Money & Work / Tips & Advice
Going away? Don’t neglect your garden if you’re going on holiday
Top tips on getting the best out of your garden whilst you’re away on holiday. Does anyone else think about their garden while they are on holiday? I find that instead of just focusing on the lapping of the sea, not getting sand in my cocktail and ensuring that the...
Mother’s Ruin? Design your own perfect gin and tonic
Design a gin to your taste. We take a look at spending the day at Nelson’s Distillery and School, Uttoxeter. When it comes to gin we’ve all got our own tastes. “There’s a gin out there perfect for you,” said Dave, our gin guide for the day, “though sometimes you just...
Pointless interview: Alexander Armstrong & his ‘teatime’ TV show
Presenting the ever-popular Pointless suits this multi-talented Cambridge graduate just fine but says: "my family is my priority". Almost by accident Alexander Armstrong and his ‘Pointless friend’ Richard Osman have become kings of teatime TV. Their quiz show,...
Wild at heart? Experience the awe and magic of an African safari
Safari means ‘long journey’ in Swahili. Today, safari-goers can bypass the arduous up-country trek of yesteryear and be deep in the African bush within 24 hours of Heathrow. Nonetheless, that earlier, romanticised era of Blixen and Hemingway retains its allure. So,...
Switch and save: Take the worry out of switching energy suppliers
Worried about switching energy suppliers? A new breed of companies can do it for you. January saw the introduction of a price cap on all standard and default energy tariffs, resulting in energy customers on these tariffs saving an average £76 a year, based on typical...
Over 50s Brexiteers ‘looking forward’ to ‘fewer terrorist attacks’ and ‘pension values rising’
Those aged 50-years-old and over who voted for Brexit, are “looking forward” to “fewer terrorist attacks,” a rise in their pension pot value, as well as the “cost of living falling.” That’s according to research by Atomik Research, on behalf of financial services...
“Only little people pay taxes”
Tax efficiency is not tax avoidance. Why getting IFA advice on investments, bonds and tax liability will help your finances in later life. "We don’t pay taxes, only little people pay taxes’ - The haunting words of the late Leona Hemsley, the billionaire convicted of...
Don’t turn up the volume! Make sure you get your hearing tested
Now is the time to get your hearing checked if you have been delaying it. Approximately 11 million people in the UK are currently suffering from hearing loss which equates to roughly one in six of us. Of the six million people in the UK who could benefit from hearing...
Black suits only 1 in 4 of us
Black is effortlessly stylish but we can't all pull off an Audrey Hepburn or Helen Mirren look. Indeed, that go-to black number suits only a quarter of sizes and shapes. Here are some ideas to keep you on-point. 50 Connect reports that wearing black doesn’t make us...
Over-50s can boost brain function by regularly doing puzzles, study suggests.
Older adults who regularly do word and number puzzles have sharper brains, according to a study. ITV News reports that the more regularly adults aged 50 and over attempted puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku, the better their brain function, it found. Academics at...
Alan Titchmarsh: Tips on gardening for May and his 10 magic moments
May day, May day! It might be a distress call to Marines, but to gardeners it’s the start of the loveliest month of the year, when leaves are fresh and green and spring is at its richest. All you need is a range of plants that will give you their best in this most...
The Vegan Revolution: Tips and advice on vegan menus
With an amazing 3.5 million people identifying as vegans in a recent survey, we provide some vegan menu advice. You would have to have been on holiday to Mars, or trapped on a remote island, to be unaware of the rise in popularity - certainly as far as the food press...