• Shares in Fortress jumped 6.5 per cent on Wednesday before a $3.3bn takeover of the US alternative asset manager was announced after close of trading in New York. An investigation by US regulators is expected as a result of the suspiciously...
Read moreIn defence of the Treasury’s public sector pensions ‘fiddle’
When the government calculates the cost of public service pension schemes, it “deliberately fiddles” the figures by using an “arbitrary” discount rate. So says John Ralfe in his comment, “UK public sector pension costs understated by £15bn a...
Read moreWillis Towers Watson launches low-cost asset management service
Willis Towers Watson plans to build a team of up to 60 staff to run a new low-cost asset management service it believes will reduce costs significantly for pension funds. Twenty-five staff have already been hired for the service, called AMX...
Read moreInvestors back UK government attempt to curb executive pay
Some of the UK’s largest investors have revealed support for government proposals designed to curb high executive pay in the latest pushback against the widening wealth gap between bosses and workers. In submissions to the government’s green...
Read morePensions savers urged to be vigilant on exit fees
Retirement savers using new pensions freedoms have been urged to be vigilant about the exit charges imposed by providers, ahead of a new cap due to come into force next month. Last year, the government announced new measures to protect savers...
Read moreUK biscuit makers seek ways to get their bite back
From pink wafers to party rings, British consumers are losing their taste for traditional biscuits. On top of crumbling sales, manufacturers are grappling with higher prices of wheat and sugar, alongside fierce competition — triggering a flurry...
Read moreKeep calm and stay invested
What does the chart tell us? It shows that trying to second guess the market is a mug’s game. If you had been out of the FTSE All-Share index for 10 of the best-performing days over the past 20 years, you would have lost 170 per cent of your...
Read moreOver-50s are the new business start-up generation
Age discrimination does not exist when you are your own boss. The growth in self-employment since 2000 has been fuelled by the over-50s who are finding it increasingly hard to find full-time work. With the sheer number of baby-boomers now...
Read moreCo-op Bank’s ethical culture at stake as problems come to head
Five years ago, the Co-operative Bank was riding high. Its then chief executive Barry Tootell had just reported a decent annual profit and was set to unveil a politically celebrated deal to double in size by acquiring TSB from Lloyds Banking...
Read moreThe tax system should reflect the changing way we work
I am a lover of tax trivia, as regular readers of this column will know. And I have a statistic that may surprise you. Did you know that self-employed people pay up to £1,000 a year less national insurance than employed people on the same pay?...
Read moreShould I buy property via a limited company?
I want to buy a property and rent it out as a long-term investment, which I would then like to provide me with income when my partner retires. What are the pros and cons of making the investment personally, versus buying it via a limited company?...
Read moreUK Tata steelworkers accept pension cuts
Tata steelworkers in the UK have voted to accept the closure of their £15bn pension fund, a historic sacrifice that brings the industry closer to resolving the crisis in British steel. Thousands of trade union members backed a rescue package that...
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