In the current economic climate, with redundancies and unemployment running at staggering levels, security has become the most important criteria for the majority of people.

Security in their financial wealth. Security in the future of their family. Security of the organisations they work with.

As a direct result, we are finding more and more people wanting to take control of their future and their security. Right now, there has never been a better time to be in control of your own future. A franchise gives you the security and assurance of your own efforts to make your own lifestyle choices. The security of working within a proven system and business model, marketed under a known and established brand.

Choosing to invest in a franchise has many benefits to the potential entrepreneur:

Be Your Own Boss: Franchisees like working for themselves and being in control of their own destiny.

A Better Standard of Living: Generally franchisees will expect to earn more or have a better lifestyle than they did in paid employment. By running their own company the have the added benefits of maximising the tax system to provide a better personal income benefit.

Low Risk: It is statistically proven that franchisees are much less likely to fail in business than independent start up businesses.

Ongoing Support: A franchise gives you a support structure to help you grow and maintain the business. The support structure is total and extensive – covering from the initial start up process and winning business through centralised contacts and methodology, right through to training and developing franchisees and of course helping to support each franchisee in running their own business longer term.

Starting a new business is a massive undertaking for anyone.

Did you know that for every new business that starts this year it is likely that only 43% will still be going in a year’s time and only 20% in 5 years time.

Contrast this with the fact that 87% of franchise operations return a profit in the first years trading!

Benefits of franchising;

Known established brand
Low entry costs
Extensive backup
Continual development
Access to network of skilled business people
Risk of failure significantly reduced
Profitable business levels achieved within the faster timescales

For more information on opportunities visit Acuminate

70% of job hunters say their applications are mostly ignored

Bad corporate manners can damage a company’s health!

One in six jobseekers aged over 50 feel that they are treated like second-class citizens when applying for jobs, according to a survey* to determine the views of older jobseekers, carried out by online recruitment agency SkilledPeople.com. The survey also showed that it is common place now for the majority of job applications to go unacknowledged – 70% of those surveyed said that they had received responses to only a quarter or less of their submissions, and 15% of these complained that they had not had any replies at all.

David Hiddleston, Managing Director of SkilledPeople.com commented “Besides being ‘corporately ill-mannered’ such cavalier treatment of applicants can seriously damage the reputation and brand of an organisation. Companies may be inundated with applications at the moment, but surely that is not an excuse to simply ignore people who have taken the trouble to put together and forward an application – and now, more than ever, it’s important to maintain the good reputation of a company.”

The survey demonstrates clearly that the way a company responds to its job applicants can impact corporate reputation. Of those surveyed, nearly nine in ten (87%) felt badly disposed towards the companies who treated them so badly, more than half (53%) said they lost respect for the companies concerned, one in five (18%) would think twice before buying their products and 16% would go to the length of telling as many of their friends, family and colleagues as possible exactly what they thought of the company in question. Nearly two in five (38%) thought that those recruiters who failed to acknowledge or feedback on vacancies were generally lacking in manners and treated applicants like second class citizens.

David Hiddleston continued: “We believe it’s a sad reflection on the business community that many companies just ignore older applicants – nearly half of those (45%) who responded to our survey had applied for anything between 20 and 50 vacancies whilst some had actively chased in excess of 100 vacancies. Mature people have a lot to offer and the least companies can do is demonstrate common courtesies like an acknowledgement or polite rejection.”

It’s not only companies that came in for criticism from jobseekers - Government funded Job Centres came in for some stick too. Job Centres were variously described as patronising, unhelpful, disrespectful and totally failing to understand the value of experienced older workers within the workplace.

Hiddleston concluded: “I think many CEOs and senior managers would be surprised to hear how their recruiters (who are, after all, supposed to be people-oriented), and the agencies they use, are treating those who actually want to work for their company.”

- ends -

survey of 765 jobseekers registered with SkilledPeople.com. August 2009

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If you are retired, then you most probably rely upon a pension for some of your income. In this day and age it is more important than ever to know the facts about your money, so here is a quick guide to stakeholder pensions.

There are several types of pension, the most common being the state pension. State pensions are what people pay national insurance for. A 65 year old man (or 60 year old woman) with a full NI contribution record receives £90.70 per week on state pension.

Stakeholder pensions, however, are private pensions, which you can personally put money into, by both regular payments and lump sums. Stakeholder pensions are still regulated by the government to ensure they are good value for money, so you don't have to worry too much, but, with stakeholder pensions your money is invested in a choice of investments, each with a varying degree of risk. As a result of this, depending on what the pension is invested in, the actual end amount of your fund cannot be guaranteed.

If you have a stakeholder pension, you will receive tax relief for all payments you make into your fund. For every £1 you put in, HM Revenue and Customs will pay an extra 28p, regardless of whether you pay income tax. With stakeholder pensions you do not actually need to retire to take benefits once you pass a certain age, which is currently 50, although this is being raised to 55. When you take benefits you have the option to receive a 25% lump sum of the total fund, and then you have the option to buy an annuity fund, which basically gives you a regular income. The size of these payments depends upon the size of your fund.

But there is a price to pay- every year you will be charged up to 1.5% of the face value of your policy per year, for the first ten years. After that period of time it will drop to 1%. If, however, you took out your pension before 01 April 2005, you can only be charged 1%.

If a stakeholder pension is something you may be interested in, take a look at the Legal & General website. They have very clearly laid out information. Legal & General are one of the top FTSE-100 companies, established in 1896. They are also one of the most financially stable companies in the country, so you can depend upon the pensions that Legal & General provide.

In these lean times it makes sense that you get the maximum out of your savings, whether you have retirement approaching, or you want a nice amount of money to look forward to in a few years time. Despite the current financial crisis, it is well worth looking into investing your money for a few years with a safe pair of hands. One of the best ways to save (and hopefully make) money is with an ISA.

An ISA stands for ''Individual Savings Account''. ISA''s were set up by the government to encourage more people to save money. An ISA is a bit like a shell. You put investments inside it to shield them from being taxed. With a company like Legal & General you can invest as little as £50 pounds per month up to £3, 600 per year in an ISA and receive no income or capital gains tax on the income you receive. An ISA is a medium to long term investment (5 years minimum recommended). Longer term investments are a good idea at the moment, with the short term market being far too unstable at the moment to guarantee any decent returns.

To set up an ISA you need to be a UK resident, and over the age of 18 (with the exception of some cash ISA''s, for which you can be 16). There are many different types of ISA to choose from. Index Tracking ISA''s follow a certain market or sector, for example Europe or technology, and require less maintenance. Actively managed ISA''s, on the other hand, are looked after by a fund manager, who invests in a portfolio of assets in an attempt to make the best returns. Other ISA''s include the income ISA, which goes about ensuring you receive a regular income from your investment.

Of course, as with every type of investment, there is a certain degree of risk involved in ISA''s. Depending on how the market performs, your end sum could be less than what you initially put in. our income could also vary. This is why it is important you invest your money with a dependable and secure company like Legal & General. They handle the investments, insurance and pension needs of over 5.8 million people, and are one of the top FTSE-100 companies in the UK. Their experience and expertise have been helping people save money since 1896.

Unlike normal insurance, which you pay to help when unforeseen events affect your health or your possessions, life insurance allows you to put money aside to help your loved ones for when you pass away. Death may seem like a morbid subject, but as you get on in life it becomes clear how much you need to ensure your wife or children are left with some financial security during that difficult time.

Life insurance, even more so than most other financial products, is something that has to be given a lot of thought. Looking on the internet is the best approach to finding a good deal. If you are of an older generation then the internet might seem like a bit of a daunting prospect but it is simple to use, informative, and allows you to compare companies faster than you ever would by phone. In fact, it can be a lot less stressful than phone calls, as there are no pushy sales people to deal with. There are lots of websites such as moneysupermarket.com or moneyfacts.com that actually compare hundreds of companies instantaneously for you, finding the best deal for your money.

Often the cheapest deals do not mean they are the best however, and this is where price comparison websites sometimes come unstuck- they can find cheap deals, in abundance, but they are often policies known as renewable term policies. These policies may appear like good deals at first, but they can be renegotiated during the term, with premiums becoming higher over time. Use comparison websites, but for a safe bet stick to comparing the larger, reputable companies.

A good company to look at for life insurance is Legal & General, who offer a wide range of policies over varying periods of time. They also have an excellent over 50s life insurance policy, with guaranteed acceptance, no medical, and a 10% increase in cover after 5 years with no increase in premiums. Legal & General were established in 1896, and are dab hands with money- they are one of the top FTSE-100 companies, and have over 5.8 million customers, so you know your money is in safe hands.