Sophie Schillemore
I cover entrepreneurs and people who create and forge their own living from creating an idea and seeing it through to implementation. Having an idea is the simple part. I started my own clothing enterprise in 2005 and have witnessed the importance of social media in the evolution of business –although I do think the value of Facebook in growing a business is perhaps over played in some quarters. I am constantly looking at new investment opportunities and schemes being introduced to help start-ups get off the ground. I don’t have lots of spare time, but I am partial to cooking and reading, although never at the same time.
Self-Employed Will Only Save For Retirement If Forced
Half of the self-employed would willingly save into a pension - but only if the government brings in automatic enrolment regulations.
Otherwise, thousands of workers will continue without any retirement savings, says a new report...
Online Shoppers Just A Click Away From Crypto Payments
If you want to go shopping online to pay in cryptocurrency, a new app for one of the world’s leading shopping platforms will open the way.
Magento is a market-leading shopping and payment software system...
Bitcoin Hanging On $4,000 By The Fingertips
Bitcoin is hanging on to a $4,000 plus price tag by the fingertips and may dip below again within a few days.
Current trading puts Bitcoin at $4,036.50 with the cryptocurrency rallying from a start...
Monero Hard Fork Only Days Away
Monero is the latest cryptocurrency to face a hard fork - but the upgrade is to improve the blockchain rather than increase the throughput of transactions.
Other hard forks - like the recent Bitcoin Cash...
Retirement Finances Are Too Complicated For Most Savers
Savers find working out their retirement finances years in advance is too complicated, say pension experts.
Actuaries from the US, Britain and Australia looked at why people in each country seem to struggle with pensions...
Most Pension Scammers Are Advisers, Say Financial Firms
Crooked advisers are to blame for most investment scams, according to a probe by pension providers determined to root out the fraudsters.
The Pensions Scams Industry Group (PSIG) came to the conclusion after scrutinising more...
Pooling Pensions Could Give Better Outcomes For Savers
Financial experts are advocating more pension tinkering after an international study of workplace schemes concluded retirement savers could benefit from pooling resources.
The study looked at defined contribution pensions offered by employers and found that...
House Price Rates Drop By 50% Worldwide
House price rises are slowing down across the world, according to property experts.
Prices in almost nine out of 10 countries tracked by international property consultants Knight Frank returned increasing values – but the rate...
Rising UK Inflation Is Good News For Pension Savers
Expats saving for retirement and drawing the state pension are the biggest winners from the latest spike in the cost of living.
Inflation has hit a five-year high of 3% for the year to September–...
Getting An Expat Mortgage Is Not As Easy As You Would Think
British expats with home thoughts from abroad find getting a mortgage is a challenge.
Many of the 4 million Brits choosing to live overseas want to keep their options open by owning a home in...
HMRC Chasing Expat Contractors For Unpaid Tax
The British tax man is asking foreign governments to chase down expats working overseas who have failed to pay the right amount of tax.
Almost £6 million was raised for HM Revenue & Customs by...
Watch Out For Phishing Scammers Posing As The Tax Man
Online crooks have put thousands of fake web sites online to scam millions of pounds from taxpayers on both sides of the Atlantic.
HM Revenue & Customs warns fraudsters are forever coming up with ways...
Bitcoin Surge Spread Like An Infection, Claim Economists
The massive surge in the price of Bitcoin from $900 to nearly $20,000 last year was like the spread of an infectious disease, says an economist.
The 900% increase in Bitcoin value was driven by...
Directors Banned As £24m Teak Forestry Scheme Fails
A pair of directors skimmed millions of pounds from investor cash raised to buy stakes in Brazilian teak plantations.
Junie Bowers,41, and Andrew Skeene, 40, were directors of Global Forestry Investments (GFI), and their business...
One In Four Have No Rainy Day Savings To Fall Back On
Most of us worry about having enough to pay the bills while putting some money away to pay for a comfortable retirement.
But a shocking survey reveals the real state of the nation when it...
