October 14th 2016
It’s another normal day in the office until the fire alarm goes off. Downstairs, waiting for the fire brigade to arrive and watching the smoke curl out from the windows, you suddenly have a terrible thought – what does this mean for your business? Although, thankfully, everyone is out of the building safely, you’re starting to […]
October 4th 2016
In Mark Weiser’s essay, ‘The Computer for the 21st Century’, he comments: “The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it.” This vision is becoming a reality with the emergence of a new breed of hyper tuned-in devices that respond and […]
September 29th 2016
What Is Insurance Premium Tax? Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) is a tax you pay when you take out an insurance policy, similar to the way you pay VAT on shopping. Though there are some exceptions, most people and businesses who take out an insurance policy pay IPT on their premium, even if they don’t realise […]
September 24th 2016
Most of us take our workplaces for granted. We come and go, popping out for lunch or to a meeting, expecting that everything will be the same when we return. But what if something happened to disrupt this smooth flow? As hundreds of workers found out in the City of London in July 2016, the […]
September 19th 2016
Lost luggage, ice cream van accidents and bus crashes all contributed to more than 130,000 fraudulent claims in 2015 – the equivalent of 2,500 per week. Motor claims were the most common of frauds, according to the figures released by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), totaling 70,000 instances amounting to a value of £800m. […]
September 10th 2016
Cyber security is an arms race. Just as military equipment from the 1970s would no longer cut it on the battlefield, the defences adopted by businesses as recently as a year ago no longer offer adequate protection. It’s a constant struggle to ensure that security professionals are one step ahead of the hackers. The threat […]
September 2nd 2016
We’re fortunate to have private health insurance as an option in this country, rather than an essential. Fast track appointments, accessible specialist treatments, and flexibility on appointments and visiting times are some of the reasons that people choose to take out private medical insurance. If you’ve been with the same provider for some time, you […]
September 1st 2016
Picture a weighing scale. On the one side is fear of financial loss, on the other hope of financial gain. Let’s say you have £50,000 which can be invested with equal likelihood of a return of £0 or £100,000 in one year’s time. The amount you stand to lose or gain is equal, so do […]
August 26th 2016
No sooner had we gotten used to the increased IPT rate of 9.5%, up from the 6% introduced in 2011, do we find that it’s going up again, albeit by less than the 3% predicted. Why does IPT exist? Insurance Premium Tax was introduced in 1994 at a rate of 2.5%. Insurance is exempt from […]
August 25th 2016
Insurance is one of life’s little inevitabilities for a great many of us, like booking your car in for an MOT, visiting the dentist, or filling out a tax return. It’s one of those things that comes round and round, giving even the most spontaneous people an essential routine that can’t be avoided no matter […]
