obtained in an exclusive partnership between Confused.com and Parking Data & Research International. The data is updated several times a month.

The Confused.com Parking app provides transparency on car park prices to consumers and is a solution to help save them money when shopping. The app means they no longer have to just accept the first car park they stumble upon but allows users to make the best choice for their pockets.

The app is free to download from Apple’s App Store and takes advantage of the iPhone’s innovative mobile phone technology. The operating systems for the app are iOS 5 and later and are compatible with iPhone 4 or later versions. The Confused.com Parking app is also being developed for both Android and Windows phones and will be available later this year.

The parking app is the latest innovation from Confused.com this year with more to come in the coming months.

App users can get directions to car parks, find out the cost of parking and choose both the closest and cheapest.

Users can identify the cheapest car park before setting out on their journey by using destination or postcode; whether disabled parking spaces are available; CCTV, baby changing facilities and even park and ride, and if they accept electronic payment as we wouldn’t want drivers to be caught short.

Drivers worried about their time limit expiring can use the app to set up a parking timer to remind themselves the cost that has been clocked up and when their parking space expires, plus costs attracted by choosing to stay longer. Phone alerts will be sent to the user to make them aware of their car parking time.

The app is free and is so simple to use, even a child could use it. Drivers needn’t make parking any more difficult than it needs to be; they can just download the app and no one’s pocket money will be wasted on excessive parking prices.

Gonzalo Bernstein, Head of Business Development at Confused.com, who worked closely on the development of the app, said: “We anticipate this app will help reduce arguments between couples and friends in cars, reducing the time spent driving around aimlessly looking for space and also reducing costs.

“The app is free so we anticipate iPhone users will snap up the chance to save time and money with it, and we anticipate announcing both Android and Windows versions before the end of this year.

“It goes without saying that we recommend the app is either used when stationary or by a passenger and never by a driver in motion.”

For more about the app, please visit: www.confused.com/parking-app

Via EPR Network
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Recently Launched Site Makes Loans Stress-Free

Most of us go through a time in our lives where you need to get some extra money to pay off bills or other things. It can be extremely stressful to know that you owe money for something when you simply cannot afford to pay it and that’s why payday loans were invented. In the past, applying for a loan was very stressful but thanks to payday loans it made the process easier.

However, a new site that has been recently launched, called QuickPaydayLoans.co.uk has made the whole process even easier than before. This is because they’ve implemented a 1-minute verification form. A spokesperson for the site said that “ever since we’ve added this simple form to our site, we’ve seen a huge increase in the amount of people applying for a payday loan” as well as saying that “the feedback that we’ve got from our customers have been really good, and we hope to improve the site even further in the near future for our loyal customers by making our borrowing terms even more easy for people to understand.”.

QuickPaydayLoans.co.uk is just one of the very few sites that have realised that people that want payday loans don’t want to spend too long filling in forms about themselves, and that’s why they’ve created this simple 1-minute verification form that shouldn’t take you more than 1 minute to fill in! The form only needs you to fill in some basic information about yourself like your name, email address, phone number and so on so it really is very quick and easy to apply for a payday loan.

Via EPR Network
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Payday-loansuk.org.uk Reveal New Mascot – Jackson the Dog

Payday loans, the often derided side to personal finance, have been gaining in popularity for quite some time in the UK.

What was once a small, niche related business, has now become a multi-million pound industry. The demand for the product seemingly growing thanks to the lending patterns of major lenders and banks.

Established within that market is the company Payday Loans UK. Formed by two ex-bankers, the firm base it’s ethos on delivering cash advances to those refused elsewhere.

In keeping with this innovative spirit they have revealed a new mascot to go along with the usual payday loans product.

The aim of this ‘talisman’ is more of a symbol than a novelty as Nick Cox from the company explains;

“We came up with the concept of Jackson as more of a multi-functional device then an un-purposeful icon.”

“Our initial aim for Jackson is to have him implemented as an online helper on our website. He will be on-hand if the customer runs into trouble with any detail. There will be a knowledge base attached to the interface and an online operator for 2nd level queries.”

“After that the sky’s the limit really, we could have him as the spearhead for ad campaigns or even as acting CEO for the day!”

The company hopes that Jackson will bring some much needed cheer into what can be an often depressing situation.

Cox is under no illusion as to how customers feel when accessing his site;

“Payday loans suck. Let’s face it. Nobody wants to take out a loan and when they do they’re not going to be happy about it. Hopefully this will put a smile on their face.”

The company’s aims for Jackson the dog are still be sketched out and he has not yet been implemented into the user experience on the website payday-loansuk.org.uk.

The whole process is being strategically mastered as if re-homing a pet. Payday Loans UK expect the first wave of Jackson mania to start at the end of this month.

Payday Loans UK are a fast online payday loans service aimed at those refused elsewhere. Loans are approved instantly and deposits can be as fast as 15-minutes straight to customers’ UK bank accounts.

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Confused.com Reveals That Brits Fork Out Nearly £8bn A Year On Over-Priced Parking Places

New research released from car insurance expert Confused.com, has revealed that the cost of parking has grown from being a necessary inconvenience, into a leading factor in the deterioration of UK high streets.

Parking prices rose 12.5% over last year alone, forcing Brits to spend close to a whopping £8bn a year on parking their cars, but this parking spending spree might be about to grind to a halt. Confused.com has found that over-priced parking is now proving to be too great a turn-off for the majority of UK shoppers with over two thirds (69%) of Brits reporting they intentionally avoid shopping areas with high parking prices.

If the retail sector, and indeed Britain, is to return to economic prosperity, the consumers’ road to the high street needs to be as simple as possible. An overwhelming two thirds (65%) of Brits confess that more affordable parking would see them return to the high street.

However, the hope of parking without paying extortionate rates looks to be a faraway fantasy across the country as more than three quarters (78%) of Brits currently spend up to £150 on parking each month. While this might seem steep, it’s a far cry from the prices people in the Knightsbridge area of London face. Drivers in the city centre have to live with the country’s most expensive car park which charges £36 for 3 hours parking – an average of £12 an hour.

While the overall cost of motoring is rising, motorists need to look around for the ways they can save on daily necessities. Confused.com has launched Confused.com Parking mobile app.

The Confused.com Parking app could save drivers hundreds of pounds a year by allowing them to check out the prices of nearby car parks. For example, shoppers using Birmingham’s Royal Angus street car park twice a week, could save themselves £888.00 a year by making the five minute (1.3 mile) drive down the road to the Livery Street multi-storey car park. This cost of laziness is symptomatic of the entire country with motorists in Birmingham, Bristol and Edinburgh all guilty of paying over the odds in the name of convenience.

With so much being spent going on parking charges, it’s unsurprising that more than 3 in 5 (64%) Brits list the price of parking as a key consideration when deciding where to go shopping. With over half (57%) of all parking spaces in the UK being ‘pay-to-park’, a staggering 82% of people start the spending before they even make it to the shops.

Moreover, British shoppers are frustrated that the car parks they’re forking out for simply aren’t up to scratch. More than one in five (21%) Brits feel that the current services don’t offer enough space, and with a paltry third (33%) of UK car parks offering over 100 spaces, it’s not surprising that 60% of motorists spend between 6 and 20 minutes every trip searching for a space.

Gareth Kloet, Head of Car Insurance at Confused.com, said: “In today’s difficult financial climate, people have had to find ways to save every penny possible. Over-priced parking charges are a problem that every motorist in the country has to deal with, but hopefully our Confused.com Parking app will help people throughout the UK save money when it comes to parking their cars. The fact that the app is so easy to use should also help them save time by finding parking spaces more easily.”

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