Category: finance
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Who knows what 2023 will bring! #ramble
It is nearly Christmas and so I got a duck out of the freezer this morning to have for my Christmas dinner! The year is coming to an end too. It was a year of recovering from the pandemic and of a new Prime Minister every 5 minutes! Fortunately, Boris finally run out of luck…
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And the poor get poorer. #financefriday
This week interest rates went up across Europe and the US, piling on the misery. They have been too low for years though, robbing the thrifty who save and invest their money. The rich however have been borrowing money at ultra-low interest rates to invest, while spending their own money on more and more property.…
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The white stuff #financefriday
Like most people in the UK and Europe, I’m trying to save energy. My hands are cold! I have 4 radiators turned on, out of 8 and the boiler has reached its maximum temperature. If I want it warmer, I have to turn on more radiators. I’m checking my smart meter and it went to…
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Inflation and energy bills. #finance
I try to write a finance post on a Friday but I was busy doing other things this week. Inflation is eroding our savings and investments now. With inflation running at 10.1% all we can do is look for investments that will give us a decent return and not be too much of a risk.…
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Recession and higher taxes
The UK government borrowed and spent hundreds of billions during the pandemic but now suddenly we’re broke and can’t borrow more. Of course, if the government did borrow more the pound would sink even lower against the USD and our credit rating would drop again. The London Stock Market has lost its position as the…
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Falling discretionary incomes. #FinanceFriday
Energy I did a poll on Facebook to see how local people were coping with energy bills and the rising cost of living. 53% were cutting their energy consumption but 16% appear to be fine overall. 3% said they have to choose between heating and eating so this is a genuine cost-of-living crisis. I paid…
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How do you buy a secondhand car? #ramble
The first car in this picture is mine. I saved for it and paid cash. My previous car was 7 years old when I bought it and 20 years old when I decided to replace it! I look after my car as best I can and have it regularly serviced. I also had to be…
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Buy gold? #financefriday
Taxes on firms within the oil and gas industry are “inevitable” to help the poorest people, the outgoing boss of Shell has said. Ben van Beurden said that energy markets cannot behave in a way that “damage a significant part of society”. This is a great example of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Wouldn’t we have…
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Cashing in #financefriday
It is difficult to describe the madness that has followed the “mini-budget” in the UK. The pound tanked and the stock market crashed. The FTSE 100 has fallen over 500 points. I’ve been reading posts from private investors on the forums, most of whom are Tory voters; they are not happy. I had to take…
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