Category Archives: Money

Money

Barclaycard Makes Everyday Spending More Rewarding With Two New Reward Cards

Barclaycard has announced the launch of its Barclaycard Cashback and Barclaycard Freedom Rewards cards, both designed to make it easier for customers to get value and rewards on their everyday spend, without changing the way they shop.

The Cashback card is built on simplicity, giving customers four times more cashback on their five biggest monthly purchases, with no tiers or thresholds. Customers earn 2% on their five biggest monthly purchases and 0.5% on everything else. All customers need to do is make fifteen purchases a month, of any amount to qualify for the 2% cashback rate.

When customers take the card out they receive a welcome bonus, giving them the opportunity to earn 6% cashback on their five biggest purchases each month for the first three months. Every year, in the month after the anniversary of taking out the card, customers also get an enhanced 4% rate on their top five spend , irrespective of how much they’ve spent on the card the year before.

If the average family puts all their spend on the Cashback card; in the first three months alone, they could earn a maximum of £120 cashback, easily covering the annual card fee of £24.

Launching at the same time is the Barclaycard Freedom Rewards card. It lets customers collect points on everything they buy on the card. They can redeem points at around 70 reward partners including retail giants, online favourites, restaurants and fun family days out.

The Freedom Rewards card has a broader range of high street reward partners than any other reward card in the market. Partners include Marks and Spencer, Topshop, Currys PC World, iTunes, Amazon, Starbucks, Strada and Leisure Voucher partners Legoland to LA Fitness.

The Freedom Rewards card gives double points on spend at any UK supermarket and petrol station and triple points at selected Freedom partners.

Nick Clements, Managing Director for UK Consumer Cards, Barclaycard, said: “We took time to speak to our customers to understand how they want to be rewarded when they spend. Choice and value came out as the key to meet people’s needs.

“For the average UK family budget, one in three pounds is spent on the weekly shop and filling the car up. As a result, the Freedom Rewards card offers double points on any supermarket or petrol spend. Our customers want the flexibility to look for the best value without being tied to shopping at just one brand, and the Freedom Rewards card offers that flexibility.

“On our Cashback card, we designed it to boost the earning rate of cashback on the top five monthly purchases, because our customers’ top five purchases accounted for around 50% of their overall monthly spend. We want to give customers the flexibility to be rewarded at the higher rate, regardless of what they’d bought.”

Via EPR Network
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Research Show 4.4 Million over 21s Still Rely on the Bank of Mum and Dad, reports Bower Retirement Services

Research from LV = reveals 4.4 million over 21 year olds still borrow money from their parents. The average monthly donation from parents to adult children is £175. This is used to cover rent, bills and help pay off debts. Additionally £9,476 is awarded to fund weddings, holidays, further education and to help young adults get onto the property ladder. Although it helpingyoung adults is hardly surprising, the research revealed parents expect to continue to support their ‘children’ until the age of 38, now the average age of a first-time property buyer.

This obviously puts great financial strain on Britain ‘s parents. It eats into retirement funds and one in ten parents surveyed by LV = admitted they had spent everything they had on their children. The issue isn’t going to go away soon, particularly if predictions that the average age of a first-time buyer will be 41 by 2025 are correct.

Parents need to prepare for the future early to ensure they are well equipped financially to provide for themselves and help out their grown-up children when necessary. There are several options available, but with interest rates currently being so low, saving plans aren’t the most viable option.

Equity release plans are a more effective option for homeowners. Bower Retirement Services, an award-winning equity release advice service, can help homeowners find anequity release plan that’s right for them.

There are four types of plans available: lump sum lifetime mortgages; lifetime mortgage with flexible cash release, also known as a drawdown mortgage; interest only lifetime mortgage and home reversion plans.

The most suitable, and now the most popular comprising 68% of the market, are drawdown plans. Homeowners are lent money based on their property’s value and additionally can withdraw regular cash amounts at a frequency and value chosen by the individual. Interest is charged, but it’s only repaid when the homeowners die or move into permanent care. These mortgages allow parents to look after themselves during retirement but also offer the ability to provide assistance to their offspring.

Via EPR Network
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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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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.

Via EPR Network
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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).

Via EPR Network
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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!

Via EPR Network
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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.

Via EPR Network
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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.

Via EPR Network
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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.

Via EPR Network
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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.

Via EPR Network
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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

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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.

Via EPR Network
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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.”

Via EPR Network
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PaydayLoans@ Offers Now Loans For People With Bad Credit Score

In the modern society there is a sharp line between people. In every nation there is a distinct division between rich people and poor ones, educated and non-educated, males and females. Even in the banking institutions there is a verge between people with good credit score history and a poor one. There should be a place where everyone would be free of any stereotypes. PaydayLoans@ company is the exact place where customers will find support and understanding.

For now a new policy has been input in the developing process of the company. It does suggest its clients a new and completely different way-out of the situation with bad credit history. Those people who were not able to pay back in time or who had earlier the problems with credits, or paybacks, are now free of any unpleasant back ground.

PaydayLoans@ is one of the most original and initial companies that offer its potential consumers the easiest and fastest way to receive money in a legal way. The company has provided several improvements lately which include the online services that are supposed to save the clients’ time.

The main difference between banks and PaydayLoans@ is that this company understands that any possible life situation may occur to anyone when a person is out of money and extremely needs it. That is the step when it is time to decide where to go: to the bank or to the trustworthy company? Needless to say, that bank has a high level of documentation and for getting a loan it is essential to provide all the personal and financial information. Small loans are not usually lent by the banks as it is not quite profitable for them. Unfortunately, most banks are rather conservative that is why for people with bad credit history or poor credit score will be difficult, sometimes impossible to borrow money. More information about loans with poor credit rating can be found in this article.

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Standard Life Adds Eight Vanguard Funds To Its International Bond

Dublin-based Standard Life International has added eight Vanguard funds to its International Bond.

Standard Life is looking to meet the growing demands from advisers for a passive investment option by introducing the Vanguard funds to its International Bond.

Ian Searle, business development manager at Standard Life International, said: “These funds, which include both bond and equity funds, represents our passive investment option on our offshore bond and further strengthens the investment range for our customers to choose from to help them achieve their investment goals.

“We have seen many examples where advisers adopt a core approach to portfolio construction, with the core made of passive management so the introduction of the range of Vanguard funds supports advisers in that approach.

“We have established a strong working partnership with Vanguard over the last year. And we look forward to working with them to help advisers and their customers with their investment requirements.”

Simon Vanstone, Head of Institutional, Europe at Vanguard, said: “As demand for index tracking funds at low cost continues to grow in the UK, we are delighted that Vanguard has been selected by Standard Life International to provide the Index Tracking solutions within their International Bond.”

This announcement follows the addition of Vanguard’s pension funds to Standard Life’s platforms in December 2011 and the appointment of Vanguard in April 2012 to manage Standard Life’s tracker funds.

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EFG Associates wins first managed volatility mandate in Hong Kong

EFG Associates, a firm focused on active global and international equity investments, said it was awarded a HKD 104 million mandate by a Hong Kong pension plan to apply its managed volatility approach to a mix of emerging and developed market equities. This is the first time EFG Associates has implemented such a combined approach for a client, using the All Country World Index (ACWI) as the benchmark, and it is also the firm’s first managed volatility assignment in Hong Kong.

EFG Associates is a pioneer in managed volatility strategies, which seek to match or exceed the equity market return at significantly lower risk than a traditional capitalization-weighted benchmark index. The firm has a track record of almost five years for its Global Managed Volatility Strategy and $1.5 billion of assets in that strategy. Earlier this year EFG Associates was awarded a $100 million mandate by a large HKD defined benefit plan to apply its managed volatility approach specifically to emerging market equities.

Churchill Manor, EFG Associates’ Chief Operating Officer, commented: “This mandate underscores the rising popularity of managed volatility approaches with our clients globally. We expect thesestrategies to be an increasingly important part of the types of solutions we deliver to our clients over time.” Mr. Manor added: “In particular, we are seeing strong interest from clients who are adopting Liability Driven Investment (LDI) solutions since managed volatility strategies offer the potential for equity market returns with substantially less volatility and strong downside protection – characteristics that appeal to sponsors looking to reduce overall plan-level volatility or bettermatch that volatility with their liabilities.”

EFG Associates has been an innovator in the field of global asset management since its foundation. The firm managed $20.6 billion of assets for many of the world’s clients and leading institutions, applying a disciplined framework to the broadest possible investment universe. Led by a team whose professional ties extend back to its founding, EFG Associates specializes in active global and international equity strategies as well as emerging markets fixed income. Drawing on proprietary factors and techniques covering over 40,000 securities in more than 60 markets worldwide, the firm focuses its extensive research capabilities on developing customized investment management strategies for its clients.

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EFG Associates Makes New Appointments

EFG Associates announced that it made two new appointments. Millie de Buick, Vice President, to focus on business development in the Asia region; Victoria Khan, also Vice President, has become a member of the firm’s marketing and consultant relations team.

“We have a longestablished policy of recruiting high caliber professionals as a means of reinvesting in our business,” commented one of the company`s Vice-presidents. “Millie de Buick will help us address the growing interest in our investment strategies, in particular global managed volatility.”

Mrs. Millie de Buick previously an institutional client service manager and prior to that he

was a Senior Account Manager. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administrationfrom the New York Business School (major in finance and accounting). Mrs. Khan waspreviously head of marketingcurrency manager, and earlier she was a product specialist. She holds an M.A. in International Finance and Business from Chicago University.

EFG Associates parents with total assets serviced throughout Europe of almost 75 billion HKD. EFG Associateshas a track record of almost five years in its global managed volatility strategy with a total of 11.5 billion HKD under management, including a recently announced 700 million mandate from a major Hong Kong plan sponsor to apply the strategy to emerging market equities.

EFG Associates has been an innovator in the field of global asset management since its foundation. The firm managed $20.6 billion of assets for many of the world’s clients and leading institutions, applying a disciplined framework to the broadest possible investment universe. Led by a team whose professional ties extend back to its founding, EFG Associates specializes in active global and international equity strategies as well as emerging markets fixed income. Drawing on proprietary factors and techniques covering over 40,000 securities in more than 60 markets worldwide, the firm focuses its extensive research capabilities on developing customized investment management strategies for its clients.

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EFG Associates Adds David Jackson as Portfolio Manager

EFG Associates, a firm specializing in active global and international equity investment as well as emerging debt, said that David Jackson will join EFG Associates as a Portfolio Manager and Investment Researcher, reporting to John Tang, Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Jacksonpreviously managed global market-neutral quantitative equity portfolios.

According to Mr. Tang, Mr. Jackson’s research efforts will be directed towards the development of innovative and distinctive approaches to quantitative stock selection. “Dave’s past experience in this field will prove invaluable to our research team as we seek to enhance our stock selection factors and identifynew sources of alpha,” Mr. Tang said.

Mr. Jackson previously worked as a Portfolio Manager. He received his BA in Philosophy and Economics at Harts College, and his Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Hong Kong University.

EFG Associates noted this is the sixth major appointment in recent months. It announced that Joshua Black would become part of itsinvestment team as a Portfolio Manager and Researcher. Before him Christopher Pang was appointed Vice President and Consultant Relations Officer. He previously worked at an investment-consulting firm.

Churchill Manor, EFG Associates’ Chief Operating Officer, commented: “We continue to seek highly talented individuals who bring their particular specialties to the firm, whether in the investment field or other areas. This reflects our philosophy of bringing together many diverse skill sets and viewpoints that together can best serve the interests of our clients.”

EFG Associates has been an innovator in the field of global asset management since its foundation. The firm managed $20.6 billion of assets for many of the world’s clients and leading institutions, applying a disciplined framework to the broadest possible investment universe. Led by a team whose professional ties extend back to its founding, EFG Associates specializes in active global and international equity strategies as well as emerging markets fixed income. Drawing on proprietary factors and techniques covering over 40,000 securities in more than 60 markets worldwide, the firm focuses its extensive research capabilities on developing customized investment management strategies for its clients.

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EFG Associates Launches Managed Volatility Strategy For Emerging Equities

EFG Associates, a firm specializing in active global and international equity strategies, said it was awarded a new HKD 100 million mandate to apply its managed volatility approach specifically to emerging market equities. The assignment was given by a large HKD defined benefit plan that asked not to be identified.

Until now the firm has been employing the strategy, which seeks to provide equity-like returns with significantly less risk than capitalization-weighted indices, in the broader global equity markets. Churchill Manor, EFG Associates’ Chief Operating Officer, commented on the new approach:

“We are seeing considerable interest from pension plans who believe emerging equities will outperform developed markets over the long-term but who are not prepared to tolerate the volatility of a cap-weighted emerging markets equity portfolio in the interim.”

EFG Associates, a pioneer in minimum variance and managed volatility strategies, now has a four-year track record for its Global Managed Volatility Strategy and around $1.4 billion of assets in the strategy. Last year the firm was awarded a global mandate of $97 million of the $5.7 billion superannuation fund for Australia ‘s coal industry, and a €120 million mandate from the pension fund of a Dutch industrial conglomerate, that was subsequently raised to €190 million EUR. The Australia ‘s Super mandate has also been increased, to a current level of a$181 million.

“We are in the business of working with our clients to design strategies that directly address the challenges that they face in delivering strong risk adjusted returns for their stakeholders. Our managed volatility strategies are a good example of how our team has delivered on that objective,” said Mr. Manor.

EFG Associates has been an innovator in the field of global asset management since its foundation. The firm managed $20.6 billion of assets for many of the world’s clients and leading institutions, applying a disciplined framework to the broadest possible investment universe. Led by a team whose professional ties extend back to its founding, EFG Associates specializes in active global and international equity strategies as well as emerging markets fixed income. Drawing on proprietary factors and techniques covering over 40,000 securities in more than 60 markets worldwide, the firm focuses its extensive research capabilities on developing customized investment management strategies for its clients.

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