Annuity : Tax Software For Professionals

Michael asks? Do Tax professionals usually use tax software when they prepare people’s tax returns? I want to know this as I am taking income tax classes and I am not sure If I should focus on just going the … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.newstakeholderpensions.info/annuity-tax-software-for-professionals/

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Treating Customers Fairly?

My company is termed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) as a ?Small Business?.

Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/bn0fzx/

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Gun control: What can America learn from Britain?

US conservatives are digging in amid calls for tighter gun laws, with some even claiming Britain is more dangerous than America, despite the lack of firearms here. FactCheck investigates.

Source: http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/gun-control-what-can-america-learn-from-britain/12466

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Verify your Motivations before You Choose Pension Release

Generally, UK pension holders contribute to their personal pension fund or old Company pension fund for the main purpose of having lump sum cash or income when they finally retire. Whilst this may be the primary purpose of pension funds, UK pension holders may find the need to draw from their pension before their retirement [...]

Source: http://www.pensionrelease.org/verify-your-motivations-before-you-choose-pension-release/

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Guest blog ? Dan Jarvis MP

This guest blog was contributed by Dan Jarvis MP. During the winter of 2011/12, 24,000 people died as a result of plummeting temperatures and soaring heating bills.� These deaths did not come without warning. Similar numbers have died every winter … Continue reading →

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AgeUkBlog/~3/VXdcFLe7-_Q/

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Special pleading from insurance industry on NEST restrictions

Today the government’s consultation on the restrictions on [...]

Source: http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/01/special-pleading-from-insurance-industry-on-nest-restrictions/

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Iht : Firefox

Sandy asks? How do i make Firefox the default browser when i click the mail icon on Msn plus? I have msn plus, and want firefox to start up when i click on the mail icon, instead of internet explorer. … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.iiht.info/iht-firefox-70/

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Incorrect pension benefit statements: let the buyer beware ? or not?

Here’s the situation: a pension scheme member, considering retirement or redundancy options, asks for a benefit quote. Unfortunately, there’s a substantial error in the quote, but no-one spots it and the member takes their life-changing decision. When the mistake comes … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.can-i-retire.info/incorrect-pension-benefit-statements-let-the-buyer-beware-or-not/

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Auto-enrolment from a young person?s perspective

Young people know all too little about how [...] Source: http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/01/auto-enrolment-from-a-young-persons-perspective/ pensions uk iht annuity rates stakeholder pensions uk retirement

Source: http://www.statepensionforecast.info/auto-enrolment-from-a-young-persons-perspective/

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Pension Practitioner .com help property developers cut corporation tax when they purchase commercial property.

If your business needs to purchase additional property, but you must keep up your working capital and your business faces a high tax bill; consult Pension Practitioner .com.

They administer for you a small self administered scheme ( SSAS) and ensure that you are registered for tax relief. Your contributions may be structured [...]

Source: http://www.pensionpractitioner.com/blog/pension-practitioner-com-help-property-developers-cut-corporation-tax-when-they-purchase-commercial-property/76/

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From aubergines to Amazon- the unstoppable Vivi Friedgut

I had been hoping�to make an Amazon�bulk purchase�of Vivi Friedgut’s book “Money Smarter- a Family Guide”�but have been frustrated�by the book’s� being virtually sold out. It’s turning into a phenomenon and is on the verge of breaking into Amazon’s top … Continue reading →

Source: http://henrytapper.com/2013/01/23/from-aubergines-to-amazon-the-unstoppable-vivi-friedgut/

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Do you prefer to pay by Fee or Commission?

The Financial Advice sector is due to undergo a major change on 1st January 2013. Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/d1waut/ drawdown state pension forecast uk state pension pension lump sum pension transfer

Source: http://www.the-pension-service.info/do-you-prefer-to-pay-by-fee-or-commission-21/

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Iht : Fandango

Nancy asks? When do tickets for Batman: The Dark Knight go sale? I want to go see the midnight release for this movie and my friend said tickets went on sale a month early. When is the exact day/time they … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.iiht.info/iht-fandango-69/

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Annuity : National Bank Overdraft

Carol asks? National City Bank Overdrafts?? How often does national city bank charge overdraft fees? Sheila Fogart answers: I seem to remember they charge a fee when you do it, and then if you dont put money in within 6 … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.annuitycalculatoruk.info/annuity-national-bank-overdraft/

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Governments can tax corporates despite globalisation: the Robin Hood Tax shows how

Today, European finance ministers (ECOFIN)�took what EU Tax [...] Source: http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/01/governments-can-tax-corporates-despite-globalisation-the-robin-hood-tax-shows-how/ compare pension

Source: http://www.pension-release-uk.info/governments-can-tax-corporates-despite-globalisation-the-robin-hood-tax-shows-how/

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Advice vs. Sales

I couldn?t help but have a wry smile at the ?eminent Wealth Manager? St.James?s Place (SJP) being dragged through a court tribunal, the gist of which concerned the title of this Blog. Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/n2rr7t/ retirement

Source: http://www.can-i-retire.info/advice-vs-sales-10/

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5 Steps for effective business dispute management in 2013

Step 1 – Identify your position • look at exactly what has happened and gather together all key documents such as any relevant contract, terms and conditions, correspondence and e-mails. • identify your key personnel who would be called upon … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.newstakeholderpensions.info/5-steps-for-effective-business-dispute-management-in-2013/

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And the winner is?no one

Once again Europe has spoken and this time it’s the women who will pay – well sort of. The latest diktat from the ECJ has declared that it will no longer be legal for insurance companies to use sex based … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.inheritancetaxthreshold.info/and-the-winner-isno-one-14/

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Top benefits of a COMMON TRUST for SSAS members.

When a SSAS purchases a property on the behalf of its’ members, it does so as a single purchase transaction. It holds the asset in a non-allocated common trust. It is for the benefit of all members, in proportion to … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.newstakeholderpensions.info/top-benefits-of-a-common-trust-for-ssas-members-20/

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Education and training ? the need to reinvent ?wheels?

Source: http://blogs.birminghampost.net/business/2012/12/education-and-training—the-n.html pensions calculator ill health retirement the pension service pension release annuity

Source: http://www.newstakeholderpensions.info/education-and-training-the-need-to-reinvent-wheels-3/

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A cautionary tale

One of my Clients died yesterday...on his 45th birthday.

Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/rcygd0/

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Investment diversification is the key

Volatility...not Grease...has been the word over the last few days in relation to the Stockmarket.

Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/7pedxf/

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Why we?re working with the Government on violence against women

The 57th session of the UN Commission on [...]

Source: http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/01/why-were-working-with-the-government-on-violence-against-women/

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Global hunger: ?ifs? and ?buts?

It’s undoubtedly unfortunate timing that British international development [...]

Source: http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/01/global-hunger-ifs-and-buts/

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Taking meaningful investment choices off the shelf

  I’m� pleased to hear that NEST�is planning to explain its investment�plans that everyone can understand.I visited their offices last week and spoke with their chief investment officer about this. I hope that as part of this explanation , he’ll … Continue reading →

Source: http://henrytapper.com/2013/01/25/taking-meaningful-investment-choices-off-the-shelf/

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The SAR (4): The Independent Assessment Service (IAS)

This post is a direct follow-on to my earlier post regarding fit-notes (and some of the issues surrounding that subject) which can be viewed here:�� http://www.jelfgroup.com/blog/?p=2092 Another�of the key recommendations of the Sickness Absence Review (SAR) was the creation of�a … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.jelfgroup.com/blog/2013/01/the-sar-4-the-independent-assessment-service-ias/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-sar-4-the-independent-assessment-service-ias

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Lets Keep It Civil

Avid readers of Professional Pensions may have seen an ariticle in the 6th September edition regarding the case of Waddy v Foster Wheeler (yes, THAT Foster Wheeler – just can’t seem to keep out of the pension press can it??). … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.pensionforecast.info/lets-keep-it-civil-14/

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Global hunger: ?ifs? and ?buts?

It’s undoubtedly unfortunate timing that British international development [...]

Source: http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/01/global-hunger-ifs-and-buts/

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Does Cameron actually get it about austerity?

I’m not making this up. In leaked/released versions [...]

Source: http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/01/does-cameron-actually-get-it-about-austerity/

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The Pensions Regulator ? what?s new?

I thought the end of the summer holiday period was a good chance to round-up some of the things we’ve heard from the Pensions Regulator over the past couple of months. �In particular, I’ve been looking at the statements on … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.pensionforecast.info/the-pensions-regulator-whats-new-7/

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FactCheck: has David Cameron won the battle of the sexes?

David Cameron says that there are more women working than at any other time in history. Maybe, but are we really in a position to celebrate, FactCheck asks?

Source: http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/factcheck-has-david-cameron-won-the-battle-of-the-sexes/12410

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Iht : Fox News

Betty asks? How is Fox News really fair and balanced? Fixed Fox News reported the black panthers video from 2 years ago non stop 24 hours a day for the last 2 weeks. But they NEVER reported Tea Party’s Mark … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.iiht.info/iht-fox-news-64/

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Where do you stand on taking action?

The pensions day of action on 30 November looks increasingly likely to herald large-scale industrial action, not just in the NHS but also across the whole public sector. Members of the largest unions ? the GMB, Unison and Unite ? … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.annuitycomparison.info/where-do-you-stand-on-taking-action-7/

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Significant Talent Shortage Predicted

Notwithstanding recent headlines about job losses at Hostess Brands, UBS and elsewhere, a new study by McKinsey suggests that global businesses are about to face an unprecedented talent shortage in just a few years. According to "Talent tensions ahead: A CEO Briefing" … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.statepensionforecast.info/significant-talent-shortage-predicted-5/

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Is a SSAS better than a SIPP?

In discussion with Pension Practitioner .com managers. The first of three scheduled meetings. We considered how a SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension) could be relevant from a tax perspective, for sheltering properties and other possible investments. However, Pension Practitioner .com stated that there are circumstances, especially for small to medium sized family businesses, when [...]

Source: http://www.pensionpractitioner.com/blog/is-ssas-better-than-sipp/41/

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Global hunger: ?ifs? and ?buts?

It’s undoubtedly unfortunate timing that British international development [...]

Source: http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/01/global-hunger-ifs-and-buts/

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The Untouchables?

In an earlier life I was the Legal Director of the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority, the predecessor body to the current Pension Regulator. One of the issues which took up a considerable amount of management and investigatory time concerned a scam called ‘Pension Liberation’. It worked like this.
Gullible people desperate for cash would be [...]

Source: http://www.pensionlawyerblog.com/pensions-untouchable

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Pensions & the Self-employed

The Treasury are toying with the limits for Pension contributions. Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/ul1fon/ annuity

Source: http://www.pensiontransferuk.info/pensions-the-self-employed-27/

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PBGC Posts $34 Billion Deficit - Will Insurance Premiums Go Up?

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation ("PBGC") has a challenging job that shows no sign of abating any time soon. In 100+ pages of its just released 2012 annual report, this federal corporation describes its various funding sources and the need for more flexibility. Announcing its largest ever deficit at $34 billion, PBGC management urges Congress to raise the insurance premiums that companies pay, preferably with those fees taking into account an employer's financial health and characteristics of a particular plan. Click to access the 2012 PBGC Annual Report.

In response to news of the increased funding gap, as quoted by Advisor One journalist Melanie Waddell, the head of the American Benefits Council, James Klein, cautions that [The public,] "should not be led to believe the PBGC is in danger of a bailout and Congress and the Obama Administration should not use this number as a pretext to raise premiums paid by pension plan sponsors." He adds that historically low interest rates have "overstated" pension fund liabilities for everyone, including the PBGC. See "PBGC Deficit Hits $34 Billion; Benefits Council Calls Number Misleading" (November 19, 2012). Last year, the same plaint was voiced by the American Benefits Council, the Business Roundtable, the ERISA Industry Committee and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In a joint statement entitled "PBGC Deficit: A Non-Event on the Horizon" (November 11, 2011), the 2011 funding gap was described as "a product of government-created artificially low interest rates[,]" due mainly to a fall in interest rates since late September 2008 that was meant to stimulate the U.S. economy.

As Dr. Susan Mangiero wrote in June 2006, there are many ways to measure pension funding status (and related concepts) and not all of the metrics and methodologies yield the same results. See "Will the Real Pension Deficit Please Stand Up?" (June 22, 2006). It is true that understanding what each number represents is a critical task. It is also true that important decisions should be made on the basis of full information, whether for the PBGC or U.S. corporate employers.

This brings to mind a recent discussion with a financial industry colleague about whether and to what extent the capital markets incorporate the "true" cost of a company's defined benefit plan liability. This is a topic that deserves its own blog post (or two or three) but suffice it to say that the economic obligation associated with a given employee benefit plan(s) is a hugely important issue for any participant, shareholder, creditor or policy-maker to evaluate.

Source: http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/PensionRiskMatters/~3/zZ5nDrkiEpI/

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A European tale of Cameron?s friends: win some, lose some?

The Sun says that David Cameron has a [...]

Source: http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/01/a-european-tale-of-camerons-friends-win-some-lose-some/

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Is a SSAS better than a SIPP?

In discussion with Pension Practitioner .com managers. The first of three scheduled meetings. We considered how a SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension) could be relevant from a tax perspective, for sheltering properties and other possible investments. However, Pension Practitioner .com stated … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.retirementcalculatoruk.info/is-a-ssas-better-than-a-sipp-21/

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Do you review?

At 6.45 a.m. today I enjoyed my weekly business networking fix...good venue, good weather, good company, and a good breakfast!

Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/jjcpg3/

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Iht : Facebook Login

Nancy asks? How long does Facebook keep data of a deleted account? It’s been about 4 months since i permanently deleted my Facebook account. I was wondering if my data is completely erased from their servers or not. Ian Wright … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.iiht.info/iht-facebook-login-62/

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?Comply or explain? ? will ?bottom up? regulation work for pensions?

“Comply or Explain” is a phrase that crept into the “corporate governance” lexicon after the 1992 Cadbury report. The idea’s that rather than demand compliance with Government standards, regulators give companies the option to comply or explain why they haven’t. … Continue reading →

Source: http://henrytapper.com/2013/01/13/comply-or-explain-will-bottom-up-regulation-work-for-pensions/

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unemployment benefits and earnings

The Conservative case for capping benefits is that [...] Source: http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/01/unemployment-benefits-and-earnings/ online dating website facebok login be naugthy find people in face book benaughty facebook

Source: http://www.inheritancetaxthreshold.info/unemployment-benefits-and-earnings/

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The UK Economy: will we see a Happy New Year?

Source: http://blogs.birminghampost.net/business/2012/12/the-uk-economy-will-we-see-a-h.html pension calculator nhs pension pension forecast pensions uk iht

Source: http://www.uk-retirement.info/the-uk-economy-will-we-see-a-happy-new-year/

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Satisfaction or Fairness?

We had a Financial Services Authority (FSA) ?Treating Customers Fairly? (TCF) telephone assessment today.

Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/7nxyby/

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Economic reality killed the videoshop

Source: http://blogs.birminghampost.net/business/2013/01/economic-reality-killed-the-vi.html

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A Flag of Hope Waves in Newtown, Connecticut

For those who don't know, this blogger, Dr. Susan Mangiero, has called a small town in Connecticut home for many years. We are about eight miles south of Newtown, CT. When we first moved here, we joined some 18,000 people, some cows, horses, sheep, chicken and lots of deer. We now have roughly 20,000 individuals who live here. Some commute to New York, New Haven or to lower Fairfield County destinations such as Stamford or Greenwich. Some individuals commute to Providence or Boston on a regular basis. From this corner of the Nutmeg State, life is relatively quiet. The town paper has a weekly crime column that describes events such as mailbox vandalism or raccoon damage to a neighbor's yard.

Until now...

As you no doubt know, yesterday marked an unspeakable tragedy of the death of innocents when a gunman broke into an elementary school and shot nearly thirty people. I can't even begin to fathom the heartbreak of family members who received horrific news. Like so many others throughout the world, I mourn the loss of the teachers who tried to help and the children who could not escape. Everyone has been touched with tears by the unthinkable act that robbed youngsters and adults of memories, laughs and time and reminded us all that what we have is precious and worth acknowledging with gratitude on a continuing basis.

On each of the many trips that I have made to Newtown, usually on my way to Danbury or New York to meet friends or attend business meetings, I have delighted in driving past the bold and impossible to ignore flagpole that sits smack in the middle of the main road. At night, it lights up the surrounding area with a burst of red, white and blue. In the daytime, it says hello against a backdrop of clouds and green trees. It is always a beauty to behold and a quirky reminder that Newtown is the quintessential American small town where proximity is often the same as community. According to real estate professionals Bob and Richelle Ward who researched its origin, the first public flagpole in Newtown was installed in 1876. Since then, it has been replaced several times, with the current version still standing for over sixty years. You can read more about the history by visiting the Newtown Historical Society website. The "Life in Newtown, CT" website credits the photo you see above to David Rowe in Monroe, Connecticut.

It is so hard to say what the future will hold as a result of yesterday's heart-breaking crime. If the past is a harbinger of the future, we do know that the Newtown flag will continue to fly. In a small way, perhaps this will reassure some that there are lovely reminders of a gentle, civil and steady life in this quaint Connecticut locale and elsewhere in the United States and abroad.

Source: http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/PensionRiskMatters/~3/s4FRQgiDZyw/

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Tottenham v Manchester United ? as it happened | Jacob Steinberg

Minute-by-minute report: Clint Dempsey scored in the last minute to cut Manchester United's lead over Manchester City to five points

Jacob Steinberg

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jan/20/tottenham-manchester-united-live-mbm

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Rivers, lakes, wetlands: could water become the world?s biggest market? | Claire Provost

Projects around the world are paying people to protect water resources but too few monitor whether communities benefit In Uganda, a beer brewer is paying communities to protect wetlands in a bid to secure a steady supply of water for … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.inheritancetaxthreshold.info/rivers-lakes-wetlands-could-water-become-the-worlds-biggest-market-claire-provost/

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A cruel choice for politicians ? how to fund care for the elderly

The sight of politicians being forced to make tough decisions and frantically trying to do so in a way that upsets nobody would be grimly entertaining if the consequences were not so frequently disastrous. A case in point is the current anguish over the funding of care for the elderly and the way it fits in with a welfare system that increasingly favours the retired over those of working age.

Read the full blog post here

Source: http://www.iea.org.uk/blog/a-cruel-choice-for-politicians-%E2%80%93-how-to-fund-care-for-the-elderly

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Another perspective on the global financial woes

I couldn’t help but share this with you… Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/v6465y/ pension calculator

Source: http://www.annuitycomparison.info/another-perspective-on-the-global-financial-woes-7/

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Taxing rumours

A rumour is circulating that the Treasury may soon start taxing the retirement lump sum. There was a passing reference on the Radio 4 Today Programme�earlier this week. There has also been speculation that Chancellor George Osborne could announce in … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.pension-release-uk.info/taxing-rumours-18/

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QPAM and INHAM Compliance Audit 101 For ERISA Asset Managers

In this timely and informative webinar hosted by FTI Consulting, legal and compliance experts will provide critical information about the Qualified Professional Asset Manager ("QPAM") exemption and related compliance audit requirement that applies to numerous financial institutions that manage or want to manage ERISA pension money. Speakers will likewise address the merits of managing money for captive ERISA benefit plans and what it means to be an In House Asset Manager ("INHAM").

Getting the right team to conduct the required audit is one important way to mitigate litigation and enforcement risk and to attract and retain institutional dollars. Having a proper audit conducted and using the information to correct deficiencies is another critical step for anyone who understands that non-compliance can be costly.

This timely and informative webinar will address issues that include the following:

• Background information about the new ERISA rule for a Qualified Professional Asset Manager (“QPAM”) audit;
• What it means to be a Qualified Professional Asset Manager or In-House Asset Manager ("INHAM");
• Who must comply and in what timeframe;
• Who can carry out a QPAM /INHAM audit;
• What a QPAM audit entails in terms of information-gathering and scheduling;
• Case study discussion; and 
• How the results of a QPAM audit can be used to improve operations and client relationships.

Who Should Attend:

• Chief Compliance Officers of asset managers
• Business development executives for asset managers
• Internal legal counsel for asset managers and other financial firms
• ERISA consultants and investment advisors

Please join Timothy Brennan, Assistant General Counsel at The Hartford; Howard Pianko, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP; and Susan Mangiero, Managing Director, FTI Forensic & Litigation Consulting as they address these issues and your questions. To attend this free webcast scheduled for Tuesday, October 23, at 1:00 pm Eastern, please click to register for "Managing ERISA Pension Money - QPAM and INHAM 101."

For further information, click to read "Amendment to Prohibited Transaction Exemption (PTE) 84-14 for Plan Asset Transactions Determined by Independent Qualified Professional Asset Managers," Federal Register, July 6, 2010.

Source: http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/PensionRiskMatters/~3/-S_F9dH1yuc/

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A postcard from the night train to Hue

Source: http://blogs.birminghampost.net/business/2012/12/a-postcard-from-the-night-trai.html retirement calculator annuity calculator pensions advisory service can i retire pensions calculator

Source: http://www.pensiontransferuk.info/a-postcard-from-the-night-train-to-hue-2/

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2012: A year of lying shamelessly

We take a look back at the lowlights of 2012 with damned lies and statistics coming thick and fast from across the political spectrum.

Source: http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/2012-a-year-of-lying-shamelessly/12120

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Flu Economics For Companies

If you escaped the flu bug this year, congratulations and best wishes for not getting sick in the next few months. Unfortunately, I was not as lucky. After five tough days of sneezing, coughing and aching, and despite getting a flu shot, I am finally feeling better. I still don't know the culprit other than possibly riding a crowded train last week. Why visibly sick passengers were out and about was a mystery to me until I read "Sniffling, Sneezing and Turning Cubicles Into Sick Bays" by Michael Mason (New York Times, December 26, 2006). He explains that the tendency for employees to show up at work has to do with economics.Some companies do not offer sick pay and days missed translate into a smaller paycheck. In other cases, people tell survey-takers that they feel pressured to show up and fear possible suspension or being fired if they miss work. When companies offer PTO or personal time off, workers may opt to punch the time clock rather than give up days that could instead be spent on vacation. Some companies may not have a telecommuting policy or technology that supports work at home. Other times, individuals may feel that missing work will put them further behind, especially if their firm has downsized and asked those who remain behind to make up the difference.

In what has become known as "presenteeism," the act of attending work while sick has drawn attention from benefits professionals and researchers alike. Companies that scale back benefits may do so to cushion the bottom line but end up losing money. This is because workers who show up sick often underperform while on the job and then infect others around them who in turn get sick and underperform. According to "Unhealthy U.S. Workers' Absenteeism Costs $153 Billion" by Dan Witters and Sangeeta Agrawal (Gallup.com, October 17, 2011), the cost in lost productivity "would increase it if included presenteeism, which is when employees go to work but are less productive in their jobs because of poor health or wellbeing."

Occupational psychologist and founder of a website about work-related behavioral issues, Rebecca Quereshi writes that the topic is viewed differently across countries. She asserts that the UK and European study the "precursors of presenteeism" or why people are compelled to show up to work when they are sick. In contrast, the U.S. focus is on the productivity loss attributable to presenteeism. She adds that "There is widespread agreement that presenteeism accounts for more aggregate productivity loss than absenteeism," in large part because it is "much less accounted for." See "Presenteeism in the workplace, reviewed" (January 19, 2011).

In other articles read by this blogger on the topic of healthcare and the bottom line, the point was made that those who make higher incomes may be more inclined to show up at the office when feeling less than robust. Perhaps that is true but what is known for sure is that bad health impacts the bottom line. According to its September 12, 2012 press release, a study conducted by the Integrated Benefits Institute cites absenteeism and presenteeism as contributors to a loss of $227 billion to the U.S. economy.

As companies grapple with new health care rules and regulations and the challenges of a fragile global economy that keeps everyone on a tight budget, individuals are best served by going on the offensive in terms of trying to avoid a cold or the flu. Chicken soup anyone?

Source: http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/PensionRiskMatters/~3/g1WC7BZ5G-A/

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Twilight years & Pension woes?

The Annuity provider Partnership has released research (From ABI, Oxford Economics, and the Office for National Statistics figures) into the retirement prognosis for our current batch of over-50?s. Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/uezrg8/ pension review Source: http://www.annuitycomparison.info/twilight-years-pension-woes-6/ online dating website facebok login be … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.inheritancetaxthreshold.info/twilight-years-pension-woes-9/

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Structured Product suitability

?Suitable? is not a word IFA?s often use in connection with Structured Products. Well, at least not until recently.

Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/akort6/

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Do you have the correct Tax Code?

My dear Mum recently celebrated her 65th birthday. Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/tvsjoi/ retirement

Source: http://www.iiht.info/do-you-have-the-correct-tax-code-13/

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Gun control: What can America learn from Britain?

US conservatives are digging in amid calls for tighter gun laws, with some even claiming Britain is more dangerous than America, despite the lack of firearms here. FactCheck investigates.

Source: http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/gun-control-what-can-america-learn-from-britain/12466

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The SAR response (at last)

Those with a long memory�will remember my�posts on�The Sickness Absence Review (SAR), which also came to be called the Frost/ Black report by�the media. This report was published way back in November 2011, and various parties have been awaiting the … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.jelfgroup.com/blog/2013/01/the-sar-response-at-last/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-sar-response-at-last

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The growing financial advice divide

This time last week, I was conscious of an evening appointment to come, having already visited a gentleman in the morning.

Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/q7f01q/

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My new blog on tax and pension advice for healthcare professionals

Last Wednesday, I attended the ICAEW accountancy institute Healthcare Seminar of which I am the chairman.

The seminar was even more passionate than usual due to the recent and forthcoming changes to financial legislation for both healthcare professionals and citizens alike.

Over the next few weeks, I will advise on some of the relevant topics covered during the seminar.

These areas will include:

read more

Source: http://nhslocal.nhs.uk/blogs/jeremy-syree/2011/02/my-new-blog-tax-and-pension-advice-healthcare-professionals

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GPs! Have you completed your estimate of pensionable pay form?

Please note the importance of the form that every GP practice and every alternative provider of medical services (APMS) practice/centre (that is an employing authority) is legally required to complete and send to their commissioning PCT/LHB prior to the start of the 2011/12 pension year (01, April 2011)

read more

Source: http://nhslocal.nhs.uk/blogs/jeremy-syree/2011/02/gps-have-you-completed-your-estimate-pensionable-pay-form

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Logins, passwords and all that tra la la!

How many times do you log in to a website a day? Just to get online this morning, I had to spend�quarter of an hour telling�Holiday Inn Express all about me. No doubt I have now subscribed�to yet more mailings … Continue reading →

Source: http://henrytapper.com/2013/01/10/log-ins-passwords-and-all-that-tra-la-la/

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A Flag of Hope Waves in Newtown, Connecticut

For those who don’t know, this blogger, Dr. Susan Mangiero, has called a small town in Connecticut home for many years. We are about eight miles south of Newtown, CT. When we first moved here, we joined some 18,000 people, … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.pension-calculator.info/a-flag-of-hope-waves-in-newtown-connecticut/

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Free Checks!

We ensure you are provided with advice from expert advisers. You will have all the information needed to make the right choice and have ALL the facts about whether opting for this is the right choice. PensionRelease.org will can put … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.retirementageuk.info/free-checks-25/

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Learning from Germany

Source: http://blogs.birminghampost.net/business/2013/01/learning-from-germany.html

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Property Developer Case Study

We were contacted by a Liverpool based property developer who owned various sites across the city but because of the lack of bank funding available was unable to build these sites out.

This situation is rampant with small ? medium size developers who have historically had good relationships with their banks but because of the severe financial restrictions imposed to many main stream lenders has become untenable.

Source: http://www.freshinvest.co.uk/blog/property-investment/property-developer-case-study/

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Longevity swaps for pension schemes: playing the long game

I’m often asked what I see as the key trends in the pensions industry over the next few years.� Predicting the future usually ends in tears (I should know, I took out a fixed rate mortgage at 5.5% in 2008!) … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.the-pension-service.info/longevity-swaps-for-pension-schemes-playing-the-long-game-8/

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The time is now?

An article in the Times today (20 Jun 2011) has raised the issue of the development of a two tier occupational pension being provided by companies. Those of us well versed in the machinations of the UK pension industry would … Continue reading →

Source: http://www.pensions-advisory-service.info/the-time-is-now-38/

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UK comedy in crisis and Ant and Dec to go silent

Also in this week's roundup ? the stadium comedy debate rages on, standup comes to the British Museum and is Jimmy Carr to blame for the decline of religion?

This week's comedy news

Is UK comedy is in crisis? That's the view from the US, where comedy website Laughspin has published this interesting piece on Britain's standup bubble bursting. Looking for symptoms? How about John Bishop advising young comics that "you can steal someone's gag here and there" ? as long as you don't plagiarise entire routines. Let's hope that unwise counsel doesn't reach the ears of this year's finalists in the prestigious Leicester Mercury comedian of the year contest, who have just been announced. Hotly tipped Lucy Beaumont is among them. Elsewhere, the Independent reports on a fun-looking gig later this week, as double act Nish Kumar and Tom Neenan become the first comics to perform in the British Museum ? where they'll conduct a comical interactive tour of the history of civilisation.

Elsewhere in Laughing stock, it pays to expect the unexpected. You don't expect to read that Geordie TV darlings Ant and Dec are about to re-launch themselves as latterday Buster Keatons, but here it is: news that the I'm a Celebrity presenters are taking up silent comedy. According to a source quoted in the Sun, "Ant and Dec had a great idea for a comedy which is completely silent. There will be some slapstick, but it won't just be full of physical gags. They have already started working on a script and hopefully they will find time to film it this year or early next." Neither do you expect to read the headline, "First autistic Miss America contestant will perform standup comedy." But so it comes to pass: Miss Montana Alexis Wineman, who is autistic, will also be the only one of 50 participants to perform standup in the "talent" section of the show. Her routine will address women's body-image issues. "One thing I've always loved doing," says Wineman, "is making people laugh."

You also don't expect to find Jimmy Carr blamed when a nativity crib scene is vandalised on a London street. But sure enough, Father Michael Daley of Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Church in Islington has pointed the finger Carr-wards after the incident, which took place on New Year's Eve. On Channel 4's (already contentious) Big Fat Quiz of the Year, the comic "made a comment about people going off to midnight mass to worship an invisible man," Father Michael Daley told the Islington Gazette. "There doesn't seem to be any sensitivity to people's beliefs nowadays. He might think it's amusing to vilify the Christian faith, but it permeates into the consciousness of people. There's nothing wrong with free speech, but sometimes it goes too far." And finally, squillionnaire Donald Trump is threatening to sue comedian Bill Maher for $5m (�3.1m), having made public his birth certificate and thus proved that his father isn't an orangutan. So now it's clear.

Best of the Guardian's comedy coverage

� Should US megastar Louis CK play the O2 ? or writer Bruce Dessau's sofa? The merits and otherwise of stadium comedy debated here

� "25 hours. Jesus. I'm getting too old for this." Comic Mark Watson on his marathon standup show for next month's Comic Relief.

� "As far as I'm concerned, the best theatre and the best standup show is exactly the same" ? a new festival (curated, as it happens, by me) explores the overlap between theatre and comedy

� Charlie Brooker on "the Daily Mail's embarrassing failure to stoke national outrage" over Jack Whitehall's recent limp jokes about the Queen

� "Fuck you, dolphin, you bottle-nosed bastard! What is this shit?" ? Leo Benedictus on Wanda Sykes, in this week's Comedy gold classic DVD review

Controversy of the week

The biggest brouhaha at the start of January was over comedians ? Jack Whitehall and James Corden, to be exact ? drinking too much. Now it's the middle of the month, and a row is, er, brewing over one comic who's impeding the drinking of others. Harry Enfield is coming under fire from residents of swanky north London neighbourhood Primrose Hill over his plans to convert a well-loved pub into a family home. The Loadsamoney star bought The Queens last summer when the landlord retired, with the intention of letting it out to a friend to run the premises as a restaurant. But those plans have fallen through, and Enfield is now seeking council permission to convert.

Quoted in the Camden New Journal, Tony Peters, who ran the pub for 32 years, said: "to turn it into a home would destroy something special." Local resident Steve Collis said: "Edis Street has a real sense of community and the pub was its focal point. Since its closure there has been something of a sense of mourning, an unnerving silence ... We long for some life on the corner." Enfield addressed these concerns in a letter to neighbours of The Queens. "I have been a resident of Primrose Hill since 1988, my family since 1929 ... [and] my father was born in Eton Road," he wrote. But, citing the number of other nearby pubs, he continued: "we would imagine the council might think the loss of this one not to be too great, the compensation being greater tranquility." Protestors see it otherwise, of course, and are hoping planners will veto the comedian's plans.

Best of our readers' comments

Bruce Dessau's piece last week about Louis CK's upcoming O2 gig sparked a lively set-to about stadium comedy. Is it ever worthwhile? For audiences, seldom. For standups ? well, Jan86 doubted even that:

I haven't seen any of Michael McIntyre's arena shows, so I don't know, maybe he's as good with an arena as a comedian can be. I have seen Bill Bailey's Tinselworm DVD though, and though it had some good material it seemed to me that the weirdness of the setting, the delay between the joke and the laugh reaching the back of the crowd, was getting to him. I'd seen a couple of the jokes live when he was touring Steampunk, and they were great, but I thought Tinselworm was pretty flat ... There may have been other factors at work, of course, but I'm convinced that the O2 was a negative influence.

Which elicited this response from BrontheSellsword:

This makes the assumption that all standup is the same and thus would benefit from a small venue. It's simply not true: some comedians' acts are better in a personal environment, whist others thrive in front of a big crowd. You may have your own opinion as to which type of comedy you prefer, but that's not the same thing ... Same with music, some bands are at their best in a pub, others when playing stadiums.

"One of the most original shows on television," the Guide's Rebecca Nicholson wrote in a paean to Julia Davis's garlanded Sky series Hunderby ? a spoof Daphne Du Maurier-ish sitcom. Cue a debate on the show's merits, which drew this comment from nkpapoutis:

It's a great show! But you don't know what original means ? this show isn't original because it's derivative. Where Sherlock is original because it takes the stories and reinterprets unforgettably, Hunderby is simple (but funny) pastiche. Girls is original. So, in fact, was Last Tango In Halifax ? but perhaps because it wasn't seen as media-trendy you ignore shows like that here. You shouldn't. You should go on the writing, not the age or perceived trendiness of the creators.

That's us told. With a renewed commitment to prioritise un-trendy comedy, Laughing stock will be back next week.

• Comedy

Brian Logan

guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2013/jan/15/uk-comedy-crisis-ant-dec-silent

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The basics

How often do you invest time simply to ?see what you have? in financial terms? Source: http://www.lse.co.uk/blogs/expert/resident-ifa-blog/2dl3mh/ facebook app for face book photo applications on facebook dating website make a face book

Source: http://www.pensionlumpsum.info/the-basics-33/

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