Financial news

• Ethical bank Triodos launches investment platform

  03-02-2018 22:41
  Bank used by McMafia star James Norton to allow people to invest directly in bonds or equityYou want to support projects that benefit people and the planet, but you’d also like to get a decent return on your cash if possible.If that sounds like you, ethical Triodos Bank is offering the chance to put money into projects paying between 5% and 7% interest a year. However, there are risks. Continue reading...
  
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• Ducking and diving on infrastructure won’t drag us into the 21st century

  03-02-2018 18:00 via theguardian.com
  Britain’s reluctance to invest in national improvement is just one consequence of this seemingly endless era of austerityThere are measures of how broke the UK has become wherever you look. And it’s not just the public sector that is showing the strain.The vast sums needed to keep up with 21st century developments are also absent from a private sector that has become reluctant to take any big bets without a large slug of government support behind it. Continue reading...
  
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• After Carillion and Capita, is PFI itself on the critical list?

  03-02-2018 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Private providers have been entrusted with much of Britain’s infrastructure: even hospitals. What does the future hold now?Long before the collapse last month of Carillion, one of the government’s go-to outsourcing and building groups, the signs of strain inside Whitehall over the future of financing public projects with private cash were clear. Since 2010 the government has signed 80 contracts under the private finance initiative (PFI). In the 13 years before 2010 it signed 620.The
  
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• BlackRock wants to contribute to society. Why not tackle secret money? | Bruce F Freed and Karl J Sandstorm

  03-02-2018 16:00 via theguardian.com
  When companies bankroll politicians secretly, the ensuing backroom deals distort our economy as well as companies. Will BlackRock speak up about that?BlackRock, the planet’s largest investor, has sounded a bold and clarion call for companies to contribute to society. But for its vision to benefit shareholders and communities everywhere, BlackRock must add one essential step. “To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a
  
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• The secret to tackling your child’s bullying behaviour

  03-02-2018 10:30
  It takes a brave parent to admit their son or daughter has been unkind – and to do something about itDo not collude. There’s never an excuse for bullying and your child needs to know that your sympathies lie with the victim.Bullying thrives on silence. It takes an honest parent to admit that their child has done something so nasty. If told your child is bullying, try not to go for instant denial, but investigate instead. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘NatWest closed my account with no explanation’

  03-02-2018 09:35
  Growing numbers of people are being shown the door as banks ‘de-risk’ their businessesHow would you feel if you were dumped by your bank with no explanation?You’ve been a loyal customer for years, but then a letter arrives saying your bank has decided it will shut your accounts, and you will have to take your business elsewhere. No reason is given and the decision is final. Continue reading...
  
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• Where to move for... fresh air

  03-02-2018 09:00
  The wealthy have long avoided pollution by living in the south-west of British cities. Is that still the case?Back to school. Geography lesson. Subject: UK towns and cities and the distribution of social classes. Question: Where do you find the wealthiest urban populations? Come on, come on. Yes, you. “In the west and south-west of towns, often on hills.” Bingo. Bonus question: Why? “Air pollution. The UK’s prevailing wind is southwesterly, blowing smog north and east. It
  
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• Helena Morrissey: ‘We have nine children. I plan every day on a whiteboard’

  03-02-2018 08:59 via theguardian.com
  The 51-year-old head of personal investing at Legal & General on juggling work and family, shunning meetings and switching off with pilatesI go to bed around 10pm and get up at 5am, but often wake in the night, usually because I am stressed by the things I have to do the next day. I’ve learned to say: “Look Helena, this is silly, everything will be fine in the morning.” It’s not a fail-safe method.Continue reading...
  
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• Watch out: interest rates will rise at the end of February

  03-02-2018 08:00
  If you’re planning to remortgage, do it now – a little-known change could push up ratesThere’s going to be an interest rate rise on 28 February. In just a few weeks you are going to see about 0.25% added to mortgage and savings rates. But you won’t see a press release from the Bank of England that the base rate has gone up. Instead, for the first time in years, banks are going to be scrambling to offer savers better rates – and the losers will be anyone taking out a
  
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• Totally together: could communal living suit you?

  03-02-2018 08:00
  From self-sufficient communes to cohousing schemes, people are opting for a shared lifestyleEvery Wednesday morning, Devaraj Sandberg and the rest of the community at Osho Leela, a spiritual commune in Dorset, gather together for a group meditation session involving shouting, screaming and rounds of hugging.“It keeps people a bit sane,” says Sandberg, 56, who has called Osho Leela his home for 16 years. “Living in a community with a lot of similar people can cause emotiona
  
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• Emerging markets: street food booms as investors get the taste

  03-02-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  They’re hip, tasty and highly profitable. Why food halls are popping up all over the UKA wintery midweek night in Manchester, and the tables are buzzing at Mackie Mayor with about 500 punters devouring Italian stone-baked pizzas, beef short-rib on toast and salted caramel chocolate brownies. Once Europe’s largest fresh produce market, the building lay derelict for decades before finding a new life last autumn as a haven for foodies who dine communally at long tables set among ornate
  
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• I need a reliable used petrol car – what should I buy?

  03-02-2018 01:00
  Performance and looks are of no interest – I just need something for £2,000 or lessEvery week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.This week’s question: Continue reading...
  
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