Financial news

• Fraudsters target Chinese students in UK visa scam

  31-08-2019 23:35
  Universities warn that undergraduates are paying out huge sums for fear of being deportedFraudsters are conning Chinese students out of tens of thousands of pounds just days after they arrive at universities in the UK.At the start of August, a Nottingham University student had her laptop, containing identifying information and bank details, stolen at Heathrow airport. A week later the student, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, received a phone call purporting to be from the
  
  Read more

• Can fashion keep its cool … and help save the planet?

  31-08-2019 20:00
  The catwalk world of glamour and luxury hides a business that thrives on wasteful consumerism. Now the climate crisis is forcing a rethinkIn the last days of August, an influx of slender women to midtown Manhattan signals the onset of fashion week, the biannual round of catwalk shows. After passing on to London, Milan and then Paris, the prevailing sensibility coheres into an agreed style.Only this season, the last of the decade, that sensibility may be about to evaporate. A summer of fire in th
  
  Read more

• Brexit will blind Britain to global initiatives for recovery | Phillip Inman

  31-08-2019 18:00
  As countries turn inwards, ideas such as a cryptocurrency to reduce global dependence on the dollar are being lostUnless Britain leaves the European Union’s single market and customs union, the Brexit party will cry foul. As long as the Brexit party exists, the Tory vote will be forever divided. That is the driving force behind the Conservative party’s policymaking. Even the gift of a peerage is unlikely to deter Nigel Farage from his mission to push the UK out of all the EU’s
  
  Read more

• Strikes, IT failures, customer unrest: can BA pull out of this nosedive?

  31-08-2019 17:00
  The carrier is trading on past glories with glitzy ads that fail to reflect years of cost-cutting. But the firm insists it is investing for changeThe recent TV advert celebrating British Airways’ 100th anniversary was framed as a love letter to Britain, narrated by national treasures such as artist Grayson Perry, astronaut Helen Sharman and a phalanx of sporting stars.“We love you, Britain,” gushes Oscar-winner Olivia Colman. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 'Customers looked right through me': what I learned working in a Chinese restaurant

  31-08-2019 10:00 via theguardian.com
  ‘You’re too soft,’ said my parents. ‘You need to build character.’ So I spent an exhausting, demoralising summer waiting tablesSince I can remember, my parents have wanted me to work in a restaurant. “You need to build character,” they would tell me, usually when we were eating out, and always unprompted. “We raised you too soft.”My mother had worked in a Chinese restaurant when she first moved to the US and felt that her experience had tough
  
  Read more

• What's the best tech to take to university?

  31-08-2019 08:01 via theguardian.com
  Should you splash out £1,000 on a MacBook, or can you get away with a £229 Chromebook? Do you really need a top-end smartphone or will a budget alternative do? The right tools can make everything easier – from note taking to dissertation writing. So here’s a quick guide to what might help you get the most out of the academic year iPad mini – £399Tablets can be a handy addition to any student’s toolset, often lasting far longer on a charge than a computer
  
  Read more

• Pensions: five reasons to think twice before putting it all in one pot

  31-08-2019 08:01 via theguardian.com
  Combining pensions seems a good idea in theory, but it is best to be cautiousExperts often say it makes sense for savers to combine all their pensions in one place, so they have a single pot that is easier to manage. But former pensions minister Steve Webb this week issued a warning for consumers to think carefully.He says there were five good reasons to think twice before consolidating small pension pots, and that for some people there is a risk they could end up worse off. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• The fat shaming we should be doing

  31-08-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Let’s stop shaming fat people and start shaming the companies that push such unhealthy foodsMost people in the UK eat too much saturated fats. That’s not my opinion – it’s on the NHS website. It raises your cholesterol and increases the risk of heart attacks. But as consumers are we being deluded by manufacturers and supermarkets who (entirely legally) camouflage the shocking level of these fats in everyday foods? Let’s stop shaming fat people and start shaming the
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Our parents are in their 80s and struggling – what can we do to help?

  31-08-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  We’re looking at homecare packages but would prefer to find independent carersEvery 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.My parents, in their late 80s, are struggling with life on their own. We help, but can only call by two or three times a week. They’re moderately well off and we’re researching a homecare package for them. We could go
  
  Read more

• 'I was charged £20,000 for driving my car into the London emissions zone'

  31-08-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  A Spanish motorist has been hit with huge penalties for driving in the UK capitalIn December, Giancarlo Bonati, a DJ in Ibiza, made the journey by car to London to be with his mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer. During three months in the country he drove in and out of London 12 times, although never into the city centre.But in April, without prior warning that fines were building up, he says he was left in a state of shock after receiving 12 letters sent by Transport for London’s
  
  Read more

• I launched a TripAdvisor for dogs - something new was needed for owners

  31-08-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  ‘The thought of leaving Charlie broke my heart. That was the inspiration behind my business’Name: Adele Pember
  Age: 29
  Income: £5,000 per year
  Occupation: Starting up new businessI bought Charlie about six years ago – he’s a jack russell cross chihuahua and he was the runt of the litter. He was the size of my hand, and I immediately thought: “I have to have him.” Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Pension scams warning sign revealed - are you at risk of falling victim to pensions fraud?

  31-08-2019 05:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  PENSION funds often play a huge role in providing income for a person’s retirement, meaning the risk of falling victim to a pension scam can be a huge concern. What warning signs should an individual watch out for?
  
  Read more

• Pension warning: Should you consolidate pots? ‘Unexpected disadvantages’ to watch out for

  31-08-2019 01:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  PENSION funds are something which many will spend their working live making contributions to, in order to provide for their retirement. Should one consolidate their pension pots?
  
  Read more

• Help-to-buy loans benefited more rich than poor households

  31-08-2019 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Whitehall figures show over 5,500 households with annual income of £80,000 got loansMore rich households than poor ones are benefiting from a £25bn public subsidy that the former prime minister Theresa May claimed was “restoring the dream of home ownership for a new generation”.More than 5,500 households with an annual income of over £80,000 have been given help-to-buy loans in the past year compared with 4,142 households earning less than £30,000, the governm
  
  Read more

Follow @financialnwsUK on Twitter!