Things are looking fairly bleak in Britain at the moment, on all fronts. We’re experiencing a sharp cold snap, and George Osborne has recently come out and warned us all of more hardship ahead. Now this probably hasn’t come as any surprise to the majority of all of us on these isles, but the whole thing does wear you down somewhat. Despite what the business world is up against however, in order to get by you need to use whatever resources and benefits available to you to gain some sort of advantage and keep ahead of it all.

One such resource that is looking to be introduced in April 2013 is the patent box service scheme. This is a UK based taxation scheme which allows companies to apply a 10% rate of corporation tax for any net profits that come about from your patented products. The intention of the scheme is to encourage commercialisation of company patents in the UK, in a bid to reinvigorate the countries economy.

These types of changes to the UK patent system can complicate matters for any business no matter how old or new you are to the industry. Such schemes look and sound good on paper, but unless you have any kind of knowledge or understanding of these types of laws it’s almost impossible to know how beneficial it will be for you.

It is reasons such as this that are why there is a plethora of specialist firms around the country that can guide companies or individuals through complex legal issues like this. If you can it is recommended that you find an intellectual property attorney to help solidify and cover you legally on all aspects of IP and ensure you implement schemes and patents that will have a beneficial impact on your business.

Try and keep abreast of any change in laws or systems that concern your organisations field, but having an affiliation with an IP firm gives you that extra expertise and professionalism in the market. At the end of the day such a service is invaluable legally and financially for you, so take advantage of the resources available.

Credit cards have built up a negative reputation over the years with compelling reason; however, if you are sensible a credit card can be a lifeline. There are many different credit cards available, including 0% balance transfer cards, which are ideal when attempting to improve your credit. Although there are dangers, you do not need to throw all of your cards away as long as you are sensible.

The key to a success story with credit cards is learning how to manage them wisely, and ensuring that you understand how they work. You want to be able to stay out of debt, and enjoy the benefits that credit cards can bring. Whether you want to use them as an emergency fund when travelling, or keep them for emergencies at home, they can be useful.

You will need to go through your credit cards, and determine which ones are of use, and if there are any that can be paid off and cut up. The average person has far too many credit cards, and can never keep track of what they have spent or how much they owe to creditors.  There are plenty of options for interest free credit cards, which can help you get back on track.

Evaluating the importance of the credit card is essential, and you will be surprised how you can survive without it in your wallet. If you intend to cancel some of the cards, make sure you do it slowly, or it could affect your credit score. By keeping one or two low interest cards, you will build strong credit, which is essential.

Keep an eye on what you spend, and understand the reality of the interest rates that are applied to credit cards. Every time you use the card, you are spending money, which you are responsible to pay back in the future. You must ensure that you can afford to pay back the money, or you will struggle when the bills arrive.

If possible pay back the full amount every month as this will help towards your credit score, and ensure that you have some spare money if there is an emergency. You should also consider signing up for a rewards credit card. These are appealing, and can offer anything from cash back to travel perks, which is an incentive to keep your balance low on the cards.

As long as you are sensible, and appreciate what you need to do to maintain the credit card, you can benefit from having one in your wallet. You never know when problems and financial difficulties will arise, which is when the credit card can become your lifeline. Keep track of what you spend, and ensure that you do not become overzealous.

If you’re looking to apply for a credit card, bank loan, mortgage, or car insurance package in 2013, you might need to improve your credit rating. This is a scoring system which many lenders use to assess whether you’re a suitable candidate for borrowing. Your rating will be damaged if you have defaulted on payments or fallen into debt, so it’s worth getting your finances in order to give yourself the best chance.

Improve bad credit

Once you’re in the red it can be difficult to get out. In fact, it’s often tempting to give up and dig yourself a deeper and deeper hole, but missing payments or violating the terms of a contract can leave you with bad credit. This might make it difficult for you to access extra funding in the future, so it’s worth repairing past problems by speaking to your lenders and working out new payment plans. While this might affect your overall score, it will give you a little bit of leeway and time to get back on track.

Be honest about your past

Believe it or not, banks know more about you than you might think. Thanks to data collected by credit reference agencies like Experian, Equifax and Callcredit, lenders will have access to your postcode, address, salary and family size, as well as electoral roll information, court records, fraud charges and previous dealings with companies. These are all used to predict your behaviour as a lender, so there’s no benefit in hiding your financial history. Being honest and open could even work in your favour and help you get the credit you require.

Check your credit score

If you’re in need of a new credit card or mobile phone contract, but have been rejected it’s essential to check your credit score. Agencies make mistakes, so look through your personal file and note down any discrepancies. If you do spot an error, ask it to be changed immediately before notifying other agencies of the mistake. There shouldn’t be a problem if your request is genuine, but be prepared to clearly state your case or to complain to the Ombudsman if necessary.

Think about when you apply

Every time you make a credit search a note will be left on your file. If you make too many applications within a short space of time your eligibility for additional funds could be affected. This might not seem fair, but even the smallest of details can make a difference, so learn more about your credit score and think carefully about your movements. You might not have realised before, but many of the financial decisions you make leave a footprint and these can be seen by others.

Credit and scoring systems can be hard to get your head round, but it’s worth clueing up so you can understand how lenders think!

There was a time, and not so long ago, when indulging in a spot of skiing meant you had to be pretty well-heeled and able to jet off to the likes of the French Alps for a week or so and pay through the nose for everything. Things have moved on thanks to budget airlines, the rise of the internet and the recovery of many European countries from the long dark night of Communism. With cheap car rentals, Italy, Estonia, the USA and elsewhere now also easily affordable and readily available, this is a great time to head off to the great pistes of the world.

Although the top slopes of Europe such as Chamonix, Zermatt and Verbier are no longer the only ones available, they’re still amongst the best and attract top skiers from around the globe. But countries like New Zealand and Australia also have great skiing opportunities, and as these and others in the Andes of South America are in the Southern Hemisphere this means that you have great skiing on offer all year round nowadays.

Also, just a few miles distant from Italy and Austria you can now get some excellent skiing at great rates in Slovenia at Kranjska Gora and other nearby resorts. In North America, the Appalachians and Rockies have ski resorts that are amongst the best in the world, and even in China and Japan there are some great slopes for all ability levels.

Thanks to improvements in material science and the creation of substances like Dendex and Snowflex, indoor skiing is now a brilliant way to hone up on your skills when it’s not convenient to head off for Europe or South America. In fact, these slopes are frequently more difficult to negotiate than their real counterparts, so learning or practicing on these will make the job that much easier when you finally get to the real snow.

Dry slopes like the one at Milton Keynes just outside London are cheap and convenient to practice on, and you can hire all the gear when you get there. Practice snowboarding as well as skiing techniques on them, and take advantage of the regular freestyle evenings for letting yourself go and testing your limits in safe surroundings.

Off-season skiing at the big European resorts also now makes excellent sense, as the reliable snow tends to lie for longer than you’d often expect and you can take advantage of great price reductions if you go to places like Chamonix for example just before the main season starts or just after it ends. Another good reason for doing this, if you can juggle your time, is that you’ll often have the slopes practically to yourself. This is great for trying a more personalised tuition experience if you’re a learner, and for practising your freestyle if you’re a veteran. There’s also be little or no queuing, and in fact more skiers when they can manage it are avoiding the peak ski season in Europe altogether for just those reasons.

 

David Elliott is a freelance writer who loves to travel, especially in Europe and Turkey. He’s spent most of his adult life in a state of restless excitement but recently decided to settle in North London. He gets away whenever he can to immerse himself in foreign cultures and lap up the history of great cities.

Since it came into being in 1948, the National Health Service (NHS) has acted as a lifeline for millions of UK citizens.  It is now responsible for treating around 3m people every week, and dedicates a vast amount of its resource to revolutionising Britain’s health standards.

In the 1930s and 40’s, thousands died from infectious diseases like pneumonia, meningitis, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and polio in Britain every year. But whilst the number of instances of people dying from contracting these diseases has drastically reduced, new challenges are emerging in their place.

There are now 73,000 people living with HIV in the UK since the pandemic began in 1981, and the relatively recent rise in diet-related illness as a result of social change, such as obesity, diabetes and anorexia nervosa, pose new threats to the service.

We take a look at how the NHS has evolved to accommodate the changing face of British health.

Population Growth

Today the UK population reaches 56.1m. Figures from a UK census indicate that back in 1911, there were just 36.1m people alive in the UK, with a life expectancy at birth of 49 years for men, and 53 years for women. These figures have increased dramatically in the present day, as even during the last 50 years the average life span across England and Wales has increased by approximately 10 years for men, and eight years for women.

Infant Mortality – 60% Drop

Infant mortality rate recorded in 2011 stood at just 4.4 in 1,000, and has fallen by 60% in the past 30 years (ONS).  The NHS must take a huge share of credit for these advances, as without the service it has provided to the UK, a quality standard of healthcare would only have been accessible to children from affluent families.

Medical Science Then & Now

In 1948, patients who underwent cataract surgery needed to spend a week totally immobile with their head supported by sandbags.  Now, cataract operations can be performed in less than 20 minutes, with most people leaving hospital the same day.

As recently as the late ‘50s, hip replacement surgery was so rare that if you were fortunate enough to have it, you would be asked to arrange for it to be returned to its inventor after your death. Today, around 1,000 hip replacements are carried out by the NHS every week.

The first heart transplant patient survived for just 46 days after his operation in 1968.  Patients who have a heart transplant these days will commonly go on to live for at least another five years.

In 1978, huge advances in medical science saw the birth of the world’s first ever test tube baby, Louise Brown. July 2012 marked the birth of the 5 millionth test tube baby.

In the early 1970s, just over half of women diagnosed with breast cancer and less than a third of men diagnosed with prostate cancer were still alive five years later.  Now, the survival rate for both forms of the disease has improved by over 50%.

However, despite all these medical advancements, in the present day heart disease remains the UK’s biggest killer, accounting for around one third of deaths. This was also the case 60 years ago. Whilst the NHS has seen phenomenal positive change since it began, there are still huge challenges facing the organisation.

In this case, contributed by Laura Moulden on behalf of Cheselden, the leading Continuing Care review specialists. Visit the site today to find expert Cheselden Healthcare Funding advice.