Archive for December, 2009

It really is grimmer up north


21 Dec 2009

Would Bradford artist David Hockney agree it’s grim up north?

They say it’s grim up north.

And according to a quality of life study they are right – apparently people in southern England enjoy a higher quality of life than those in northern regions of the UK.

Banking group Halifax said 28 out of the top 30 local authorities that offer the best quality of life are in southern England, with Rutland and Blaby in Leicester the only places outside of the south to make it on to the list.

Places in the South East accounted for 19 of the top 30 local authorities for quality of life, while there were six in the East of England, two in London and one in the South West.

The highest ranked region in the North East was Castle Morpeth, in Northumberland, which ranked 43rd overall, while Hambleton, in 85th place, was the highest ranked local authority in Yorkshire.

Elmbridge in Surrey topped Halifax’s quality of life survey – which scored local authorities in Great Britain according to a range of factors, such as employment, earnings, home-ownership, the environment, education and health – for the second year running.

The bank said 95% of people in Elmbridge were in good health, people in the area had a high average life expectancy of 81.1 years, higher-than-average weekly earnings of £1,064, while 76% owned their own home.

The area also had above average employment rates, while children got above average GCSE results, and it typically enjoyed a good climate with 32.7 hours of sunshine a week and less than average rainfall.

East Hertfordshire was identified as offering the second highest quality of life, followed by Surrey Heath, Uttlesford in Essex, and Sevenoaks.

No local authorities in Scotland made it into the top 100, with Aberdeenshire the highest ranked area at 153rd.

Wales fared even worse, with the Vale of Glamorgan offering the best quality of life in the region, but coming only 194th overall.

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Tags: North

MSNBC Reports: Job Losses Send Disability Claims Soaring


19 Dec 2009

The impact that the twin forces of a deep recession and an aging boomer population is having on increasing disability claims across the country is no news to Frankel & Newfield. The phone calls and emails received in our office over the last six months are from people between a rock and a hard place. In a kinder economic environment, the workplace might have been more flexible with doctor’s appointments and more than usual sick days. Today there’s little room for employees with problems, regardless of circumstances. And once a disabled person is out of work, there are fewer opportunities, and fewer options. A formerly healthy and hardworking person who is out of work and applying for disability because of illness or an accident should not be treated like a slacker.

Frankel & Newfield does not represent clients with Social Security claims. If you have a disability claim through a plan offered by your employer or a private disability insurance policy and you are concerned about protecting your benefits, call us.

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Tags: Claims Disability Claims

Desperate parents turn to kids’ savings accounts


19 Dec 2009

Many parents have plundered kids’ savings accounts during the recession. Full Article…

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Tags: Accounts Savings Accounts

Give a gift that can keep on growing


19 Dec 2009

 One of the best gifts anyone ever gave me were savings bonds.
 
I don’t remember their face value. All I know is I redeemed them for far more than grandpa paid out in the early ’70s.
 
They covered most of the cost of the first car I bought, a used Toyota Tercel. That blue aluminum can got me through Indiana winters, an internship in Louisiana and my first newspaper gig in New Mexico.
 
It served me well. But a larger lesson prevailed: How money, properly invested, grows dramatically with time.
 
This holiday, it’s hard to be cheery with so many of us unemployed or underpaid, digging out of debt and still angry about last year’s financial fiasco. What better time to give a gift that emphasizes the virtues of saving? The value of growing money?
 
If you’re scrambling for a meaningful last-minute gift, here are some ideas that fit the bill. Pun intended.
 
Start your own bank: Holidays are for miracles, so give the miracle of compounding. Even if Ben Bernanke won’t.
 < Full Article…

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Tags: Gift Gift Keep

How To Be One Of The Frugal Rich.


18 Dec 2009

I just read an interesting interview with Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D from bankrate.com, and I thought I share some of the highlights with you.

The interview is based around Dr. Stanley’s new book Stop Acting Rich: …And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire, and he discusses some more commonalities between the rich and how it sets them apart from the rest of the population.

Here are some of the interesting points Dr. Stanley raised in the interview.

1. The rich are very frugal.

Many of “the rich” had parents that were not only frugal, but well disciplined. This makes a lot of sense since discipline is required to succeed in anything at life, aside from simply getting lucky like winning the lottery.

2. Most millionaires today came from middle-class backgrounds.

They don’t come from affluent families, and they didn’t inherit their wealth. In fact, Dr. Stanley’s research shows that most came from comfortable, middle class families. They say they

Full Article…

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Keeping the Local Food Movement Hot


17 Dec 2009

Entrepreneurs are flocking to local food, starting businesses devoted to producing and delivering food within their communities. Just as consumers focus new attention on what we eat and where it comes from, farmers, foodmakers, restaurateurs, retailers, distributors, and processors are rethinking the business models behind it. They want to create enterprises that will succeed in the long run for local food to be more than just a fad or a luxury for wealthy Western consumers.

A report, “Community Food Enterprise: Local Success in a Global Marketplace,” spotlights 24 ventures around the world that are pioneering models for local food.They range from the sprawling Organic Valley farmer co-operative, which ships more than $500 million in dairy and other products annually, to a caterer in Zambia that has branched out to selling processed food and equipment. The examples include private companies, co-ops, and nonprofits. Whatever the form, all the enterprises are locally controlled and aim to be sustainable business operations, not dependent on grants or government subsidies.

The 190-page report, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the W.K.

Full Article…

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Tags: Food Local Food

Pressure on families this Christmas


17 Dec 2009

Many families will spend less this year

Christmas is a time for giving, but 2009 may be remembered as the year we all gave less.

Four out of 10 families plan to spend less this Christmas than they did last year because of financial worries, according to a survey of 3,000 parents by the Financial Services Authority.

Parents said they thought they would spend an average of £442 on presents and other festive spending, with 40% expecting to spend less than in 2008 and only 15% expecting to spend more.

Around 16% of parents said they had struggled with money during the past 12 months, while 3% admitted their finances were so bad they had been forced to speak to their lenders about repayment options and were struggling to pay their bills.

The biggest concern among families was not getting into arrears on utility bills, followed by being able to keep up with their rent or mortgage and being able to provide enough food for their family.

They were also worried about saving for the future and being able to afford presents for birthdays and Christmas.

Half of families admitted they would not be able to survive for more than a month if they lost their income through being made redundant or being too ill to work, with 18% admitting they did not have any savings to fall back on at all.

A further 14% of parents admitted they do not keep track of their spending habits, with the same proportion keeping only a mental note of what they spend.

The FSA runs a website, Moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk, which offers people help with budgeting and financial planning.

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Tags: Christmas

Travel insurance firm covers airline failure


17 Dec 2009

Direct Line travel insurance protects against airline failure. Holidaymakers who are concerned by the number of airline companies going out of business may find peace of mind if they take out a travel insurance policy with Direct Line.

The insurer has introduced a new level of cover that protects policyholders in the event that their airline goes bust.

While the policy cannot remove the inconvenience of having to make alternative travel arrangements, it will at least ensure that holidaymakers are not left out of pocket by covering the cost of a flight home.

Furthermore, Direct Line’s policy insures against the financial failure of hotels, villa rental and car hire companies, as well as excursion providers and other services.

Jennifer Thomas, from Direct Line Travel Insurance, pointed out that many holidaymakers now book directly with airlines and hotels to save money, meaning that they do not gain the protection afforded by schemes such as Atol or Abta.

“With our updated travel insurance policies, our customers can now travel with increased peace of mind, knowing that they will be covered in the unfortunate event of a supplier’s collapse,” she confirmed.

Tourists should always check the small print on their travel insurance documentation to ensure they have purchased sufficient cover for all eventualities.

The importance of caution was underlined by the news on Wednesday (December 16th) that Scottish airline Flyglobespan had collapsed, leaving thousands of passengers in need of alternative flights. Full Article…

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Tags: Airline Failure Failure Travel Insurance

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