Benedict Rohan's Articles


Taxes	Responsible Investing
Credit & Repair	Mortgages & Loans
Entrepreneurship	FAMILY FINANCES
Small Business	Search Engines
PARENTING	- Children

Display Category|Title|Newest|Oldest

Bankruptcy: a concise guide
Bankruptcy is one method of getting out of debt. It is a court order that transfers responsibility for dealing with creditors to the Official Receiver, who also takes control of the debtor’s money and assets and distributes them fairly to all their creditors.
Budgeting for your Personal Finance
Most of us find ourselves having to part with our hard-earned cash almost on a daily basis to just keep ourselves going. Have you ever thought about exactly what you’re spending though? A great deal of people never bother to budget – yet they could find themselves a lot better off by keeping an eye on their income and outgoings.
Gas guzzlers: the cost of running a car today
We’re a nation of car users – although not always by choice. Expensive and unreliable public transport systems have forced many of us onto the roads, but having a car certainly isn’t a cheap alternative. The cost of owning a car, even if you don’t use it much, is very expensive.
Getting to grips with ISAs
The Individual Savings Account (ISA) scheme was set up by the government in 1999 to encourage people to save more money. It allows people to save up to a certain amount each year without paying tax on the interest or income from it.
Government benefits – bringing up a family
There’s a wide range of government benefits to support you as you bring up your family if you’re on a low income and need assistance. This is a brief guide to some of the key benefits that you may be eligible to receive.
Government benefits – for those on low incomes
One of a series examining the different types of government benefits, this guide looks at some of the options available to assist those who’re on a low income and are struggling to support themselves or their families.
Government benefits – helping you in retirement
Unless you’ve managed to build up a large private pension or have a great deal of savings, it’s not always easy to get by in retirement when you’re no longer earning. There are various ways in which the government can help give people of pension age enough money to live on – here’s a concise guide to some of the main benefits.
How do I obtain capital to invest in my business start up?
You’ll almost certainly need to raise money to start up your company,
unless you already have sufficient capital yourself. The typical costs
of starting up are in obtaining premises, manufacturing your product if
you have one, buying materials, stock or equipment, marketing and fees
for external consultancy such as legal help, accountancy etc.
How to create a good business plan?
Once you’ve got a good idea of whether your business is viable and
you’ve analysed the market, it’s time to draw up a business plan.
Inheritance tax, a concise guide
With ever-increasing property prices, more and more people's assets are now worth more than the inheritance tax threshold of £285,000, which has never been increased in proportion to the recent property boom.
Is being self-employed the right thing for you?
As well as being viable from a business perspective, it’s also crucial
that setting up a company is appropriate for your personal needs. It’s
a huge commitment that will require a lot of hard work, so you need to
be sure that you’re up to it and that your lifestyle can support it.
Islamic Finances
If you’re Muslim and are concerned about financial products that comply
with Sharia Law, there are more and more options available to you
today. The first Islamic bank in the UK, the Islamic Bank of Britain,
opened its headquarters in Birmingham in 2004, offering a range of
products and services such as pensions, mortgages and loans.
Mortgages: what products are available?
Basic principle of a mortgage is very simple: you borrow money to buy a house and pay back the loan with interest. However, nowadays there are so many products available that it can be mind-boggling. Here’s a guide to methods of repayment and interest rates.
Pensions guide: private pensions
It’s now unlikely that the state pension will be enough to keep you living comfortably when you retire. It provides only basic support, and the government itself is keen to encourage people to save as much as they can to supplement their state pension and give themselves a comfortable income in retirement.
Pensions Guide: State Pensions
The most important financial decisions you’re likely to make in your life are those concerning your retirement. To have a secure future with a comfortable standard of living after you’ve stopped working, you’ll need to plan your finances carefully.
Pocket Money: Financial Lesson for Kids
It’s an age old problem for parents – how to handle pocket money for their kids. How much should you give them? How often? What should they spend it on? All these questions have troubled parents for generations.
Protecting yourself from identity fraud.
Your identity is extremely valuable. You need it to prove who you are
for various purposes in your day-to-day life, such as opening a bank
account, obtaining a loan, getting a credit card, purchasing goods or
services, applying for a passport or driving licence.
Reasons for starting up a company
People set themselves up in business for many different reasons.
Sometimes they have an idea that will fill a niche in the market or is
a vast improvement on current products or services available.
Saving for your child’s future
Having children isn’t cheap these days, especially in the long term – the older they get, the more they cost. Higher education prices continue to soar and it’s almost impossible to get onto the housing market without having some capital or homeowner loans.
The financial industry: your rights as a consumer
The financial services industry is highly regulated and companies
selling financial products or advice must adhere to a stringent set of
guidelines set out by the industry’s independent regulatory body, the
Financial Services Authority.
The importance of making a will.
Please note: this article applies to residents of England, Wales and
Northern Ireland and is provided for general information only. It does
not constitute financial advice.
The Pros and Cons of Store Cards
Why shouldn’t you take advantage of the offers if they’re there for the taking? You could save a lot of money by opening a store card (for example, discounts of up to 20% may be offered with your first purchase), as long as you are sure that you will be able to pay the bill before interest is charged.
What’s in a name? IFA Qualifications
There’s more pressure on people than ever before to save for their futures.
Relying on the state is no longer a safe option for retirement, benefits and healthcare.