Since 1st September 2002, all new parents have received a £250 voucher to invest on behalf of their child, called a Child Trust Fund (CTF). When the child turns 18 he or she can then do with the investment as they please.
The Child Trust Fund was bought in to give young adults a start in life. If invested wisely the original sum can build up fairly significantly. Parent who earn less than £15, 575 a year; receive an extra £250, doubling the amount they can invest on behalf of their child. Parents can add to the amount to a sum of up to £1,200 each year.
There are three ways that this money can be invested. The first is in a Savings Account. The advantage of this is that the value cannot be reduced. When he/she turns 18 the child receives the invested amount plus the interest in has gained. The downside of this option is that although interested is guaranteed, it is not going to increase dramatically, and the increase could be less than inflation. Investing the Child Trust Fund in company shares could be the most profitable, but is also the riskiest option. If the companies in question do well the amount could increase significantly, but there is the possibility that the shares could go down. A stake holder account is the third and final option. Like shares, the fund is invested in company shares. However there are certain government rules that make them less risky, but also less profitable if things go well. It is spread around different shares, which again makes the risk smaller. With a stake holder account the money starts to be moved into small risk investments once the child is 13.
If the parents do not use the voucher within one year of their child’s birth, the money is invested in a stake holder account by the government. This means the choice is taken out of the hands of the parents. Even if this is how the parents would choose to invest the Child Trust Fund, there is still the disadvantage that they have lost a years worth of investment.
As well as the obvious benefit of giving an 18 year old a sum of money to start their adult life with, according to the government there are other advantages. They say it gets children into the habit of saving, teaches them the benefits of saving, and helps them understand person finance.
There is no doubt that this government scheme is helpful to young adults, as it gives them a financial head start. Even the original £250 would be helpful, but once that has been invested, especially if wisely and with a bit of luck, it could be a big boost to an 18 year old.
Andrew Marshall ©
Child Trust Fund
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Investing in a Recession
As we all know we are currently in recession. How bad it will be and how long it will last is the subject of much debate. At it will be no surprise to hear that this means there are less and less people making investments. However, just because there is a recession does not mean it is necessarily a bad time to invest. It all depends on your personal situation and how you invest. There certainly are advantages to investing in a recession.
When there is recession shares drop, and some become extremely low. But this can work out to the investor’s advantage. Investing when shares are low obviously means that you are paying less for your shares. Therefore once they rise again, which hopefully one day they will, you stand to make a big profit. Of course this all depends on making the right decision. You don’t want to invest in a business that is going to collapse. Investing in a recession is all about timing. Time it right and you could buy shares at their lowest, just before the go up again, and watch them rocket.
There are certain shares that will always rise, whether there is a recession or not. They may not rise as quickly as normal, but they will still rise. Of course knowing which shares these are is the tricky part. For example, the British supermarket, Tesco, has just announced record annual profits of £3.13 billion. That is not just a record for them, but for any British company. So anyone who had Tesco share, even in a recession, has benefited, and anyone who sold them because of the recession is probably regretting it. A recession gets rid of inadequate businesses. This means that the cream rises to the top. So investing in the right business is crucial. There are businesses that people need during a recession, and these are areas to look into if you are looking to invest.
Many new businesses are also started during a recession. Some people see an opportunity for something that will prosper in touch financial times. There are also many people who loose their jobs in a recession and then start their own business. Just because someone has been made redundant does not mean that they don’t know what they are doing, and many new business that come out of a recession become very successful. Investing in a new business, where shares start off low, is another area that could be worth looking in to.
When investing it is always important to be careful. This is even more the case in a recession. It is a good idea not to take too bigger risk, and leave plenty of money aside. It is also important to seek advice when investing, especially if you are new to the game.
Andrew Marshall ©
When there is recession shares drop, and some become extremely low. But this can work out to the investor’s advantage. Investing when shares are low obviously means that you are paying less for your shares. Therefore once they rise again, which hopefully one day they will, you stand to make a big profit. Of course this all depends on making the right decision. You don’t want to invest in a business that is going to collapse. Investing in a recession is all about timing. Time it right and you could buy shares at their lowest, just before the go up again, and watch them rocket.
There are certain shares that will always rise, whether there is a recession or not. They may not rise as quickly as normal, but they will still rise. Of course knowing which shares these are is the tricky part. For example, the British supermarket, Tesco, has just announced record annual profits of £3.13 billion. That is not just a record for them, but for any British company. So anyone who had Tesco share, even in a recession, has benefited, and anyone who sold them because of the recession is probably regretting it. A recession gets rid of inadequate businesses. This means that the cream rises to the top. So investing in the right business is crucial. There are businesses that people need during a recession, and these are areas to look into if you are looking to invest.
Many new businesses are also started during a recession. Some people see an opportunity for something that will prosper in touch financial times. There are also many people who loose their jobs in a recession and then start their own business. Just because someone has been made redundant does not mean that they don’t know what they are doing, and many new business that come out of a recession become very successful. Investing in a new business, where shares start off low, is another area that could be worth looking in to.
When investing it is always important to be careful. This is even more the case in a recession. It is a good idea not to take too bigger risk, and leave plenty of money aside. It is also important to seek advice when investing, especially if you are new to the game.
Andrew Marshall ©
Investing in a Recession
As we all know we are currently in recession. How bad it will be and how long it will last is the subject of much debate. At it will be no surprise to hear that this means there are less and less people making investments. However, just because there is a recession does not mean it is necessarily a bad time to invest. It all depends on your personal situation and how you invest. There certainly are advantages to investing in a recession.
When there is recession shares drop, and some become extremely low. But this can work out to the investor’s advantage. Investing when shares are low obviously means that you are paying less for your shares. Therefore once they rise again, which hopefully one day they will, you stand to make a big profit. Of course this all depends on making the right decision. You don’t want to invest in a business that is going to collapse. Investing in a recession is all about timing. Time it right and you could buy shares at their lowest, just before the go up again, and watch them rocket.
There are certain shares that will always rise, whether there is a recession or not. They may not rise as quickly as normal, but they will still rise. Of course knowing which shares these are is the tricky part. For example, the British supermarket, Tesco, has just announced record annual profits of £3.13 billion. That is not just a record for them, but for any British company. So anyone who had Tesco share, even in a recession, has benefited, and anyone who sold them because of the recession is probably regretting it. A recession gets rid of inadequate businesses. This means that the cream rises to the top. So investing in the right business is crucial. There are businesses that people need during a recession, and these are areas to look into if you are looking to invest.
Many new businesses are also started during a recession. Some people see an opportunity for something that will prosper in touch financial times. There are also many people who loose their jobs in a recession and then start their own business. Just because someone has been made redundant does not mean that they don’t know what they are doing, and many new business that come out of a recession become very successful. Investing in a new business, where shares start off low, is another area that could be worth looking in to.
When investing it is always important to be careful. This is even more the case in a recession. It is a good idea not to take too bigger risk, and leave plenty of money aside. It is also important to seek advice when investing, especially if you are new to the game.
Andrew Marshall ©
Investment Trusts
When there is recession shares drop, and some become extremely low. But this can work out to the investor’s advantage. Investing when shares are low obviously means that you are paying less for your shares. Therefore once they rise again, which hopefully one day they will, you stand to make a big profit. Of course this all depends on making the right decision. You don’t want to invest in a business that is going to collapse. Investing in a recession is all about timing. Time it right and you could buy shares at their lowest, just before the go up again, and watch them rocket.
There are certain shares that will always rise, whether there is a recession or not. They may not rise as quickly as normal, but they will still rise. Of course knowing which shares these are is the tricky part. For example, the British supermarket, Tesco, has just announced record annual profits of £3.13 billion. That is not just a record for them, but for any British company. So anyone who had Tesco share, even in a recession, has benefited, and anyone who sold them because of the recession is probably regretting it. A recession gets rid of inadequate businesses. This means that the cream rises to the top. So investing in the right business is crucial. There are businesses that people need during a recession, and these are areas to look into if you are looking to invest.
Many new businesses are also started during a recession. Some people see an opportunity for something that will prosper in touch financial times. There are also many people who loose their jobs in a recession and then start their own business. Just because someone has been made redundant does not mean that they don’t know what they are doing, and many new business that come out of a recession become very successful. Investing in a new business, where shares start off low, is another area that could be worth looking in to.
When investing it is always important to be careful. This is even more the case in a recession. It is a good idea not to take too bigger risk, and leave plenty of money aside. It is also important to seek advice when investing, especially if you are new to the game.
Andrew Marshall ©
Investment Trusts
Monday, April 20, 2009
PAT Testing - How often appliances should be tested
PAT testing is the legal requirements as to how portable appliances need to be tested. However the requirement are very broad and it is not always obvious what must be tested, and how often they must be tested.
All appliances used in public areas such as schools, hospitals, shops and hotels must be PAT tested. As must appliances used by anyone who has employees working for them (e.g. IT equipment in offices), and anyone who hires or supplies portable appliances. This includes any appliances that come with rented accommodation.
Although it is a clear guideline that portable appliances must be tested, it is not clear how often. There are no guidelines what so ever as to the regularity of these tests. This means that the law is not being broken if something has not been tested for several years, but it could still be a health and safety issue. If it has not been tested for a long period of time, then it is very possible that it is no longer as safe as it was when tested. Therefore it would make much more sense if there were specific regulations as to the regularity of PAT testing. This could vary depending on the type of appliance and the risk associated with them.
The IEE (Institute of Electrical Engineers) has drawn up a list of guideline as to how often they think appliances in certain environments should be tested. They say that construction sites should be tested every three months, industrial sites and equipment used by the public every 6 or 12 months, schools every 12 or 48 months, and hotels, offices and shops every 6, 12 or 24 month. They suggest the exact regularity (for example where 12 or 48 months) should depend on the exact equipment. They say that it is most important that stationary equipment is testing regularly, followed by IT equipment, moveable equipment, portable equipment, and finally hand-held equipment.
These IEE guideline, though, are just guidelines. There are no regulations, and perhaps something similar to their guidelines should become the legal regulation. In 2007 a fire caused a hospital’s intensive care unit to be closed for several days due to an electrical fault. This is the type of incident that could be prevented if there were stricter regulations regarding PAT testing
PAT testing is very important in testing the safety of portable appliances, and should be carried out regularly to avoid potential safety issues. Therefore there should be tighter regulations, rather than just leaving it up to each individual person or company to decide how often to carry out these tests.
The current set of regulations leave it too much up to the individual person or people responsible, and if they don’t interpret the regulations in the right way, they may not be legally doing anything wrong, but they could still have problematic, or in extreme cases fatal consequences.
Andrew Marshall ©
All appliances used in public areas such as schools, hospitals, shops and hotels must be PAT tested. As must appliances used by anyone who has employees working for them (e.g. IT equipment in offices), and anyone who hires or supplies portable appliances. This includes any appliances that come with rented accommodation.
Although it is a clear guideline that portable appliances must be tested, it is not clear how often. There are no guidelines what so ever as to the regularity of these tests. This means that the law is not being broken if something has not been tested for several years, but it could still be a health and safety issue. If it has not been tested for a long period of time, then it is very possible that it is no longer as safe as it was when tested. Therefore it would make much more sense if there were specific regulations as to the regularity of PAT testing. This could vary depending on the type of appliance and the risk associated with them.
The IEE (Institute of Electrical Engineers) has drawn up a list of guideline as to how often they think appliances in certain environments should be tested. They say that construction sites should be tested every three months, industrial sites and equipment used by the public every 6 or 12 months, schools every 12 or 48 months, and hotels, offices and shops every 6, 12 or 24 month. They suggest the exact regularity (for example where 12 or 48 months) should depend on the exact equipment. They say that it is most important that stationary equipment is testing regularly, followed by IT equipment, moveable equipment, portable equipment, and finally hand-held equipment.
These IEE guideline, though, are just guidelines. There are no regulations, and perhaps something similar to their guidelines should become the legal regulation. In 2007 a fire caused a hospital’s intensive care unit to be closed for several days due to an electrical fault. This is the type of incident that could be prevented if there were stricter regulations regarding PAT testing
PAT testing is very important in testing the safety of portable appliances, and should be carried out regularly to avoid potential safety issues. Therefore there should be tighter regulations, rather than just leaving it up to each individual person or company to decide how often to carry out these tests.
The current set of regulations leave it too much up to the individual person or people responsible, and if they don’t interpret the regulations in the right way, they may not be legally doing anything wrong, but they could still have problematic, or in extreme cases fatal consequences.
Andrew Marshall ©
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Family Law relating to Children
Family Law regarding children varies massively depending on the parent’s relationship. When parents separate, their involvement with their children could be hugely different depending on whether they were married or not. Parents who were married will both usually have significant contact with a child, whereas the Father’s rights are much diminished if they were not. The law treats married and unmarried Father’s very differently.
When a married couple with children divorce, they are both legally entitled to full involvement in their child’s life and in decisions affecting their upbringing. The absent parent has an automatic right to know where their child is living and to see them on a regular basis. He/she will have a legal right to certain information such as school and medical reports. These factors are designed to benefit the child, meaning they have the advantages of being with both parents.
If separated parents were not married, then the Mother has automatic parental responsibility. This means that the Father’s rights are not the same as married Father’s. He cannot prevent his child from taking their Mother’s surname, even if he/she previously had his surname. The Father is also unable to take his child abroad on holiday, and has no say in the child’s religion or school. If fact he could have no say in the child’s life what so ever. He doesn’t even have an automatic right to look after his child if the child’s Mother dies. Unmarried Father’s are treated similarly to step-father’s even though the are the biological Father.
There are of course exceptions to these general rules. The law regarding unmarried Father’s has changed with regards to children born since 1st December 2003. If a Father’s name appears on the birth certificate and his child was born after this date he has the same legal rights as a previously married Father. However the law for children born prior to this date remains the same.
There are exceptional circumstances where divorced Father’s are not given their normal rights. These will be cases where it is considered in the child’s best interests that their Father does not have such as active involvement, or no involvement as all. Meanwhile there are ways in which unmarried Father’s can request more involvement. The agreement of the child’s Mother is the most obvious, and most Mother’s are happy for the Father to have an active role. However, if the Mother does not agree it can be very difficult for the Father. They might then have to resort to getting a court order to force the Mother to allow access.
Many are surprised when they hear of the lack of rights that unmarried Father’s have. The good news for Father’s who will be in this position in the future is that the law has changed since December 2003. However, the difficulties to those Father’s with children born previously to this are still the same as they always have been. The reason stated for both parents being involved in their child’s future if they were previously married is that it is for the good of the child. Surely then, the same should apply to unmarried Father’.
Andrew Marshall ©
Family Law Solicitor
When a married couple with children divorce, they are both legally entitled to full involvement in their child’s life and in decisions affecting their upbringing. The absent parent has an automatic right to know where their child is living and to see them on a regular basis. He/she will have a legal right to certain information such as school and medical reports. These factors are designed to benefit the child, meaning they have the advantages of being with both parents.
If separated parents were not married, then the Mother has automatic parental responsibility. This means that the Father’s rights are not the same as married Father’s. He cannot prevent his child from taking their Mother’s surname, even if he/she previously had his surname. The Father is also unable to take his child abroad on holiday, and has no say in the child’s religion or school. If fact he could have no say in the child’s life what so ever. He doesn’t even have an automatic right to look after his child if the child’s Mother dies. Unmarried Father’s are treated similarly to step-father’s even though the are the biological Father.
There are of course exceptions to these general rules. The law regarding unmarried Father’s has changed with regards to children born since 1st December 2003. If a Father’s name appears on the birth certificate and his child was born after this date he has the same legal rights as a previously married Father. However the law for children born prior to this date remains the same.
There are exceptional circumstances where divorced Father’s are not given their normal rights. These will be cases where it is considered in the child’s best interests that their Father does not have such as active involvement, or no involvement as all. Meanwhile there are ways in which unmarried Father’s can request more involvement. The agreement of the child’s Mother is the most obvious, and most Mother’s are happy for the Father to have an active role. However, if the Mother does not agree it can be very difficult for the Father. They might then have to resort to getting a court order to force the Mother to allow access.
Many are surprised when they hear of the lack of rights that unmarried Father’s have. The good news for Father’s who will be in this position in the future is that the law has changed since December 2003. However, the difficulties to those Father’s with children born previously to this are still the same as they always have been. The reason stated for both parents being involved in their child’s future if they were previously married is that it is for the good of the child. Surely then, the same should apply to unmarried Father’.
Andrew Marshall ©
Family Law Solicitor
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Choosing the right Criminal Law Solicitor
If you have been charged with a criminal offence, no matter how major or minor, it is crucial that you find the right solicitor. This should be chosen with regards to your specific situation, and there are many things to take into consideration.
You need to make sure you do your research. You wouldn’t buy a house or car without doing some research, so don’t when choosing a solicitor either. This is a much more important decision than buying anything. You shouldn’t just use the first solicitor you find either. You need to draw up a list of several solicitors within your local area, before going through a process to narrow them down. The wrong solicitor could cause you all sorts of problems, while picking the right one could produce the outcome you are looking for.
Possibly the most important issue you need to focus on is finding a solicitor who specialises in the right area. You don’t want a divorce or personal injury solicitor. You need to make sure you have someone who specialises in criminal law and has relevant experience in this area. You can usually find a solicitor’s specialities by looking at their website. You should also search for any articles or court records relating to them. This should give you an idea of their experience as well as their reputation.
After continuing to narrow down you original list you should be left with a few criminal law solicitors you are still considering. Now you only have a few left, it is time to meet the remaining options face to face. This should give you an idea of how they can help you, as well as their professionalism. It is important that he or she is someone you can have a working relationship with.
Price can also be important. Although the solicitor who can get you the best results is priceless, it needs to be at a price you can afford. Make sure you know what each solicitor’s pricing structure is before you pick one to represent you. This is not the most important factor, but it should still be taking into consideration.
Once you have gone through a process of looking at all the options thoroughly, you should be in the position to choose the solicitor that is right for you. There are many different areas to think about, but it is a decision you must get right.
Andrew Marshall ©
Monday, October 1, 2007
Top Podcast Hosting
Here are list of the best and selected podcast hosting I found on internet, some are free podcast hosting.
1.Hipcast/Audioblog
Audio video podcast start from $9.95/month, free trial for 7 days
2.BlastPodcast
Free podcast hosting, earn revenue from your podcast
3.Jellycast
Actually it is free podcast hosting but require $10 setup fee to avoid abuse from spammer.
4.Podcast FM
Has a free plan, and first month free for all plans, starting from £4.95/month
5.PodKive
Up to 120GB Storage Space for enterprise podcast solution
6.Podcast Ready
Best Free Podcast hosting. Podcast Ready makes finding, managing and delivering podcasts easier.
7.SwitchPod
Free 450MB podcast hosting and unmetered bandwidth
8.PodshowCreator
Complete Podcast hosting solutions from free to dedicated podcast hosting
9.Avmypodcast
Podcast hosting selected by Yamaha Musical Instruments
10. PodBean
Best Free Podcast Hosting with complete high-end features.
11.Godaddy
Big Hosting company made entry in podcast industry. Affordable with huge space hosting.
12.Ourmedia
Free community podcast hosting.
13.OdeoStudio
Create and publish podcast for free.
14.CreativeCommons Publisher
Tag your audio and video files with information about your license and upload to internet archive for free hosting
15.Podomatic
Free with 500MB storage and 15GB/month bandwidth
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