Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited

Pay Per Mile Car Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:54:00 +0000

A new way of paying for your car insurance has hit the Internet in the form of Coverbox. The company have on board a panel of 4 insurers at present who will provide a quotation specific to how much you use your vehicle and when you use it. They will fit a tracker to your vehicle which will then track you and charge you based on your usage of the vehicle.

There are the obvious problems with this scheme which is that a vehicle must be fitted with a tracker. The website claims this is free but we all know that, at best, the cost of this has to be factored into the insurance policy. You have then got to have the tracker fitted. I assume it won't take long but this is still an inconvenience to our busy lifestyles. I'm sure that the little tracker needs some power so that is going to be a little extra on your annual fuel cost (although this is probably insignificant).

Okay, negatives over, what is so good about this scheme? Well, this is a company built on statistics so if you are statistically a lower risk driver in terms of when you drive then this could save you some money. Obvious "peak" times are rush hours for most of us, but if you are a younger driver there is a "super peak" time which is after 10pm at night. Driving at these times will cost a lot more but if you avoid them then the cost is significantly lower.

Personally I think that your everyday driver is not going to benefit. Rush hour is rush hour because it's when most people are driving. This is therefore aimed towards the minority. The people who work unusual hours (possibly shifts) or maybe retired people who you would assume try to avoid driving at these busier times.

The biggest problem of all is the quote. It is really a quote based on a specific amount of miles at a specific time of the day. Unless you have a fixed routine for 7 days of the week that is military timed then this quote will never be accurate. Even a traffic jam or breakdown could delay a journey, pushing you into a peak time and thus changing the price.

I think that most people will be reluctant to jump on board unless the saving is pretty much guaranteed. I certainly would rather know what I'm paying for rather than think I'm paying one figure then be told I've gone over my original estimate and owe them more money!

New 20p Error Could Make You Royal Minted

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:33:00 +0000

The Royal Mint has made a blunder in the issue of the new twenty pence. The new design was to move the date from the front of the coin ('tails' side) to the back of the coin ('heads' side). It seems that to save time, they merely created the new front without the date and used the old back without updating it.

The error was spotted early but it is believed that around 100,000 of these made it into circulation. Such is this rare event, coin collectors believe that the coin will be worth a lot of money in years to come. Early valuations of this undated 20p are around £50 but the online auction site ebay already has some lucky finders of this coin selling them at over £100, that's 500 times there original value which isn't bad if you got it as change from you daily pint of milk down the shops.

No doubt this will cause a huge amount of people sifting through their change to see if they can find one. You may be able to earn a quick buck by selling these straight away but as more and more of these end up in the hands of collectors, they will become harder to obtain by others and therefore much more valuable. Keep it safe for a few years or maybe until the new design is updated and then get a valuation.

The Difference Between Rent Guarantee and Loss of Rent Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:54:00 +0000

Rent guarantee cover is taken out by landlords to protect themselves from the default of rent payments from their tenant. This could be from the tenant vacating the property without notice and not paying the remainder of their contract, or the tenant being unable to keep up with rent payments due to being made redundant, something that is happening more and more in this economic crisis.

Because of this, more and more landlords are searching for this as an add-on to their landlord building and contents insurance. It is often required to have reference checks or guarantors in place for this sort of cover. This type of cover is sometimes referred to as loss of rent cover, which predominantly it is, but this is not actually the case.

Loss of rent cover is normally covered under a standard landlord building insurance policy and therefore not a separate add-on like rent guarantee normally is. The loss of rent cover under a buildings policy is for the rent that is lost from a claim for an insured peril.

For example, a flood could render the property uninhabitable and consequently the tenant would move out while the property is repaired. The loss of rent during this period is then paid as part of the claim (or in some cases the tenant would continue to pay rent and the insurance pays out for the alternative accommodation instead).

It is always therefore best to call the rent covering policies by their correct name. If contacting an insurance company, keep this in mind as if the wrong term is used, you may think you are covered for something that you later find out is not when it is probably too late.

Tips on How to Avoid Having Your Insurance Claim Refused

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:45:00 +0000

I recently read an article in the Daily Mail here where Halifax Insurance repudiated a claim for storm damage as the recorded wind speed was not strong enough. It is stories like this that give the insurance industry a bad name and the usual comments such as "it's not worth the paper it's written on" and "they do anything to get out of a claim" seem to come up.

I have worked in the insurance industry for several years and this scenario really annoys me. As a broker, we are caught in the middle of this argument. We are not the ones who pay out the claim, it is the insurer, and if the insurer pays out then the customer is happy so we are always on the customer's side in this battle but can often be the target of abuse if a claim is not paid out.

In the article mentioned earlier, the claim was for damage to the roof following strong winds. Each and every insurer has a threshold for what wind speed is needed to be considered strong enough to cause damage. The whole point here is that the wind did not reach that speed but damage was caused.

The roof was obviously poorly maintained otherwise you would have expected a large number of roofs in the area to be damaged also but I would guess his was the only one. Sure, you are sympathetic with the person who has suffered the damage but a line has to be drawn somewhere otherwise a tile could fall off in a 5mph breeze and that could be claimed for even though it is quite obviously a maintenance issue. The insurer even made extra effort by sending a surveyor to the property who confirmed that there was signs of faulty flashing from prior to the claim.

There are different rules for every insurer as, at the end of the day, they are a business and need to make a profit. Some are more lenient in paying claims in certain areas than others but this is normally reflected in the price you pay. If you want to avoid having your insurance claim refused, read the policy before you take out the cover.

Lie Detector Being Used on Insurance Claims

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:47:00 +0000

For the first time in the UK, a leading insurer is now using techniques to combat increasing fraudulent claims in the form of lie detection. The company that specialises in car insurance will be targeting claims for vehicle theft where the value is less than £5,000. This is due to the increasing number of these claims where it is believed that owners are simply "hiding" their car then reporting it stolen.

The company will use cognitive interviewing, a technique used by the police, in which variations in the tone of our voice are measured to detect minor changes that occur when we are under stress which could mean that the interviewee is not telling the truth.

If the interview detects a possible inaccuracy in what is being declared on the claim then the insurance company will look into it further. Hopefully they will reduce the number of fraudulent claims and, if proved successful, I'm sure this could be the norm with all types of insurance including public liability insurance and landlords insurance.

This is a win win situation for everyone as less fake claims means insurance companies are paying out less money which ultimately leads to lower insurance premiums for the rest of us. The owner loser here is the fraudster when they get reported to the police instead of their "stolen" car!

Norwich Union Changes to Aviva

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:52:00 +0000

Norwich Union, the UK's largest insurance company, has been around since 1797. Originally the [deep breath...] "Norwich Union Society for the Insurance of Houses, Stock and Merchandise from Fire", thankfully along the years it has become quite simply "Norwich Union".

If you utter these two words to almost any home or car owner in the UK, they will know who you are talking about, which begs the question, "why are you changing your name?". Despite several TV adverts telling people of this change, I think it is going to be one of those things where you say "Aviva, it's that company that used to be called Norwich Union" although I suppose it's still shorter than their original name all them years ago!

Aviva was an adopted name in 2002 by the merger of CGU plc and Norwich Union which took place two years earlier. The UK continued trading under the Norwich Union name but everywhere else it would be known as Aviva. Aviva's growth to the world's 5th largest insurer has meant that the decision to drop the UK trading name to become the same global brand was to take place today.

I'm sure that the name Norwich Union will still be unofficially used for many years to come but from now on we shall try our best to call you Aviva!

New Landlord Licence

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:53:00 +0000

A consultation is under way with regards to a licence required by anyone letting their property. This new scheme will require all landlords to sign up to a national register before they can rent out their property.

The idea is to keep track of "rogue" landlords for the protection tenants. Quite often tenants will move into a property and be subject to a minimum lease requirement. Upon entering the agreement, the landlord may not fulfil their end of the bargain (i.e. maintaining the property, etc).

The obvious downsides to this scheme is that existing landlords will cause an uproar on the fact that it will cost money (a figure which is yet to be determined) to be on this register. The thing is, it will hopefully make renting more lucrative to tenants who can be more sure that the landlord they are about to rent is reputable.

Landlords who fail to do what they should be doing will be blacklisted from the register and will then be unable to rent their property out. I think this is a good idea but they cannot make the costs to high, if anything at all, as it will do more harm than good with another extra cost to people who are probably renting their property and only just breaking even on their costs.

Public Liability Insurance for Tradesmen

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:15:00 +0000

Public liability insurance for tradesmen is becoming increasingly popular. With the economic crisis as it is, you would think it would be the opposite by you'd be wrong. Unemployment at a record high and businesses trying to save every penny they can due to a reduction in work for contractors all point towards a reduction in liability policies being taken out.

In fact, what seems to have happened is that more and more tradesmen are worried that if things do go wrong, they would not be able to afford the consequences and are taking out the protection that they may not have done 12 months ago.

It's a strange scenario but the "credit crunch" if anything else, is making everyone think about their money more and it seems that the logical thing to do is to protect yourself financially if anything goes wrong.

I would guess that the income protection market has gone through the roof along with the premiums that they are probably charging for it. Public liability insurance has remained one of the most cost beneficial policies out there with premiums as low as £45 for cover as much as £1,000,000! If you are a tradesman, insurance is a must so go and get it now.

Are Pets Covered on a UK Landlord Insurance Policy?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 11 May 2009 07:25:00 +0000

Okay, so I’m sure every landlord has thought about it, “what happens if the tenant’s pets were to damage my property?”.

Well the answer is very simple you would have to either use the deposit that you took off the tenants when they moved into the property to get the repairs done or else you would have to pay for the damage yourself (which lets face it none of us want to do that!)

Many people may now be looking at their policy booklets and wondering why it says "Collision from any Vehicle or Animal” and again the answer is a simple one. Most, if not all, UK landlord insurance policies will cover you for damage to your property from any other animal except pets.

So if your tenant's Great Dane knocks down a wall and you have to get it repaired then you will have to pay yourself, but should an escaped rhino from the zoo come crashing through your front room wall, you would at least have the cover for that.

Insurance Premium Tax

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:00:00 +0000

For those of you that don’t know what Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) is then allow me to provide you with an explanation. Basically it is the VAT of the Insurance world with the only difference being that it is a mere 5% compared to the higher 15% of VAT. All insurance policies are subject to this taxation with the few exceptions like commercial aircraft insurance and commercial ships and lifeboats insurance which are tax exempt.

Many people in the insurance industry are breathing a sigh of relief after the 2009 budget was announced and IPT was again left at 5%. This was welcome news to the ears of the Insurance Brokers and Companies as it would of course put insurance premiums up without any benefit to them. In fact an increase would in fact hinder them in several ways.

If the percentage were to increase then the public would see an increase in their Insurance Premiums which is not what anyone wants to happen, especially in the midst of an economy shrink of 3.5%, said to be the worst performance since 1945. However the insurers and brokers would be the ultimate losers as less people will take out non compulsory insurance in a bid to save money. On top of this, the insurers/brokers would be handling more money with no extra income. This could mean paying higher credit card fees for their client’s payments.

If we look back at the history of Insurance Premium Tax then we can see that it is not something that changes a lot and has now been kept at 5% for the past 10 years after its increase to that figure back in July 1999. Given that it was started back in 1994 and was originally at the low level of 2.5% the fact that in the last 15 years it has only been doubled to the low sum of 5% then both Insurance Companies, Brokers and Clients can be glad that despite everything, yet again, there was no mention of increasing this current figure.

Contractors Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:45:00 +0000

We are being asked more and more about contractors insurance and what exactly it is. It is quite simply a term that is being more commonly used nowadays to describe cover taken out by self employed tradesmen across the UK to protect themselves against unforeseen incidents.

The most obvious type of contractors insurance is public liability. This is to protect them from any injury or damage they may cause to other people or their property.

Anything from builder to beautician comes under the same category. As long as you are a contractor of some sort then this is the insurance you would need to take out. Cheap quotes are simple to get and usually involve just a few straight forward questions about what you do. The insurer will then work out the risks involved and give you a price based on these factors.

The End Of The Recession Is Here

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:34:00 +0000

The end of the recession is here... well almost. According to economists, the gross domestic product of the UK is set to contract by 3.5% in 2009 with a recovery starting early in 2010. This news comes from experts just days before the Budget.

No doubt this is added pressure on Mr Dowling's head who in the past has been criticised for underestimating problems with the economy.

We have certainly been through the worst now in this current recession according to these reports but recovery will be slow and fragile.

This does of course mean that decline is going to continue for the rest of the year and early next year but this decline is going to slow considerably. Unemployment will still continue to rise until this time with estimates expecting it to reach about 3.25 million people unemployed by the end of the recession.

Budget 2009 - What Can We Expect?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Alistair Downing prepares to deliver the 2009 Budget to the UK on 22nd April. With a huge amount of money needed for the proposed spending, this is certainly a Budget to fear.

Predictions are beginning to happen with most expecting the worst affected to be middle earners. Cuts in tax relief on pensions for high earners and an increase in contributions for public sector workers on pensions seems likely.

The major changes that are also possible are an increase in VAT and an increase of National Insurance contributions. Both of these are easy ways for the Exchequer to earn a huge amount of extra cash.

Obviously these are just speculations but are all very possible. In this time of economic crisis, I don't think that we can expect to gain anything from this Budget except a larger hole in our already empty pockets!

One Trillion Dollar Rescue Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 10:19:00 +0000

The recent G20 summit agreed a trillion dollar plan to help rescue the global recession. I am not going to write about the ins and outs of such a plan, instead I am going to merely discuss the shear amount of money in question.

I don't know how they came to such a figure but it is almost uncomprehending to a human being as to what this figure actually means. One trillion dollars in numerical terms is $1,000,000,000,000. Yes, one million, millions or one thousand billions, whatever you find easier to get your head round. Either way, what an enormous amount of money!!!! This figure in British Pounds is approximately 670 billion pounds or £670,000,000,000.

The only people likely to understand this sort of money are premiership footballers who probably earn a similar amount each month, but even a normal calculator cannot cope with the figure in question.

To help put this figure into perspective, say you actually had this money in your bank account and wanted to spend it all (I wish). If you spent £1,000,000 (yes, one millions pounds) every single day of the year, it would take you 1835 years to blow the whole amount.

In fact, you could spread this huge sum of money out equally between every single resident of the UK (men, women and children) and each would pocket in excess of £11,000. Yes please!!! In fact, the true figure quoted by the G20 summit is $1.1trillion. That extra 0.1 adds an extra £87 billion to the grand total and certainly should not be omitted from any discussions.

Water Meters Could Help Lower Insurance Premiums

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:49:00 +0000

It has been warned that water meters could be made compulsory across the South East and, if successful, across the entire UK. The South East suffers from water shortages and excessive use could see the resources literally run dry.

To combat this, the proposal of compulsory water meters is being considered. This is not uncommon nowadays with all new home owners having to have them installed if there isn't one already in place. Some people are even choosing to do so to help reduce costs.

The idea is to make people aware of their water consumption in the same way they are for gas and electricity which should hopefully reduce the amount of water used.

On an insurance level this could also be good. Home owners are going to be more aware of that dripping tap that is left on while they go away on holiday. They will also be more aware of leaking pipes as this could also be pouring money down the drain (excuse the pun). The awareness of these factors will surely make the number of water damage claims reduce which in turn can help lower the cost of insurance premiums.

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:44:00 +0000

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 came into force to enhance the management of health and safety policies and to ultimately help prevent fatalities. Although individuals would not be responsible for such breaches of the act, the company or organisation would be if precautions are not taken.

There must be a duty of care within businesses and if this is not adhered to and a fatality occurs then there would be a serious case for corporate manslaughter. Although it would be the corporation that suffers, the directors or management of the company would be subject to health and safety or general criminal law.

A few business insurance providers are now starting to provide legal costs in liability insurance policies to help with any problems that occur that may be deemed to be part of this act. This is certainly an important thing to look out for as it can be a costly experience if it does happen.

Landlord Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:06:00 +0000

Following the response we had to last week's post, we decided to continue the video theme this week and have got a short clip for you about landlord insurance, also known as buy to let insurance.

This explains what is covered by such a policy and the different add-ons that are available such as legal expenses and rent guarantee.

The website of www.landlordinsurance.org.uk provides further details and shows you where to get the best quotations at the lowest prices.

Public Liability Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:51:00 +0000

You may be considering obtaining public liability insurance but are not too sure what it is. We have attached a useful video below from YouTube which explains what is covered and provides examples of claims.

More information is provided at www.publicliabilityinsurance.org.uk along with details on how to get cheap quotes and online cover.

Block Insurance for Flats

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:58:00 +0000

It is a tricky business insuring a flat. The biggest worry is that you might be insuring your flat being the sensible person that you are, but is Mr. Bloggs downstairs his flat too? A bit of an unknown situation arises if the worst happens and the whole places burns to the floor.

Your insurance company is covering you for the re-building of your flat and your flat only. If Mr. B hasn't covered his place then what are the insurers going to do? They can't rebuild your upstairs flat if there is no downstairs flat built underneath it.

You've also got the worry about that communal corridor inside with your front doors on either side. If something happens to that and your neighbour hasn't got cover, then who is going to pay out for that. It is doubtful that your insurers would pay the whole lot and once again it is difficult to half do it.

The only solution to all these issues is to take a block insurance for your flat that will cover the whole property. This pretty much has no down sides. In general the policy is cheaper that taking out separate policies, there is no worry of someone in the block not being insured and any claims involving communal areas or across more than one flat is easily managed by one insurer rather than having to get two different insurers to sort it out between them or even worse and only one person has the cover in place.

Are Cheap Quotes, Good Quotes?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:49:00 +0000

Without blowing our own trumpet too much, we quite often give very cheap public liability insurance quotes and this can obviously raise concerns from the customer's point of view that the policy we are quoting them may not be as good as others.

A normal public liability insurance policy that we provide has £1,000,000 cover and premiums for this start at just £42.50 for a year. It's no surprise that you might be a bit wary about that!

The first thing to take into account is that we, and all the insurers we use, are FSA registered so there is no concerns that we are acting inappropriately or putting you with a company that isn't going to honour your claim.

We always point out any unusual terms, conditions or exclusions so you are always aware of what is or isn't covered before you take out the cover. We do not hide anything from you and will always provide a policy specific to your demands and needs.

We have spent many years building relationships with insurance companies meaning we do all the hard work of negotiating amazing prices without reducing cover in any way. Many of our customers don't leave once they have taken out a policy with us as our low cost quotes coupled with impeccable customer service makes us the number one choice!

A cheap quote may not always be a good quote but if you are insuring with Ashburnham Insurance, I can guarantee that a cheap quote is the best quote!!!

Spotting Subsidence Early

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:08:00 +0000

Subsidence and heave is probably the biggest worry of a property owner. It is the most expensive to repair even if you have insurance in place as most insurers will charge a £1,000 excess for such damage. On top of that, the investigations and repair work can take a long time to sort out meaning that you or your tenant (if you are a landlord) may have to seek alternative accommodation while the work is being done.

The key to minimising disruptions at your house is to spot the signs of subsidence as early as possible. The easiest tell tale sign that there is movement in the ground beneath your property is the development of cracks in the walls and plasterwork. Small hairline cracks are normally due to changing temperatures within the house and are nothing to worry about, but larger cracks, especially those which are wider at the top, are normally a good indication that something is going on.

Other signs of movement can be where doors or windows do not seem to open or close smoothly or where wallpaper is creased or rippled. Sometimes these can be because of damp but if this is not the case then subsidence could be the cause.

If you think that there could be even the smallest amount of movement in your property, the best thing to do is call your insurance company. They will send out an engineer who will monitor your property over a period of time to determine whether there is any subsidence occurring. Don't leave it too late as the more it develops, the more damage will be done to your property and the more expensive and lengthy the repair work will be.

Employers Liability Insurance Is Cheaper Than You Think

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:28:00 +0000

Having employees in a company is a major expense. Ignoring the wage side of things, the most expensive cost is normally the insurance for the employees, or that's at least what most people think.

Well you're right and you're wrong. If you phone up your liability insurer and tell them you want to add an employee to your policy you will probably be told that it is more than what you paid to insure yourself. This is where most confusion occurs.

First and foremost, if you are the proprietor of the business, you are only insuring yourself for public liability. When you add an employee, you first have to cover them for public liability the same as you and on top of that you will also need employers liability insurance. When you think of it this way, the price makes more sense.

For example, you might be paying £50 for public liability insurance for yourself only and when you add an employee you are charged an additional £80. Knowing that £50 of that is for the same cover as you, we realise that the employers liability insurance is only £30.

Obviously these prices are theoretical, and quotation calculations are more complex than this but it gives you an idea of what you are being charged for. It also confirms that employers liability insurance is cheaper than you think!

Snow Brings UK to Halt

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:34:00 +0000

I don't know why but every other year this seems to happen. A few inches of snow falls and it's chaos. Reports say it is the most snow in 18 years but we are still talking inches. There are many countries around the world that don't talk in inches, they talk feet. It is unlikely that people wouldn't make it to work, nor would 99% of the schools shut down for the day. One thing that gets me is there are problems on the London Underground - work that out!

Saying all this though, I spent 15 minutes this morning unable to get out of my road as I just kept skidding to the bottom of the hill so I can appreciate that it's difficult for some. Although I got there (the end of the road) eventually, any more snow could put have put me out of action (or into the neighbour's wall).

Needless to say, all the Ashburnham staff made here this morning (and in one piece) despite the Arctic conditions. The office is freezing, all our teeth are chattering but we will brave it till the bitter end (i.e. 5:30pm).

Lunar New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Today is the Chinese New Year and we would like to wish all of our customers who celebrate this event, a happy new year! Traditionally the first day of the lunar month, this new year is the year of the Ox.

The most important holiday of the Chinese year. It is a time when people join their families to celebrate together. Many towns will have specially arranged parties and fireworks displays.

Although a joyful day for most, there are some that cannot wait for the days to finish as soon as possible. This is mainly due to the overpopulation in China making such events extremely crowded and leaving the areas full of litter once the day is over.

It is in fact a 15 day celebration ending with a lantern festival where people walk the streets carrying lanterns.

Blue Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashburnham Insurance Services Limited) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:52:00 +0000

If you've never heard of "Blue Monday" before, it is normally the second from last Monday in January which is deemed to be the most unhappy or depressing day of the year! Not necessarily true for all of us but taking all factors into account you can see why.

First and foremost, it's Monday. The day of the week that we all dread more than any other day knowing we have a whole week of work in front of us. Next up, it's January. That means Christmas and New Year festivities are over and everyone is back to the daily grind. It also means the weather is cold and dreary which most of us aren't a fan of.

We are also looking at the fact that our debts are at their highest with Christmas clearing out our accounts and most of us won't get paid until the end of the month thus leaving us penniless! On top of this, we probably haven't got much to look forward to in the immediate future with summer holidays being several months away. It is also likely that all new year resolutions are out the window as well by now.

All in all, a depressing day for most people, hence the title "Blue Monday". Thankfully I seem to have avoided the blueness today even though most of the above is stacked up against me. Must have been something in my morning coffee!!!