Personal Finance and Investing

This afternoon the Prime Minister stated that:

according to the Office for National Statistics, the average gross pay in the public sector is now higher than in the private sector

The implication is that overly generous pay justifies the pay freeze, increased pension contributions and heightened risks of redundancy that workers across the public sector are currently being asked to bear. But as I have previously argued (and TUC analysis has previously shown) to claim that pay across the public sector is outstripping private sector earnings is simply wrong.

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Variable-rate mortgagees increases The number of people on variable-rate mortgages is at its highest since records began, figures show. Read more…

Finally, it’s June and winter is over (yes, I said June)! Whether you’re lucky enough to live in a warmer climate or you live in a state where you could literally have snow, rain and sunshine all in the same day (e.g. Michigan?), you’ll appreciate the following tips to keep your electricity bill low this summer.

Lower Your Electricity Bill

According to the California Energy Commission, the average home spends about $1,900 a year on energy costs. However, there are ways to not only lower your energy bills but also help the environment. Follo

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Theres more bad news today about the prospects for household spending. Firstly, the GfK NOP Consumer Confidence Index fell 4 points this month to -25 . There was a fall in all five measures that go to make up the Index, including a 6 point drop in peoples evaluation of the general economic situation over the last 12 months, which now stands at minus 50.

There is a little relief for the government in the comparatively moderate minus 18 score for the general economic situation over the next 12 months but this is down 3 points on the month and 6 points on the year.

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