Archive for the 'Briefings' Category

How to Educate Young Drivers: Sound Advice for Parents

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Most teenagers daydream about the day they will get their drivers license; however, many parents dread this same time. Most people have heard a story about a young person injured in an auto accident. What can parents do to protect their offspring from these awful cases?. Conversations about automobile safety is essential. Consider enrolling your teen driver in a additional drivers education course. This will result in lower automobile premiums and a better prepared driver.

Why should you take driver education classes?

Growing up is a natural part of life and getting a drivers license is another step in the process. Unfortunately, approximately 300 young drivers and their passengers are killed each year in the UK and many more are seriously injured. However, the good news is that young drivers who take additional driver education courses are less likely to be involved in a serious vehicular incident. Remember, youngsters who take these courses not only are safer but receive lower insurance ratings. Although, you may not be able to keep your little ones from driving into the sunset; you can keep them safe and save some money by enrolling them into a supplemental new drivers education course.

Where can you be taught how to avoid accidents?

Drivers education can help a newly licensed driver gain the actual road experience he or she is lacking. Pass Plus is a new driver education course offered by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA). Prospective licensees can take a driving experience course from the Driving Academy at Mercedes-Benz World. Another option is offered by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), who presents driver training courses to develop better driving skills.

What road conditionsare most likely to cause to accidents?

Many teenagers drive older pre-owned vehicles; unfortunately, these cars are not always equipped with the latest safety equipment. Traveling on Friday or Saturday night with several passengers increases a young persons chance of being involved in a car crash. Finally, inexperienced drivers may not be adequately prepared for precarious driving conditions like rain, sleet or fog.

Coverbox provide cheap car insurance for young drivers that trys to discourage young drivers from driving during the most hazardous periods. This type of insurance is known as pay as you drive. The highest rates per mile are charged at the most hazardous times – for example from 11pm-6am.

Who is most liable to crash?

Statistics show that drivers under the age of 25 are most at risk for an automobile accident. The research also reports that most accidents occur shortly after a driver becomes licensed. Gender plays a role too; as male drivers are twice as likely as female drivers to be involved in a car accident.

Investment Advice for Trustees

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Since the introduction of The trustee Act 2000, trustees now have special responsibilities relating to the servicing and administration of trust funds. The duty of care is applicable to lay and professional trustees. Yet higher standards are expected from professional trustees.

A statutory duty of care applies to the trustee investments that are contained within the trust. For new or existing trusts, the trustees must take into consideration the trusts objectives and the suitableness of the investments to be held.

Trustees have a duty to protect the asset value of the trust fund, whilst offering income for the beneficiaries. It is crucial for trustees to consider the suitableness of the investments in the trust, funding, the type of trust in place and the requirements of the beneficiaries.

A varied portfolio of assets should be used to meet the trusts special aims.

This type of approach can help to reduce the volatility within the trust investment by vesting across varied asset categories. It is critical to take into account risk any specific requirements of the trustees. This could also include investing in an ethical or sociably responsible manner.

Trustees have an administrative responsibility to survey the assets contained within the trust on a regular basis. This can be a long-term and lengthy process, specially if the trust administrators are not knowledgeable investors.

Trusts and Independent Financial Advice.

It is essential to seek independent and unprejudiced advice on the assets held inside any form of trust arrangement. We continually advise existing and new trustees on suitable asset allocation investment strategies.

Trustees often engage the investor services of a bank or stockbroker. Occasionally the service is not unique to the demands of the individual trust. A 1 size fits all approach may not take into consideration the individual needs of the trust. For example, the prerequisites of a large educational trust should be different to a small family trust.

The costs to administrate the investments are an important element. The admin charges charged by stockbrokers and banks for trust investment management can be high. This might impact on the investment returns the trust can accomplish.

Our investment procedure takes into account the fee, as this is a recognized element when we advocate special investment funds.

If as trustees you are considering vesting it is essential to remember that the value of the trust investment funds and the income generated could rise as well as fall. There is no guarantee you will get back more than you vested.

Consilium Asset Management are based in Chipping Sodburychipping Sodbury and offer a unique Trustee investment management service for individual and corporate trusts.

Use Your RV Space Wisely

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Some people are under the mistaken impression that RV space is limitless, but this just isn’t the case. RVs are clearly much larger than what the normal traveler is accustomed to, but they are not infinitely large.

The first step towards using your RV space in a prudent fashion is to make certain that everyone that is traveling with you understands that there are space limitations. Part of the reason that you bought an RV was so that you felt as though you had the space needed to move around. Having that space cluttered up with unnecessary items is just depressing. Here are a few ideas for how you can get more out of your RV space.

Make a Checklist of Necessary Items and Edit It. Well, before your travel day, it’s a good idea to take a little time and make a checklist. This list should have all the necessary items that you are planning on bringing. Once you have your checklist, it’s also smart to edit it down so that you are only bringing what you are completely sure you need. Many people wait to the last second to decide what they are packing for their trip, and the fact is it not only causes stress but it can also cost money!

It’s Time to Get Small. Small is not always a bad thing. In fact, sometimes small is great. More than likely, you have a host of items that you will need to bring with you on the trip. Let’s take a bulky item, for example. If you suffer from allergies, you may be traveling with something like an air-purifier. Not all air-purifiers are equal and that includes size. Some air purifiers can be quite large, bulky and heavy. Switching to a narrow, upright air purifier is a great way to save some much needed floor space. Of course, this is only one example of what is possible. Carefully look at your own particular situation to find what works best.

Prepare Ahead of Time and Save Money. With a little bit of forethought and preparation, you can reduce the amount of weight you are taking on your trip. This means you can save money on gas. Imagine saving money just by being prepared!Taking the time to plan ahead of time and eliminate unneeded and heavy items will save you money when you are filling up at the gas station. Try these organizing tips and you might even save some money at the same time.

RV Mattress It’s Time To Go

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Have you joined the “Green” movement yet? Millions of consumers have. They have decided that it is time to start saving the planet by using green products. Green products are those that do not hurt the planet with harmful chemicals and those that are biodegradable. If you haven’t joined the movement yet, it is time.

You can start by transforming your RV into a green one. You can conserve water when you are one the road. You can turn off the generator when you don’t absolutely need it. One of the biggest things you can do is recycle that standard RV mattress.

The beds that come standard in your RV are certainly not ‘green.’ They contain metal coils. Not only are the coils the opposite from environmentally friendly, but as the mattress wears down, those coils are what pokes you all throughout the night.

Upgrade your RV mattresses with a green product and a comfortable one. Most latex mattresses are considered ‘green’ because the manufacturing process is 100% natural. Cheap imitation memory foam mattresses are not environmentally safe, however. The only way to upgrade to a green product is to choose a high quality latex bed.

Your RV beds are slightly smaller than your beds at home. This certainly isn’t a problem. Retailers will cut the latex foam that you order to size so that you are sure to get custom RV mattresses.

There are many benefits that come with a latex mattresses. They remove pressure points, they are anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, sleep cool, and are very durable.

You can easily enjoy this level of comfort even when you are camping in your RV. It’s time to recycle those standard innerspring RV mattresses and replace them with the comfort of a latex RV mattress.

How to Move House without Any Trouble

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

Hello, My name is Peter Selmour I’m gonna tell you today the way how to make your moving as fast and comfortable, as possible.

If you decide to move house, you actually have to pack whole your life into boxes. Who’s got no free time or health for relocating, have an option to get a van and man company, which will do whole job for you. And it’s not just the moving part, but they’ll just come to your home, wrap everything for you, move everything to your new home and unpack everything for you.

Last week I was moving from Hull to London for better job, and I didn’t have any time to pack or move alone. After my dad gave me an website for one company with name Real Man and Van which moved him before, and had great experience with. I gave them a call and after answering a few questions they sent a guy to see my flat and estimate a price of this particular job. After he looked in every room, he told me the price, which was more than fair and we agreed on a date of job.

Three days later, I was expecting them at 10:00 and they turned up on time. Very strong looking man stepped out off a transit and with smile and without any delays, they began to work. They brought a packing material and carefully put everything into boxes, and wrapping foil. After they finished packing they took it to my new home and unpacked everything on places which I wanted.

I could not imagine it any more comfortable than it was. Numerous people say that it’s not easy to move, but from my point of view, it’s only a matter of good choice of van and man company. Just hire a good company and they’ll do all the work for you, and you can just relax and mind your own business.

Benefits of Advice from Independent Financial Advisers

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Equity markets are unstable, the uk plc has overspent and many people are not sure of the future as far as jobs, money and finances are concerned. It might all seem a little bleak and indeed the UK has a lot of pain to suffer before we start to get the books in order. Although the new coalition government will start to address the issues facing the economy we can all take some time to go over our own personal finances.

I am a firm believer that where change occurs, opportunities are present. The emergency budget might close off some loopholes as far as financial planning is involved, but others may become available to encourage entrepreneurship & long term saving. Personally if you can get the most acceptable investment return for the amount of risk you are prepared to accept , blended with applying tax breaks and low-cost investment products, then over the long term you should see the benefits.

The old phrase “don’t let the tax tail wag the dog” has never been closer to the truth. Seemingly a large number of people with buy to lets have put them up for sale, possibly to sell before the emergency budget in 3 wks time. The reason is the possible change to capital gains tax. Great, but what if the government decide to backdate CGT to the Sixth of April. In reality these investors should have taken the possible action of CGT into account when designing their investment portfolios. Property is an ill-liquid asset it cannot be easily disposed of. Due to the growth in property values over the last ten yrs many investors will face potential CGT demands when they least expect it.

A competent financial adviser will be able to show the advantages and disadvantages concerning different types of investments. This should include the investment risks and potential tax implications.

If you’re looking for advice on investment management, Bristol based Consilium Asset Management can help you.

Bi Fold Patio Doors: an Excellent Substitute for Standard Patio Doors

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

Historically the only real solution whenever one exchanged their windows and didn’t wish to utilize wood had been silver aluminium. The result of this are numerous aesthetically damaged period households with home windows which are now a fire risk because the window openings are too narrow to be able to escape through. Then they became easily obtainable in white PVC which were at first low-cost and of inadequate quality and very poor design nonetheless which went on to become the excellent high quality they are today and designed to suit the property ” not the wallet.

Home owners presently have got a much better selection of door and window materials and versions to choose from.

For quite a few years, there has been a very big market for outdoor patio doorways, that provide convenience and allow light and air flow right into a property whilst offering a remarkably efficient thermal barrier when shut. Patio doors have recently made way for the Rolls Royce in this market and that is now the very flexible Bifold door. Anyone looking to buy patio doors should first be considering whether or not they may perhaps increase their expenditure to provide for a bifolding door.

Bi fold door are generally organized to span a very broad opening as well as smaller spaces, behaving when closed like a glass divider to allow in increased light and to deliver sweeping views over the outside scene or back garden. The whole wall may be in effect taken away by opening the whole doors seamlessly integrating the room in your home into the outdoor space. They are also perfect for increasing space in constrained circumstances for instance an opening onto a balcony in a small flat. Completely opened up, the panels concertina and store compactly to left, right or both sides in order to restriction their intrusion within the room area. If complete opening is not really necessary the doorways can be set up as french style doors and even like a single opening door.

Easily obtainable in many of the latest materials, such as timber, aluminium, PVCu and aluminium clad timber, the product is available in a good variety of colorings and finishes from specialized window companies. Although high priced, aluminium clad hardwood, gives you the hardwood surface inside and a selection of colours and reduced upkeep options that aluminium cladding provides.

Individual Savings Accounts and Investment Management

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

The previous annual budget announced forthcoming changes to the Individual Savings Account allowances.
In future, allowances are to be enhanced each yr by cost of living. This is a outstanding gain, as every year the amount you will be able to contribute in tax effective savings will increase.
For a couple that are married this means that they would be able to invest up to £20,400 into Individual Savings Accounts.
If however you are intending to use your cash Isa allowance then the upper limit amount you can invest is ten thousand two hundred pounds.
Where you invest is equally as critical as the benefits of contributing into a tax effective investment contract.
Each investor in conjunction with their independent adviser should check their attitude to investing. It is critical to ascertain that your current investment funds meet their targets. You should also check on a annual basis to determine that the level of risk has not modified since the investments were bought.
1 method of exercising this is to use a model portfolio of investments. This will allow investors to invest in a risk contained way and rebalance the investments on a regular basis.
If you would like to find out more about asset allocation, Individual Savings Accounts and how to invest in a wise way why not get hold of us?
Consilium Asset Management supply investment services in South Gloucestershire.

Maclaren Pushchairs – the Best Travel System for Your Baby

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

The responsibilities of a new parent are quite demanding, and they range from picking the best baby food to buying the most comfortable pushchair. This confusion was well understood by Owen Maclaren, founder of the Maclaren Company, who designed one of the first lightweight, sturdy and safe pushchairs for parents on the move.

The first Maclaren baby buggy named B-01 hit the markets in 1965, and since then, the brand has witnessed tremendous increase in sales as well as market reputation. The three most popular models in the new range are Quest, Triumph and Techno XT

If you are looking for a stylish and sleek model, it is advisable to go for Quest from Maclaren pushchairs, which that is not just chic and attractive but is also extremely lightweight. Available in three different types, it permits convenient manoeuvrability in addition to providing full comfort to the baby as well as to the person pushing.

The second model in demand is Triumph, which is better suited for the travelling needs of parents. It is appropriate for babies from the age of three months. It is not only compact but is also quite collapsible, and this makes it easy to fold, store and carry around.

However, if you are looking for a very comfortable and hi-tech pushchair, you should try out the Techno XT, which has a unique sporty feel. This pushchair can be used right from the baby’s birth, as it has a reclining seat that can be adjusted in four different positions. It is easy to carry and takes very less space for storage. It also has a rain cover and detachable seat covers that can be washed easily.

Great Advice when Purchasing Property in Spain

Saturday, September 19th, 2009

Many UK and North European citizens are finding the idea of buying abroad more attractive and achievable. Because these properties offer a good level of capital growth, lower airfares and low European interest rates have made buying in countries like Spain more attractive. You will enjoy lots of sunshine and it’s just a short trip to Spain. purchasing in Spain may have gotten some bad press recently, but it can be safe if you follow some basic rules. The following is a fundamental guide for those interested in purchasing real estate in Spain:


  • A good rule of thumb is to make sure to have your finances arranged first when purchasing real estate in Spain.
    Use an expert in Spanish mortgages to help you. Your Spanish Mortgage are a good example

  • Seek out legal advice before signing any documents.

  • Set yourself a maximum budget and stick to it
  • Be ready in case deadlines are stretched.
  • Until you have the required funding, do not sign a contract to purchase anything.
  • Be prepared for the Spanish purchase process, which is different in Spain than in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.
  • Make sure you completely comprehend how taxes are incurred depending on the type of ownership status you choose If you don?t seek expertadvice

Before making any purchases in Spain, it would be advisable to first approach your lawyer with a series of questions to be answered. There have been many instances where international buyers have been unable to get the results they seek because they didn’t know what questions to ask. Before you sign on any dotted line, then, you should consider the following questions



  • Is the land that the purchase sits on registered as urbanized or rustic? What complications can come from purchasing land that is rustic.

  • What costs will have to be accounted for, including standard legal costs and tax costs?

  • Are licenses already in place, for instance property contracts or first liens of residency?

  • Is there be a ten year warranty on the building, if the building was constructed less than ten years ago?

  • Is this a result of a foreclosure or direct sale?

  • Will there be any under declaration in this purchase?

  • Be sure to ask what extra costs you might be liable for, such as taxes on capital gains, inheritance taxes or income tax.

  • Are there any unforeseen deposits to pay? At which stage of the transaction are they deemed nonrefundable?

  • What lawyer costs and other legal fees will need to be paid?