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Share to facebook Share to twitter Share to linkedin (Jasper Juinen © 2017 Bloomberg Finance LP) © 2017 Bloomberg Finance LP Wedged between the EU's majors Germany, France and Belgium, Luxembourg is often forgotten. About the size of Rhode Island and with a population of around 600,000, it is easy to miss. Even Napoleon questioned its existence.   And yet this tiny Grand Duchy is rapidly becoming the financial center of Europe. Last month, when the EU withdrew its "equivalence" from Switzerland's financial markets, Swiss banks were able to carry on trading since most of them had offices in Luxembourg, an EU member state. But Swiss equivalence—where stocks on Swiss and EU markets can be traded freely—had been on shaky ground since November when the EU first mooted removing it as a bargaining chip if the country did not sign up to a new single framework to replace the 120 separate … [Read more...] about Will Luxembourg Be The Biggest Benefactor Of The EU’s Decline?

…that an index fund would outperform a collection of hedge funds over the course of a decade. At the end of the decade, he won the bet. Of course, we’re not suggesting placing any bets. While index investing bested hedge funds in this case, it does not necessarily mean it would happen again. Still, the results of this bet are worth noting since they illustrate the high potential of index investing.1 ETFs generally seek to track an index or stocks, bonds, or other securities. They can be broad market indexes like the S&P 500, Nasdaq or Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index; more targeted regional indexes; or even niche indexes (more on that later). ETFs can have hundreds of securities in their portfolios, which creates instant diversification that may help reduce risk when compared with owning individual stocks. There is also an opportunity to further diversify by building a core portfolio of multiple ETFs, each of which may hold different types of securities across … [Read more...] about Invest With A Purpose: The ETF Revolution Is Here

A mum who was inspired to join eBay after selling an unwanted Pearl Jam CD online in 2001, has revealed she's now on track to hit £1million - and even has a team of employees. Roanna Korling, from Cobham, Surrey, recalls the moment she was inspired her to start her own business, years before she took the leap to quit her day job to start a family and become her own boss. "I was working as a PA but my partner, Martin, and I, were ready to start a family when I quit the nine-to-five in 2015," Roanna told Mirror Money. "I'd been on eBay since my twenties. I would set myself a £200 budget and go out hunting for things to buy and sell for a profit," she said. "I'd go to TK Maxx and buy £30 designer handbags to sell on for £80. I started visiting markets - on one occasion I bought a bulk of belly dancing outfits which I then listed online. "Things took off from there really - I was selling everything from perfumes to exchange store clothing. I'd visit brand warehouses and … [Read more...] about How one mum made £1million on eBay selling second-hand clothes

As many shoppers search for bargains in advance of Amazon’s “Prime Day” sale this week, there is a growing scepticism about how they can judge the products they are thinking of buying. Three-quarters of people read the reviews posted about products and services, but doubts are mounting over the trustworthiness of these reviews. A burgeoning market for fakes has emerged, and experts say consumers must be vigilant. So how can consumers know that what they are buying is reliable? The rise of the fakes Customer reviews have a huge influence over consumer spending, which is worth billions of pounds each year. When reviews are real, constructive and well-intentioned, they are of huge benefit to shoppers. Not so when they are fake. A fake review will appear to have been written by a genuine customer but, unlike real reviews, they are paid for by the manufacturer or trader to boost ratings and rankings on sellers’ websites – which in turn boosts sales. In some … [Read more...] about Five stars or fake? How to beat fraudulent online reviews

I needed to contact Ovo Energy to discuss an unexpected £261 bill. I had had to give up work while recovering from two liver transplants and the bill coincided with the notification that my employment and support allowance was to stop, leaving me with no income. I searched for customer services online and dialled the prominent number to find out if I might pay in instalments. The call was terminated midway, so I redialled. When I received my mobile bill I found the two calls totalled £48.37. My provider said the number I had called belongs to A2B Telecom and is charged at £3.60 per minute plus an access charge, whereas Ovo has a freephone number, which is what I thought I was calling. I contacted Ovo who said it could not be held responsible for the call charges and tried in vain to get through to A2B Telecom. This is a sizeable chunk of money that I really cannot afford. Stockport You have fallen victim to a telecoms service that charges premium rates to put callers … [Read more...] about A call to Ovo over an unexpected charge landed me a big bill