The role of the corporate treasury has changed. The credit crisis has resulted in decreased availability of funding, and corporations need to leverage internal cash, minimizing external cash requirements at all times. With the current cost of funding being very high, corporations must have efficient internal funding methods, and global visibility of all available cash to achieve this efficiency. They need to control exposures with counterparties and have good connectivity to all their banks, trading platforms and accounting systems. To reduce their costs and manage risk, corporations need to leverage their use of technology more now than ever before.

When it comes to making sure that your organisation is running smoothly a Treasury Management System is required – not that I know anything about them.

Its fair to say that the budget released today will effect the corporations – in what ways will soon be found out. All I can say on the matter is ‘by heck’ I want them to suffer!

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Below is an excellent guide from the Site which includes text …information  from YCP a pocket-sized guide to the law. It provides useful legal advice and information about many of the situations you may encounter. For further information please contact the Citizenship Foundation on 020 7367 0500.

Information passed onto me today suggests that if you want to use a rental service such as van hire or car rental then you will need to be 25…

The licence

It is an offence to drive a car or ride a motor cycle without the correct licence. You get a full licence when you have passed your test, which will be valid until you are 70. After this, drivers must pass a medical, and a licence is issued for three years at a time. New licences are now the size of a credit card, containing the holder’s photograph. If you already hold a paper licence, you do not need to change it to the new format. If you want to learn to drive, first obtain a provisional licence.

Application forms are available from a post office. When you get your licence, sign it immediately – don’t drive until you’ve done so. Car drivers and motorcyclists can hold the same provisional licence until they are 70. When you are learning to drive you must display L plates, which should be removed or covered up when the vehicle is not being driven by a learner driver. Learner drivers must not ride or drive on a motorway.

At what age?

• At 14 you can ride an electrically powered cycle.
• At 16 you can ride a moped up to 50ccs, a small tractor or mowing machine or invalid car. If you receive a mobility allowance you can also drive a car.
• At 17 you can drive a car with up to 8 passengers, a motorcycle, a large tractor and a van or lorry up to 3.5 tons.
• At 18 you can drive a van or lorry up to 7.5 tons.
• At 21 you can drive all other vehicles. For hiring a car, most car hire companies have a minimum age of 21 or 23.

Learning to drive a car

The driving test is in two parts, a written theory and a practical test. The theory paper, which must be passed before the practical test, lasts 40 minutes and is made up of 35 multiple-choice questions. The theory test can be taken on a weekday, evening or Saturday at one of the 140 centres throughout the country.

As a learner driver, you must have someone with you in the front passenger seat of the car who is over 21 and has held a full driving licence for at least three years. This person must be fit to drive and must not have had more than the legal amount of alcohol.

Learning to drive a motorcycle

Motorcyclists also have to take both a written theory and practical test to gain a full licence unless they already have a full car licence, when only the practical test must be taken. Before you can ride a motorcycle on the road you must have successfully completed a Compulsory Basic Training Course, and will be limited to a motor-cycle of no more than 125cc. After passing the practical test, you are restricted to bike with a power output of up to 25kw or 33 bhp for 2 years, after which you may ride any size of bike. Riders over the age of 21, however, who don’t want to wait this long before riding a larger bike have a choice of further tests, known as direct and accelerated access.

MOT

Most vehicles which are three years old or more must be tested for an MOT certificate it they are to be used on the road.

Road tax

A car or motorbike which is either being used or allowed to stand on the road must display a current tax disc. The fine for breaking this regulation is normally about twice the cost of the disc. Cars over 25 years old do not need a road tax disc. It is a crime to use a tax disc belonging to another vehicle.

Insurance

It is an offence to drive, ride or even place a motor vehicle on the road without insurance. The penalties for this are very heavy, and it makes no difference for someone to say it was a genuine mistake and that they thought they were insured. Failure to have insurance means a fine and penalty points on a licence, and maybe disqualification. It is also an offence for someone to allow their car or bike to be used by a person who is not insured to drive it. There are three different kinds of motor insurance, offering different levels of cover:

• Third party insurance: only pays for damage caused to other people or their property. This is the minimum level of insurance cover required by law;
• Third party fire and theft: gives you further protection by covering you against theft or fire damage to your own vehicle;
• Fully comprehensive insurance: is usually the most expensive, but covers the cost of accident repair damage to your own vehicle as well as compensating others for injuries or damage in the accident.

When you apply for any insurance, make sure the information you give is accurate. If it’s not, your insurance will be invalid. It’s an offence knowingly to make a false statement to obtain insurance.

This

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I noticed this excellent article on the Pros and Cons of leasing a vehicle Vs. the benefit of using a car hire service.

What are the biggest factors you would consider when you buy, rent, or lease a car? Cost, model, miles, locations?

Recently I have been thinking about the benefits of perhaps lack of benefit to using a leasing service as opposed to a rental firm.

Well in the end it might not necessarily be one that is obvious. A large number of people are opting to book their travel or transportation online. Its always important to consider that your time is money and ensuring that you use a service that is both quick and intuitive should obviously be in your best interests. This should be double true for web pages. There is nothing more frustrating then attempting to give a company or agency your money only for them to apparently go out of their way to make it as time consuming and confusing as possible. More so when its a computer you cant reason with for something that should be simple.

Even after you get through the stage of finding and booking the right service for you, there is the pros and cons of leasing a Car vs Renting one. Car Rental and Van Hire provides a number of benefits such as the insurance cover, not having to worry about cleaning or upkeep of the engine, as well as having no long term obligations.

Leasing is much more of a long term system like renting by the month. Paying the leasing company monthly for the best running two or three years of the vehicle’s life. By the end of that you bring it back to the dealership and lease another new one, or not.

A downside to the lease though is that the maintenance falls on your head, the vehicles condition must be maintained inside and out. If not you are liable to pay excess wear-and-tear charges that would crimp any savings. So leasing is not the ideal choice for those who are messy or if you have kids.

There is also a limit to the number of miles in your lease contract, typically 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year. If you drive more than that, you’ll have to pay an excess mileage penalty of 10 cents to as much as 25 cents for every additional mile. On the other hand, if you drive too little, you don’t get credit for the unused miles. Lastly if you break the lease contract before its end you could potentially be indetbed in the thousands, for early termination fees and penalties-all due at once. Which could be equal the amount total had you stuck with the lease for its entire term.

It’s important to consider these pros and cons very carefully.

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Van Hire Guide

Looking to hire a van and not sure where to start? If so, take a look at our van hire guide. Here you will find useful information on everything from driver requirements, to insurance and driving tips.

Type and size of hire van

It is important to plan ahead and decide what you will be putting in the van. How much space will you need? Do you need to take everything with you? How heavy are the items you need to transport? Make sure you check the load space of the vehicle you are hiring and measure all large items you are transporting. Additionally, check the weight limit of the van. Hire a larger van if space is at a premium. It may cost more to rent a larger vehicle, but it will mean that you will make fewer journeys, saving on fuel and time.

Driver requirements

The driver will generally be required to be over 21. There may also be additional charges for drivers over 65 and those that are under 25. Younger drivers may be restricted in the choice of vehicles that they can drive. You may also receive extra checks and charges if you have had a conviction of accident in the last few years.

When collecting your hire van, you will often be required to have the following documents:

• Valid driver’s license for ALL named drivers (no copies). You will probably be asked to provide both the paper and card parts of your licence.
• Photo ID. This can be a valid passport, valid government-issued identity card or a valid EU national identity card. Other outlets may only require a utility bill as a second form of identity.
• A valid credit or debit card.

Insurance

Always make sure that you have valid insurance cover in case of an accident (and for any other people who will be driving). This may seem unnecessary; however the chances of you having an accident are higher, as you are driving a vehicle that is unfamiliar than larger than the one currently drive.

The minimum cover you will legally have in your contract is third party cover, which is usually quoted in the price. This will cover any damages to vehicles or person if the accident was found to be your fault. On top of this cover, it is recommended to have a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW). The waiver covers against damage to the vehicle that you may make yourself and any repairs that are needed.

Finally read the small print and comply with the company’s terms and conditions.

Fuel

This varies from company to company, but generally if fuel is not covered in your rental agreement, then you should return the van with the same amount of fuel that was in it when you picked it up.

Driving tips

Remember that your van will be wider, heavier and higher than the car you currently drive. This means that it will be less stable and will take longer to slow down. Familiarise yourself with the mirror set up on the van, as you will have blind spots on that may not have had before. This means that you will need to exercise more care in overtaking and pulling out onto the road. When parking, make sure you use your rear view mirrors and get someone to help you if you are not confident or unsure.

Additionally, don’t forget to consult the Highway Code for information on speed limits for vans, as it is important that you know where and when they apply.

Its probably worth noting that if you are the type who (stupidly) likes to take calls whilst on the road, its probably best not to do it in a rental vehicle, as the consequences could be even bigger then before.

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Recently I have been admiring some of the articles on the Site a information site aimed predominately at the 16-25 year old market. Its fair to say that the concise and well thought out articles are frankly very good. I took the liberty of re-blogging their article on Investing Money – I really hope they don’t mind.

Your attitude to Financial Investments

Before taking the plunge, you need to think about two aspects of your attitude.

Firstly, are you prepared to take the risk of investing? If not, you might feel happier with the interest you get from a savings account. Don’t invest any money if you couldn’t live without it, or if it would change your life if you lost it.

Secondly, remember that investment is a long-term plan. If the stockmarket crashes, you might have to wait some time before you get your money back or make a profit. It’s not a quick fix, and to make any extra cash you should think about not seeing your investment for a good six months minimum.

Ways to invest:

Stocks and Shares: By putting your money into shares, you’re giving companies your money to help them run their business. In return, if they are successful and their share price goes up, you will benefit from the rise in value. Equally, if the company’s value falls, you’ll be losing money. Right now, we’re in a very unstable corporate environment and many companies have lost value. Be careful investing unless you have received good advice!

Unit Trusts and Investment Trusts: You can see with shares, putting your money into one company can be quite dangerous. To combat this, trusts do three important things:

• First, they put your money into several companies at once. That way, you’re spreading your risk across the fortunes of many companies: some might lose money, but some will rise in value.
• Secondly, a trust contains not just your money, but many other people’s too. You’re joining a whole bunch of people all committing their cash. Together you have more buying power to spread your risk across companies, and this larger pot of cash usually gets the trust a better deal.
• Finally, with all that money sloshing around, your funds will be looked after by a Fund Manager. It’s a Fund Manager’s job to spend time looking for the best place for your cash – day in day out – which means you need to know much less about the stockmarket than if you were investing privately. You can find out more at the Association of Investment Companies.

Tracker Funds: Trackers are a logical extension of trusts. They invest widely in top companies, and are called trackers because they (usually) track the FTSE Index; which is an indicator of how well the stockmarket is doing. So, if the FTSE goes up (you’ll have seen that on TV), then the value of your investment goes up. The thing is, if it goes down, guess what? So does your money. In the past year, the FTSE has gone progressively downhill. Trackers are just an easy way to tell what’s going on with your cash; and right now a trust might be a better option.

Bonds: These are a particularly safe investment, in fact, you know exactly how much you’ll get back before you even buy them. Bonds are a loan from you to somebody else (usually the government), for a set length of time, usually between three months and five years. But, because there’s no risk, they don’t pay back particularly well.

Property: Buying and selling property can be very lucrative, especially as generally property increases in value. You will need a lot of money to start with, and it’s a long term investment. Plus, if the value of your property falls, you stand to lose a serious amount of money.

Other goods: There’s a market for most things people want – antiques and collectibles, land, fine wine etc. But you must understand that buying goods as an investment isn’t the same as picking up a bargain and selling it on at a profit. Bargains are rare, and usually rely on the seller being stupid. The value in investing is picking goods to buy which grow in value by themselves, because demand for them grows over time.

Getting help

Don’t jump into investment without getting good advice from someone who knows their stuff. Your first port of call is an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA), and you can find one close to where you live at websites such as unbiased.co.uk. IFAs are qualified to give you entirely impartial advice about your finances, and recommend a course of action. Your initial consultation should be free of charge, and they will take a commission on any products you eventually buy.

Then, for stocks and shares, you need to know about the way stockbrokers charge. There are two types of deal; discretionary and execution-only. Discretionary is where a broker will take your money and invest it as they see fit. This costs more than execution-only, where a broker will simply put your cash into the companies you ask them to. There are plenty of stockbrokers online, and also plenty of sites that will give you minute-by-minute share prices so you can watch your investment rise and fall.

Tax

Finally, don’t forget that you do have to pay tax on your profits from investing. The government offers some investment schemes which are tax-free, ISAs for example, and you should ask your financial adviser about these. After all, you pay tax even if you keep your money in a bank account, so tax-free schemes could save you plenty of money.

In many ways it would be good to hear peoples experience of saving and investing money. If you like, you can comment or even join in the discussions over on the Site.

I found this fascinating quote today:

Whatever you use the internet for, its always worth remembering that in every corner of it are people who have been through the same hardships and strive and most of the time are willing to help out where they can – take for example the story of the man who was so skint that someone kindly offered to pay his rent for that month and ended up giving him enough money to survive (can’t find link) – in fact he actually gave him enough for 3 months.   The Whole Truth

You should read the whole article here

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When I think about visiting somewhere I tend to do a little bit of research about the said area and make decisions on what to do based on a multitude of different factors. I have generally found that searching Google, Yahoo or even now Bing for “Things to do in *location*” brings up a lovely list of great sites to visit.

Bridge over the Liffey

Guinness Storehouse

In the heart of the Guinness factory complex this excellent visitor centre tells the dramatic story of the 250 year history of Guinness. A complimentary drink in the highest bar in Ireland, the Gravity bar is part of your visit here. Find out more about The Guinness Storehouse

Trinity College

Once the educator of the elite of Irish society, Trinity College is now open to all. See the Old Library and the Book of Kells. Find out more about Trinity College

Dublinia

Dublinia traces the story of Medieval Dublin from the English Invasion through the Black Death to the closure of the Monasteries in the 1540s. Find out more about Dublinia

Kilmainham Gaol

Europe’s largest disused and Ireland’s most famous prison. The leaders of the 1916 Rebellion were executed here by the English. Find out more about Kilmainham Gaol

Dublin Castle

The centre of English oppression and misrule in Ireland for 700 years. See the Old Walls of Dublin, State Apartments, and the treasury. Find out more about Dublin Castle

Temple Bar

Dublin’s Cultural Quarter. Located in the heart of Dublin’s City Centre, some of Dublin’s best night spots, restaurants and unusual shops line these narrow, cobbled streets running between the Bank of Ireland and Christ Church Cathedral. Find out more about Temple Bar

Personally I believe that the best way to visit a city is to do two things, drive around or walk, using public transport in many ways restricts you and means that you tend to visit what the tourist office want you to visit. I prefer to use a car hire in Dublin firm and explore the area either by using the car or by foot.

Either way the choice is yours and one thing is for certain – Dublin has something for everyone.

Australian Beach

In many ways I would like to go there for the serene sense of calm, despite the apparently very long flight. Personally I think a trip to Sydney would also be in order. Luckily I have some friends who live their and perhaps I could tie it in with a visit to the Sydney Opera House – my friends band have been invited to at Vivid Festival curated by the one and only Lou Reed (Ex Velvet Underground) – it would be awesome to see them play again.

Either way I’m hoping this holiday will be one to clear my mind and refresh my thoughts and hopefully allow me to write some new music and get back into the musical world.

Anyone with any thoughts or suggestions feel free to leave a comment.

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For those times when you need to quickly get somewhere or you have some discount vouchers available I heartily recommend using a car hire service.

Car Hire Club

If you plan to hire a car for a business trip or a vacation, you need to take a lot of things into consideration. When planning for a trip, determining the best car to hire is very crucial. Aside from choosing what type of vehicle to choose, what services the car rental company offers, and how much the company will be charging, another important thing to consider is if the company offers discount coupons. Sometimes, discount coupons can help you save a lot when you are planning to rent a car for your trip. Here are some things to consider when comparing discount coupons.

It is usually cheaper to hire a car that is not frequently used or a car that is of a lower model or class. However, these cars are usually not covered by the discount coupons. So, the first thing to consider is whether the discount coupon would cover the car type or class that we are planning to rent. If we do not have a specific car in mind, we may want to compare if it is cheaper to hire the least expensive car, or if it is cheaper to rent a higher car class after the discount is applied.

In looking at discount coupons if you want to hire a car, you should also check the terms and conditions that apply. Confirm if the coupon can be used at the location you plan to visit. You should also need to check the validity date of the coupon to make sure you can still use it by the time you book your reservation. You should also confirm whether the discount coupon only covers the basic renting fee. Oftentimes, the discount coupon cannot be applied to taxes, car hire insurance coverage, and other add-on fees, so it is very important to know the exact amount or fees that the discount coupon would cover.

Lastly, and probably the most important thing to check is the discount coupon’s validity. If you hire a car, the discount coupon would not necessarily come from the company’s website. A lot of companies partner with car rental services and offer discount coupons if you purchase or avail of their services. Sometimes, you can also go to websites that allow you to print discount coupons even if you have not purchased anything from them. Make sure that you check the validity of discount coupons by checking their validity on the official car rental companies’ website or by calling the company directly.

If you wish to hire a car, you can save a lot of money through the use of discount coupons. You just need to make sure that you check the details of the discount coupons to make sure that you can use it for your reservation. You will find a lot of discount coupons on the Internet. You just need to devote time and effort in looking for the best discounts that are being offered by car rental companies, and to determine which coupons are authentic and applicable to your car choice and place of travel.

Quoted text courtesy of iSnare

This graphic is to show how little music artists actually earn through online sales and that actually your career as a chart topping ‘survivor’ actually involves some hard work. If you look at the figures the financial investment you need to make in your favorite artists is through clicking and listening repeatedly to them on services such as Spotify and Itunes etc.

How Much Do Artists Earn Online - The Science of "Selling Out"