Hannah Ricci
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What they don't tell you about taking time out to travel
Filed under: Travel, Work & Careers
When I announced to friends and family that I was going travelling to New Zealand, there were lots of comments of 'You're so lucky.' Well, I'd worked really hard to be able to afford to go, so there wasn't really any luck involved. And I know from experience that travelling isn't the walk in the park that many people seem to think it is.Admittedly the image of swimming with dolphins and relaxing on faraway beaches doesn't exactly seem like hard work when everyone at home is braving dismal weather on the daily commute, but taking time out to travel is a different kind of challenge.
Struggling to believe me? Here are a few things they don't tell you about taking time out to travel.
Could you work with your other half?
Filed under: Entrepreneur, Work & Careers, Families
Going into business with your partner has got to be the ultimate test for your relationship and your sanity. Long hours, short tempers and high-flying emotions - not the kind of work environment any relationship wants to be exposed to.So, call me mad, but I'm planning to do just that. It's all very exciting, but also a bit scary too. While we hope it's going to be fun and rewarding, we're prepared for a lot of stress and hard work.
I believe we're a good team though and will work well together, but what should you consider before going into business with your other half?
Tax confusion is causing us hand over too much
Filed under: Saving, Taxes, Budgeting & Planning
So I know tax is possibly one of the most dull and boring things ever, but failing to understand it means we could be shelling out way more than we need to.
We're a nation suffering from high levels of tax illiteracy, according to a study by investment company, Fidelity, which found an estimated 33 million UK tax payers are confused about tax.
No one likes handing over their hard earned cash to the tax man, yet our lack of understanding could be causing us to pay too much.
Get your home prepared for winter
Filed under: House and Home, Insurance
After the torrential rain and gale force winds that swept across the country this weekend, it feels like the winter is well and truly here.
Our homes certainly get a battering at this time of year, with flooding, roof damage and garden chaos from strong winds among some of the common problems caused by this nasty weather.
Save the worry that your house could collapse around you by getting it ready for winter now.
New wi-fi scheme set to transform UK broadband
Filed under: House and Home, Technology and Online
Swindon isn't known for much.In fact, I've just asked a friend that hails from there, and the only thing even she could come up with is that it's Billie Piper's hometown too.
But tit recently made its mark on the map by being the first town to offer its residents access to free wi-fi in a pioneering new scheme that the rest of Britain could follow.
As someone who is close to hurling their laptop out of the window on a daily basis due to frustratingly slow internet connection, I'm getting very excited about Swindon.
So what's it all about?
Fake payslips websites fueling mortgage fraud
Filed under: Fraud , Mortgages
What would you do if you wanted to apply for a mortgage and needed to prove your income? Probably use your pay slip from work, or dig out your accounts if you're self-employed, right?
Well, this is legal route that most of us would go down - yet fake payslip websites that make it worryingly easy for borrowers to commit mortgage fraud are all over the internet.
Got a billion quid burning a hole in your pocket?
Filed under: Weird and Wonderful
Fancy a peek into how the other half lives? Check out high-end auction site Billionairexchange.com.It's a kind of eBay for the rich, but you won't find old bits of furniture, tools or clothes on here. Oh no, we're talking helicopters, yachts, sports cars, diamond jewellery and luxury property.
So, ask yourself, the website says: "What is the luxury object of your heart's desire?"
Cowell tops list of top earners on US TV
Filed under: Entertainment
Love him or loathe him, Simon Cowell is an incredibly successful man, reaffirmed today by being named the top earner on US television by Forbes magazine.American Idol judge, Cowell, 50, who also created success stories America's Got Talent and the X Factor is the top earning man on prime-time television in the states, with an estimated haul of $75 million.
So who else made the list - and who is the only other Brit with a place in the top ten?
PM faces backlash over plans to axe childcare vouchers
Filed under: Saving, Taxes, Work & Careers
Just when you think things can't get much worse for Gord in the popularity stakes, the rebellion against the PM's plans to ditch childcare vouchers for the middle classes reaches fever pitch. Yesterday Labour rebels warned they would vote down the Budget unless Brown backtracks on his plans.
More than 50 MPs, including nine ex-ministers, have hit out at the proposals to get rid of the vouchers, which currently save parents up to £2,400 a year on the cost of nurseries, nannies or childminders.
Employers using lie-detectors to reveal CV porkies
Filed under: Work & Careers
If you're ever at home on a weekday, you've probably seen the social carnage that is the Jeremy Kyle show. An hour of fighting, shouting and sulking that makes your own life seem like a walk in the park.I've always found one part of the show – the obligatory lie detector test – a bit uncomfortable. If you don't trust someone enough to believe they're telling you the truth about an important issue, why on earth are you with them?
Yet, lie detector tests aren't just being used by Jeremy to find out about cheating partners - more and more employers are using them to find out if potential recruits have told porkies on their CV.
