Margaret Thatcher – a view of a life
Over thirty years ago, I was sitting in my friend Bill’s front room watching the results of the 1979 UK General Election with horror. Britain certainly had many internal problems – low productivity, general malaise, strikes and so on – but the solution did not appear to be the increase…
About free money and silly design: not all is as it seems
This has been long coming; I have not had a good rant on here for a very long time (in fact, I have probably ranted twice before) and the time is…NOW. If anyone is not in the mood for a collective catharsis through ranting, please stop reading; go do something…
Give me my money: inheritance, memories and civil status
Remember some time ago I was saying that out sons can benefit from the legacy we’ll leave behind but shouldn’t expect inheritance? All calculations for our retirement build on this assumption and our sons will have to recognise that we are doing them a great favour. When my time…
A Room with a View: training week one
Editor’s note: This Friday we continue to follow Alex on his way to employment. With the first week of his training over, he discovered unexpected side(s) to himself; you, our dear readers, will learn whether a Jaffa cake is a cake or a biscuit – as I’ve said before you…
Could we lose our money? Lessons from Cyprus
What happened? It’s simple. Cypriot banks ran out of money. When this sort of thing happens, the national government will generally stump up the cash but the government didn’t have that sort of money. In which case, the sovereign bank (like the Federal Reserve or the Bank of England) would…
Why you should claim for mis-selling
Editor’s note: This post was written in collaboration with EMCAS: they kindly provided the data but the analysis and sentiments are mine. For more information about how EMCAS can help you to make a claim for financial mis-selling please visit: www.missing-millions.co.uk I still remember the day I got my first…
Barter economies: do you have what it takes?
Do you remember when John Lennon sang ‘Imagine’? Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people sharing all the world Neither do I but this won’t stop me appreciating the meaning of the song. What…
Not So Alone on These Stepping Stones: I am going on a training course
Editor’s Note: This is another post by Alex; this week he shares some encouraging news – he has been referred to a training course which is likely to get him a job interview. Let us wish him luck! This week’s entry will concentrate on a more positive outlook from a…
Can you have too much money?
Since childhood we hear that we should not be greedy, we shouldn’t take (have) more that ‘enough’. In adulthood, we are told how important ‘knowing our enough’ really is: in food, play, love and money. Heck, even I have written articles in this blog about working out how much…
The bedroom tax and UK budget stupidity
In last week’s post I gave a critique of George Osborne’s budget which was just a little scathing. Now I do try very hard not to be too political – some of our readers may well be supporters and that is their right. But having pointed out that we did…
Happy Birthday to Us: The Money Principle is Two Today
Yes, exactly two years ago I gathered enough courage to publish the first article on The Money Principle. It is not amongst my finest efforts but I still read it sometimes and it makes me proud: for someone who didn’t know what a blog is or, for that matter…
No Tools for Trade: illiterate and unemployed
Editor’s note: This is another article by Alex; and if you have not guessed already I have given him the Friday slot for the time being. Today’s article tells a story of a man who, like all of us, seems to have his own set of troubles. In this case…