When the financial services sector (and most global economies) fell off a cliff in 2007/08, savings rates fell with them. Several years (and many interest cuts) later, I decided to take the plunge and invest some money with Zopa Loans. At the time, I wasn’t sure whether the company would survive or if I’d ever […]
A friend recently came to me enquiring about their personal brand and what they could do to develop it. I must admit; I’m not an expert. Sure, I have accounts with Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Facebook; I run my own blog and try to attend networking events when I can, but I’m still trying to
Several years ago, I was asked to help a friend prepare for a sensitive negotiation and found myself perplexed by their mental state. Under most circumstances, I try to remain calm and focused on achieving the best possible outcome – rarely more so than in negotiations. Staying calm, well rested and focused helps me to
Teamwork is an activity that used to fill me with dread at University. From the students that couldn’t be bothered to the ones that couldn’t speak English – I think we’ve all had enough experience of team players being more of a burden than an asset. Despite this, I’ve always been a big believer in people.
Ever since my parents passed away, I’ve aspired to own my own property – not as an investment, but as a home. Consequently, I’ve spent many years squirreling money away to put towards a deposit and eagerly reading any information I could find on the financing of property deals. When I was younger, I assumed
Being a business student, I find the structure and thinking of much of the business world a useful lens for viewing aspects of my personal life. Once a year, I imagine sitting with my ‘board’ and presenting my progress for the year. If I’ve done well, I could imagine that external investors (my girlfriend, my
If your household were a company, would it be an attractive investment? Read More »
Since I started my new job at Careys, I’ve been faced with a similar problem to my role at WHISHWORKS. Namely; how my role can fit into the larger communications and marketing picture for the business. Like WHISHWORKS, Careys is a complex business, with multiple divisions and focuses. Some business lines, such as Scudder Demolition,
Writing a contract and successful negotiation can be a source of strength for building a relationship, but can also cause seemingly promising partnerships to collapse. I’ve negotiated my share of contracts and have written 5 things to consider for a successful contract negotiation. In a world where more and more people seem to be struggling
One of my goals for 2017 is to improve the diversity of posting formats on my blog. It’s not exactly ground-breaking stuff, but I’ve decided one of the new formats is going to be a Q&A – based off questions I’m asked in everyday life. If you’ve got a question you’d like to know the
Anyone that has ever watched Dad’s Army will recognise these famous words, usually frantically yelled by the blustering Private Jones as a situation dissolved into chaos… Now, I’m not usually one to advocate panicking. Indeed, it’s usually a complete waste of time. In most situations of adversity, I tend to lean towards an attitude of
Happy New Year! I hope you all finished 2016 with a laugh and a smile, and are enjoying a great start to 2017. I’ve learnt a lot from running my blog over the last twelve months, so I thought I’d kick this year off with a summary of what I want to achieve for 2017.
A long time ago, I had it put to me that “if I’m the smartest guy in the room; I’m in the wrong room”. When this concept was first presented to me, I wasn’t certain how sure of its value, but as time has gone by, I’ve come to believe in it strongly. Life presents
In early 2016 I started working for a company in Windsor when I lived in Oxford. It meant that I needed to get up at six in the morning, Prior to this, I was working for a company who were located in Oxford. I used to get around at 8, leave the house at about
Over the last few months, I’ve written a fair number of articles about finance and personal investing. I believe that achieving financial security is one of the best ways to reduce stress in your life, as well as enjoy the best that the world has to offer. But there’s something that money can’t buy; good
A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who works for a big investment bank. He’s always struck me as an intelligent and considerate person, so it doesn’t take much effort to listen to him when he’s explaining his thoughts on something. This friend is reasonably high up the
