The riots across the UK have dominated the headlines for most of the past week as politicians and the general public alike stuggle to comprehend the true cause of the violence. I was disappointed as I watched footage of my beloved London being destroyed by people as young as 11. As the rioting took a hold of the headlines I watched more and more footage of reporters asking those that were looting why they were committing such acts. One girl proudly says “We’re getting our taxes back innit”. This girl could not have been any older than 18 so it’s questionable how much ‘tax’ she had a ‘right to claim back’. On other footage hooded youths were being asked why this was happening and they explained that due to budget cuts they had lost access to youth and sports clubs which we all know are essential to keep young people from gang culture. It’s sad that young people have had many of their entertainment facilities removed. There was also discussion that young people couldn’t find work and that other Londoners (those in employment) are ‘rich’ whereas they’re poor. View full article »
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My anniversary of working at my first full-time job following graduation is fast approaching. It’s been a roller-coaster ride with peaks and troughs but I’ve enjoyed every bit – even the stressful and long evenings!! My year in the business also coincides with the end of the fiscal year when performance reviews are taking place too. Everyone hopes for a bonus at the end of each year but I’m trying not to expect one to avoid potential disappointment. View full article »
This week concludes the series ‘Levels of Personal Finance’. Over the past month I have gone through what I deem to be the levels that you can go through or aim for whilst you make the transition from ignorance to complete control over your finances. View full article »
Week 4 brings you level 4 of Personal Finance: The Advanced Level. The person who has moved into the Advanced Level has moved to the upper half of the Personal Finance scale and is close to reaching a state where minimal effort is needed. If you have reached this level this will be demonstrated by a healthy emergency fund (3-6 months living expenses dependent on circumstances), you have a long term savings plan and you’ve started to familiarise yourself with financial jargon. Most of this will come from preliminary research into investing in stocks and shares. View full article »
We’ve looked at the two levels of personal finance which mark the turning point of how money management changes. You’ve started to take positive actions to track your spending and start saving a small amount when you can. This week’s instalment looks at the mid-point of the levels of personal finance. View full article »
This is part II of the Levels of Finance which discusses the steps that I took to get to where I am today. Last week I wrote about the realisation and the start of researching into better money habits. The Learner builds on what they’ve learnt as a Fresher from their initial research. View full article »
Over the past few weeks I’ve been reflecting on my journey through personal finance. It started when I googled “save money” back in 2003 when I was 15. Since then a lot of things have changed. My mindset is geared towards maximising the income I receive from my savings and I’m keen as always to find a good deal. View full article »
Last week a colleague of mine left the London office to work for our New York office in a different consulting practice. I’ve only been working with him closely since the beginning of March but since then our working relationship has developed and I would consider him one of the colleagues that I look up to. At just 28, he has worked in London for at least 7 years and is about to embark on a new adventure in New York. He has taught me a lot since I started working with him and is extremely conscientious. I can’t help but wish him all the best for his new role and home. I couldn’t be more pleased for him.
I’ve just got back from 4 days in Germany’s second biggest city, Hamburg. I had been looking forward to this holiday as it’s the first travel abroad (for fun, not work) that I’ve been on since August 2010. My sister and I had fun except for slightly colder weather than expected but we were also happy to see that we came in under budget. As this was the first experience for a while to experience travel, I took notes of how we ensured we travelled on the cheap. Here is my list of tips to keep expenses low without compromising enjoyment: View full article »
On Tuesday evenings I attend my weekly Japanese class for two hours after work. I’ve gotten to the late nights on Tuesdays but I do always find it difficult to motivate myself to study for more than 4 hours outside of my classes. It’s particularly frustrating because I realise after every lesson that I still have so much to learn about the language especially the writing of the most challenging alphabet – Kanji. View full article »
