Angel Investors, Business, Financial, Funding, Investment, Money, Profits, Stocks, Venture Capital

New Site Positioned to Take Over Daily Deals Market Seeking Investors

SocialDealSpot made a splash in the Washington D.C. market this month when it launched its first deal – saving hundreds of local families 50% on a summer camp for children. Complete with all the technical functionalities of its bigger competitors, the folks at SocialDealSpot are ready and able to take on the big boys in the daily deal offerings market.

Consumer-driven SocialDealSpot gives the people what they want (daily notifications of up to 90% in savings) while it boosts the local economy by bringing customers to small, local businesses. SocialDealSpot focuses its efforts on connecting consumers with local businesses. Their unique business model is set up to harvest subscribers interested in receiving deals prior to soliciting for area business partners. An iPhone application will be launching soon as will a forum for business partners to share their “deal offering” experiences. In addition, SocialDealSpot will be launching deals all over the country in the very near future.

They have proven their capabilities and now it’s time to grow. “We have a small team of people with a lot of heart,” says Michelle Peters, SocialDealSpot spokesperson, “our site is set up with the same functionalities you get with sites like Groupon and Living Social and we’ve gotten far with only a handful of committed staff members who believe what we’re doing is making a difference. But, it’s time to take it to the next level – we’re full of ideas of differentiating ourselves from the competition.”

Along with the plans for a larger web presence, SocialDealSpot’s audacious goals include mass media advertising through billboards, radio and television. “Marketing costs money,” says Peters, “but we’re worth it!” An infusion of investment capital will surely take this optimistic team to the next level to compete successfully with the likes of daily deal moguls such as Living Social and Groupon.

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Confused.com Launches New Savings Site

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Northern Rock Wins Prestigious National Big Tick Award

Northern Rock has been heralded among the most responsible businesses in the UK after receiving Business in the Community’s (BITC) coveted national Big Tick for its work to tackle financial exclusion in partnership with credit unions.

The Big Tick award is the first level of award available to entrants of the national BITC Awards for Excellence, which recognises inspirational programmes that are making a positive impact on the community, the environment or wider society.

Northern Rock’s contribution, which involved volunteers skilled in a number of disciplines, helping to rebrand and relaunch South Tyneside Credit Union as Bridges Your Community Bank, has also been shortlisted for consideration for the title of Example of Excellence – the overall winner for the Building Stronger Communities category.

The final results will be announced at the BITC Awards for Excellence Gala Event, sponsored by Unilever, which will be held at the Royal Albert Hall on 5 July.

Northern Rock’s Customer and Commercial Director Andy Tate said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this Big Tick in recognition of our important work in the local community, in this instance for our work with Bridges.

“We are also honoured to have been shortlisted for the overall Example of Excellence and we are very proud of what has been achieved through the dedication of our staff.”

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of Business in the Community said: “I congratulate Northern Rock on achieving its Big Tick. It is a challenging time for business, but this is a sign that companies are not losing their focus and are transforming their businesses to make a positive impact on people and society; and are prepared to lead by example. That’s what Business in the Community’s Awards for Excellence is all about – celebrating responsible business, the leadership that makes it happen and the benefits to the business and society of doing so.

“Communities and consumers need to see that businesses are proactive, visible and engaged on the big issues of the day, as Northern Rock has demonstrated.”

Representatives from Northern Rock will be presented with the Big Tick award at a regional celebration event at the Gateshead Hilton at the end of June.

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NursesStore in Peak Condition with New Website

NursesStore.co.uk, a supplier of nursing tools and accessories to healthcare professionals, has selected SecureTrading, the UK’s leading independent payment processor, to process its global payments for its new website.

NursesStore.co.uk selected Ascensor, a web design, ecommerce and digital marketing specialist, for its website redesign. Ascenor then recommended SecureTrading for the payment processing based on the company’s reputation of excellent customer service and a secure payment platform.

Patrick Bowes, Commercial Director at NursesStore.co.uk, said, “We needed a new online store so our business could perform more competitively. We also wanted a website that had a robust payments system and could properly support trading at all times.”

Bowes continued, “As we take our business to the next level we have hit a bottle neck on what we could offer customers. With our new site we can offer customers free postage on orders over a certain value. We also have the flexibility to offer certain special offers.”

Tim Allitt, Head of Sales & Marketing, SecureTrading, said, “We’re delighted to be able to support the payments of an organisation like Nurses store.co.uk. It’s crucial that when a business re-launches its site, it remains confident that its customers payments will be processed quickly and without issue so they receive a great experience.”

Andrew Firth, Director, Ascensor, said, “This new site will allow Nurses store.co.uk to offer an even better service to its customers with greater flexibility and much improved site navigation.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Brainwashing Book Readers Prepared For Stock Market Correction — Again!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Saxo Bank Launches Retail FX Trading Platform ForexTrading.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Prudential Research Finds Many 2011 Retirees Unable to Leave Inheritance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Confused.com Reveals The Unluckiest Make Of Car

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Confused.com Reveals The 10 Most Popular Car Games

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Business Monitor International Reveals Report On Dry-Bulk Shipping Sector

Business Monitor International has announced the launch of its special report on the dry-bulk shipping sector called ‘Dry-Bulk Shipping in Troubled Waters as Glut of Vessels Soaks up Demand’.

The shipping industry analysis report provides an in-depth overview of the challenges that the global dry-bulk shipping sector faces in 2011, with a particular focus on the sector’s ability to tackle its current overcapacity crisis.

The dry-bulk shipping sector’s woes are expected to continue for some time to come, as dropping rate have already lead to Korea Line Corp filing for receivership, and there could be more victims if lines do not reduce capacity.

BMI’s special report on the global dry-bulk shipping industry provides industry professionals with independent analysis into the sector. The report assists in identifying the opportunities and threats to businesses, whether they are a dry ship operator/owner, a dry-bulk terminal operator, a shipyard, a commodity producer/importer/exporter, a logistic firm, a consultancy or an investment bank with an interest in the sector.

BMI believes that despite growing imports of dry-bulk commodities, supply will continue to outbalance demand in the dry-bulk sector for some time to come. BMI expects overcapacity to remain the major concern for the dry-bulk sector over the medium term.

In supply terms, the outlook for dry-bulk is positive. In terms of commodities markets, Brazil and Australia continue to dominate the iron ore production, while global production of grains is expected to increase around 4% year-on-year (in particular, US corn, South American soya bean, Australian barley).

However – despite growing imports, supply will continue to outbalance demand. Global dry-bulk capacity will expand 14% this year, far outpacing a 6% rise in demand, China COSCO, China’s largest shipping conglomerate, has said.

The current global dry-bulk fleet stands at 7,957 vessels, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence. There are 2,749 vessels on order, up 2,466 y-o-y, representing 34.5% of the current fleet. Of these, 1,555, about 20% of the current fleet, are due online in 2011. Given the current supply demand imbalance, this orderbook is certainly a cause for concern.

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Business Monitor International Launches Latest Report in India

Business Monitor International (BMI) has announced the launch of its latest report on India’s Information Technology industry.

The report includes BMI’s market assessment and independent 5 forecast to end 2015, covering personal computers and software; semi-conductors, memory chips, integrated circuits and general components; the internet and IT solutions.

The India analysis report also analyses regulatory changes (licensing, customs and intellectual property protection) and competitive landscapes comparing multinational and national IT companies by products, sales, market share, investments, projects and expansion strategies.

BMI’s India Information Technology Report provides industry professionals and strategists, corporate analysts, IT associations, government departments and regulatory bodies with independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on the IT industry in India. The report is vital for all these groups to benchmark BMI’s independent 5-year IT industry forecasts to test other views – a key input for successful budgetary and strategic business planning in the India IT market. It is also vital because it allows them to target business opportunities and risks in India’s IT sector through reviews of latest Information Technology trends regulatory changes, and major deals, projects and investments in India. Finally, it allows these groups to assess the activities, strategy and market position of competitors, partners and clients via Company Profiles, including KPIs and latest activity.

In 2011, India’s potentially vast IT market should consolidate its strong performance in 2010 thanks to an improving economy and consumer sentiment. Computer shipments were up by around 30% in 2010 compared with 2009, and although growth is expected to moderate in 2011 due to base effects, it should remain comfortably in double-digits.

Less than 3% of people in India own a computer (about one-fifth of the level in China), meaning particular potential in the lower end product range. However, realisation of this long-term growth potential depends on fundamental drivers such as raising India’s low computer penetration, rising incomes, falling computer prices and the government’s ambitions to connect the vast rural areas to the outside world.

However, the key threat to the Indian IT sector is the global economic slowdown and rising costs that will impact on consumer and business sentiment.

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Tax Issues Not So Bad With The Right Help

No one likes the thought of facing a tax investigation. In fact, we would all prefer not to have to even pay taxes at all. But the reality is that there are some things we can’t ignore. If HM Revenue and Customs come after you, the only way to handle it is to face them head on. Facing a tax investigation is likely to be stressful and inconvenient for you, your business and even your family. A tax investigation usually means a detailed and intrusive investigation of your business and personal affairs. The good news is that if you ever have to face such a procedure there are professional tax advisers that can help you.

Although a tax investigation can never be taken lightly, the experienced professionals at Rooney Tax Services can certainly help take the stress out of one. When you need a tax investigation service Birmingham firm Rooney Tax Services should be the first place you call. They have over 25 years’ experience of handling all types of tax investigations, tax enquiries and tax disclosures, and are dedicated to meeting the needs of any and every client facing such issues. Special Investigations (SI), Civil Investigation of Fraud (CIF), local office investigations and offshore disclosures under the New Disclosure Opportunity (NDO) are just a few examples of the kind of issues Rooney Tax Services help clients with. Whatever kind of tax issues you are facing, the experts at Rooney Tax Services will help you handle them.

In a recent case HMRC were being a bit aggressive in verifying liabilities and taking a very long time to advance in the case. Rooney Tax Services applied for a closure notice. HMRC resisted, wanting to drag the case on further and make more enquiries. Rooney Tax Services then presented the situation to a tribunal judge, who agreed with them in favour of the client. The case was then promptly resolved. This is just one example of what Rooney Tax Services can do for its clients.

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Confused.com Uncover the Nation’s Amorous Auto Habits

Confused.com has revealed that almost half* of male drivers in the UK admit that they have had got frisky in their car, and almost 30% of women admit this too. However, having an argument is a more likely pursuit, with nearly 60% of men and almost 63% of women fighting with their loved ones while in the car.

Other popular pastimes while in a vehicle include dumping a boyfriend/girlfriend (10% of men and 8% of women), being dumped (6% of men and 5% of women), flirting with another driver (24% of men and 18% of women), eating something (73% of men and 76% of women) and having a nap (42% of men and 29% of women).

Men voted Audi drivers the sexiest women drivers (21%) and women agreed, also voting male Audi drivers top with 31%. Male BMW drivers are considered second sexiest by women, with 25%. Men’s second choice was female Mini Cooper drivers with 14%.

The city admitting the most car friskiness is Brighton with 68% of drivers admitting having done the deed in their cars, while only 22% of drivers in Worcester say they have got frisky while in their cars.

Drivers were also asked how often they have sex each week, with the highest average of 2.9 times per week among those living in Coventry.

Gareth Kloet, head of car insurance at Confused.com said: “The results of this Confused.com survey bring a new meaning to the UK being a nation of car lovers. Although this is not a rating question that insurers would ask when people are applying for car insurance, perhaps it’s something we should look at in the future, judging by how many people are getting frisky in their cars.”

Via EPR Network
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Diamond Reveals The Most Popular Hairdresser’s Car

Diamond has revealed that the Mini One is the most popular car among British hairdressers.

The term ‘hairdresser’s car’ has long been used to describe sporty little run-arounds popular with nation’s style conscious hair stylists. Women’s car insurance specialist Diamond decided to find out what hairdressers really drive and can reveal that the most popular, and therefore ultimate ‘hairdresser’s car’, is the Mini One.

Diamond looked at data from over 18,000 hairdressers to create a definitive list of the most popular cars amongst Britain’s hairdressers*. The Mini One is three and a half times more likely to be driven by a hairdresser than everyone else. The next most popular for hairdressers are the Vauxhall Tigra and Volkswagen Beetle, which are both more than three times as popular with hairdressers than the rest of the UK. Rounding out the top five are the Ford Ka and Mini Cooper.

Commenting on the findings, Diamond managing director, Elwyn Gedrych said: “It’s not surprising that the Mini One is so popular amongst hairdressers, as it’s stylish, modern and looks great. In fact, with two Mini models in the top 5, that certainly cements its place as the ultimate ‘hairdresser’s car’.”

Diamond also wanted to see if hairdressers like to show off their perfectly coiffered locks in a convertible car. It found that they’re happy to have the wind through their hair as they’re 33% more likely than non-hairdressers to drive one.

Via EPR Network
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Standard Life Reveals One In Eight UK Adult Can’t Wait For Greater Reward

Standard Life, the long term savings and investments specialist, has conducted a poll and found that one in eight of UK adults adopt a ‘live for the moment’ culture and would choose the instant gratification of a £640 holiday this year, rather than be willing to wait five years for a holiday worth £5,000 instead.*

The figures come from Standard Life’s UK-wide poll and prize draw**, in partnership with boutique hotel specialist i-escape.com, which investigates the nation’s attitudes to planning for the future. Entrants have to vote on which prize they would prefer; a short break this year worth £640, or a holiday of a lifetime in five years time worth £5,000.

Standard Life’s John Lawson said: “Planning five years ahead is something many people find difficult to imagine or do their best to avoid. Our poll shows that some people just seem too impatient to wait for greater rewards in the future, no matter how enticing they are. But being patient and taking a long term view on your finances is precisely what helps you achieve your goals and, ensures you remain financially secure. It might seem easier to take a short term view, but unless you plan ahead how else can you look forward to your future with confidence and optimism?”

Standard Life also points out that if everyone was this impatient, the world would be a far different place. If one in eight of the doctors employed by the NHS weren’t patient enough to finish their studies, the UK would have 14,061 fewer doctors**. Inventions such as the Dyson vacuum cleaner may also have never been made if the inventor Mr James Dyson has been impatient, as it took five years to develop the iconic bagless vacuum cleaner***.

Via EPR Network
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