Ker'ching

2011-09-11T01:58:00.000-07:00

Share tip of the year...

2011-09-02T04:56:00.000-07:00

Drilling next to the big boys, ooohh check out them deeps, 12-18mths sky rocket to the moon baby......

Max Petrol Market Data

EPIC	MXP
SEDOL	B0H1P66
ISIN	GB00B0H1P667
Currency	GBX
Issue Country	GB
Sector Ticker	NMX0530
Year End	31-Mar-12

Shares in Issue	923m
Market Cap.	£115m
Market Size	20,000
PE Ratio	-5.38%
Earnings	-2.37p
Dividend	n/a
Yield	n/a

# of Trades	26
Vol Sold	164,251
Vol Bought	290,326
52 Week High	29.50p
52 Week High Date	28-Oct-10
52 Week Low	10.00p
52 Week Low Date	5-Aug-11

2011-09-02T04:48:00.000-07:00

Understanding the jargon....

2011-09-02T04:35:00.000-07:00

Banks

ATM Posh word for cash machine or hole-in-the-wall.
Libor Very en vogue thanks to the credit crunch, it's the rate at which banks all lend to each other for commercial activities such as mortgage lending. When Libor rises, the cost is felt by everybody.
BACS The electronic payments system
Individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) Better than bankruptcy, it's a five-year debt repayment programme organised between you, your creditors and a middleman. You can wipe out up to 40% of your debts - but your credit record will suffer.
CCJ A county court judgment is a stigma that invites costly credit and higher fees. Sticks to you for six years. Ouch.

Pensions

Additional voluntary contributions (AVC) A pension top-up offered to staff lucky enough to be members of occupational schemes. Largely dying off, along with the gold-plated final salary pension.
Sipp The self-invested personal pension offers bells and whistles such as a huge choice of investment options. Not for the faint-hearted.

Insurance

No claims discount (NCD) Money off for good behaviour. Car insurers offer discounts of up to 55% off your monthly payments. You can now even build in protection for your NCDs into the premium - at extra cost. Go figure.

Savings

Isa The individual savings account offering an annual tax-free allowance of £7,200 to divvy up between the stock markets and cash. Isas have superseded Tessas and Peps.
AER The annual equivalent rate of interest on your account that shows what you'd get by year-end if you left your cash alone and let any interest, added during the year, be compounded. Crucially, it removes the effect of bonus offers that make the account appear very juicy but then disappear after a few months. Banks like it because it reflects the very best rate of return you could get.
Gross What your money will earn, pre-tax, in the bank or building society.

Mortgages

Loan-to-value (LTV) The value of your house relative to how much you're borrowing against it; the lower the better, since you end up paying more for riskier loans.
Higher lending charge This is insurance you have to pay to protect your lender in the event that you default and it has to sell your home for less than the mortgage. Avoid like the plague if you can.
ASU Accident, sickness and unemployment cover that pays out for up to 12 months if you can't work. Buy it cheaply as a standalone policy from a broker, not from your lender.
Early repayment charge A hefty fee for bailing out on your mortgage that stops mortgage tarts switching to the best deal every few months.
Mortgage exit administration fee (MEAF) Just when you think you've got shot of the mortgage, there's a sting in the tail: lenders often charge this controversial fee of up to £475 for closing down your mortgage account.

Investments and the stock market

Guaranteed growth A fund that promises a cast-iron return - but only on part of your capital. It tries its best to maximise returns on the rest but can end up losing you money.
Collateralised Debt Obligation (CDO) A toxic traded security backed by a mishmash of other assets, usually bonds, loans and derivatives. These played a big part in the credit crunch as financial institutions bought and sold CDOs without knowing what was really bundled up inside them.
EBITDA Lets you compare, over time, a company's profitability before the distorting effects of depreciation, amortisation (fall in value of intangible assets such as a brand name), interest and tax.
Earning per share: A measure of how much profit a company is making for its shareholders. Changes in EPS are tracked by analysts to assess performance of companies. If EPS is on the rise, you're on to a winner.
Initial Public Offering (IPO): Fancy technical name for floating a company on the stock exchange.
FTSE The most widely quoted indices for tracking the London stock markets. It's part sponsorship by the Financial Times newspaper, hence the name.
The FTSE-100 The big one in London. It contains the 100 most highly capitalised blue-chip companies.
Open-ended investment company (Oeic) Yes, it's pronounced "oik", but comparisons end there. Oeics are simply investment funds whose eponymous open-ended status means that investors buy and sell portions of the fund which grow or shrink, though it has a single price which is linked to the value of its underlying investments.
Endowment Nothing to do with the masculinity of City traders, this is a form of mortgage which was tainted by scandal as they were too often mis-sold by commission-hungry mortgage advisers from the 1970s on. And they're still controversial: it's essentially a savings vehicle, investment policy and life cover all wrapped into one.
Price/Earnings (p/e) ratio
A mathematical-sounding term that expresses how cheap - or expensive - a company's share price is. The p/e ratio is calculated by dividing the earnings per share figure (see above) into the share's market price. For example, if a company has earnings per share of 35p and the market price is 500p, the p/e ratio is 14.3 (500 divided by 35). The higher the PE ratio, the higher the expectations for profit and dividend growth from the City.

Regulators

FSA The overarching Financial Services Authority regulates the City and all its players, while keeping mortgage lenders and insurers in check too.
Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) This bails out investors if a company goes under, but it has strict limits on what the investor gets back.

Borrowing

Annual percentage rate (APR) The overall cost of borrowing for comparison purposes, including interest and other fees.
Equivalent Annualised Return (EAR) This is the figure quoted when you're borrowing money for an overdraft. Watch out for the sting in the tail: it doesn't include fees you'll pay - just how much your borrowing will cost if you remain overdrawn for a year.

2010-09-13T06:27:00.001-07:00

2010-09-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

10 Things You Don't Need

How To Save Money: 10 Things You Don't Need : Times are tough, but saving money isn't. Just decide what you can do without. Here are 10 common but unnecessary purchases you don't need.
         Step 1: Credit Card Protection Plans

      They promise to make minimum payments if you lose your job. But they add a significant amount to your monthly bill- money better spent paying down balances.

         Step 2: Commercial Grade Appliances

      Americans are eating out more than ever, and an inexpensive microwave heats take-out quite well.

      Step 3: Detox

      Teas, colonics, even Japanese foot pads claim to detoxify your body. Your liver and kidneys do that for free.

      Step 4: Jeans

      The average American woman owns 8 pairs or more. Even at 75% off put them back.

      Step 5: Kleenex Box Covers

      Research has shown tissue works fine without a cover.

      Step 6: Gag Gifts

      Gag gifts are only funny once. And they're not even that funny. No refunds. Same goes for cutesy knick-knacks.

      Step 7: Air Fresheners

      If your house stinks, clean it. That should take care of the odor.

      Step 8: Satellite Navigation

      The vast majority of drivers know exactly where they're going. If you don't, online directions are free.

      Step 9: Big Box Bulk

      If you don't use it, it's not a bargain. It's a waste.

      Step 10: Home Exercise Equipment

      Most of it ends up unused, and there are far cheaper ways to hang up wet socks.

2010-09-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Online shopping has been a feature of online life since the late 1990s and has now become commonplace. According to a recent Pew survey most internet users (93%) have at one time or another done something related to ecommerce. They have used the internet to research products and services, make purchases, book travel, trade stocks, or participate in auctions. On any given day, more than a quarter of internet users (26%) are doing something online related to e-commerce.

81% of internet users have used the internet to do research about a
product they are thinking about buying, with 20% doing this on the typical day.
66% of online users have purchased a product online, such as books,
music, or clothing, with 6% saying they do this on the typical day.
64% have bought or made a travel reservation online, such as an airline ticket, hotel room, or rental car, with 4% doing so on the average day.
26% have participated in an online auction, with 3% doing this on the
average day.
17% have paid to access or download digital content, such as a newscast, sporting event, or radio show; some 4% do this on the typical day.
11% have bought or sold stocks online, and just 1% do this on the average day.

Online shopping is about convenience and saving money. Prices are usually
lower online and sales tax is seldom an issue. Sometimes you even get free
shipping.

Online merchants will often offer special incentives to get people to shop
online. These specials aren’t widely publicized; you have to be at the right
place (website) and the right time to hear about them. Fortunately for us there are several websites that track online deals:

CoolSavings.com
Save your precious time and watch the dollars add up at CoolSavings.com. Gone are the days of searching through newspapers and clipping coupons just to save a dime. Thanks to our exclusive list of hundreds of printable grocery coupons, you save with every click. Simply browse through our constantly updated choices on the Printable Coupons page, check the ones you want, and click “print now.” You’ll enjoy immediate access to special rebates and promotions, as well as insider discounts to major online retailers, department stores and more when you take advantage of their FREE registration.
DealCoupon.com
Back in 1997, dealnews started as a couple of friends hunting for good deals on cool technology gadgets, computers and electronics and then sharing that information to more friends on the dealnews website. They’ve since grown to include a large professional writing and editing staff, numerous web-savvy engineers and designers, and more. However, the core reason for what they do hasn’t changed. They love getting a great deal on really cool stuff and want to share with others.

Dealhack.com
This website was born out of a conversation one day about how the Internet is changing our lives–how we work, how we communicate, how we learn and definitely how we buy things. Yet despite the advances of the web and the promise of comparison shopping, finding the lowest prices on products is still often hit or miss. And it’s usually pretty time consuming. They constantly monitor the web, looking for unannounced sales, store specials, and the most economical prices on the hottest products. We seek out the latest and most compelling online bargains and bring them directly to you.
CouponChief.com
Coupon clipping has gone digital! Armed with “coupon codes” you’ll be able to save a bundle the next time you’re buying anything online, for both products and services. Most online retailers now include a field to enter a promotional or coupon code during the checkout process. Some typical discounts might look like “10% Off your order” or “Free Shipping on orders over $25″. During checkout, look for the special box that says coupon or promotional code. Enter the code provided by this website and experience instant savings.

2010-09-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

2010-09-01T03:48:00.000-07:00

Awesome website in the UK for bargains as they appear, if you are not already a member i suggest you sign up.

HotUKDeals

For an idea of the bargains to be had check out the rss feed on the right.

10 ways to make some quick money

2010-08-30T02:35:00.000-07:00

1. Clearance Sale

Selling all your unwanted books, clothes, toys and videos is a great way of making a bit of extra cash, as well as clearing out your closets. Amazon, eBay and Gumtree are all reputable and secure websites to sell your stuff on, and after paying the initial listing fee, can earn you a tidy profit.
How much can you make?
Dedicated sellers can make £100s on the side, but it all really depends on what you’re selling.

2. Story time

If you’ve had a near-death experience, or a have a gripping or extraordinary tale to tell, why not get paid to have it published? Feature World is an online publishing agency, run by journalist Alison Smith-Squire. As a writer for women’s magazines and national newspapers, she’ll help you choose which publication to sell your story to, tell you how much money you might expect to get for it, and look after your interests. And as an added incentive, selling your story through Featureworld.co.uk is free.
How much can you make?
Sending a ‘star letter’ to a magazine could earn you £50, and published stories about £150. Depending on the newspaper or magazine, paparazzi-style or amusing photos can also sometimes be nice little money spinners.

3. Shop ‘til you drop

If you’re a self-confessed shopaholic, getting paid to shop is a dream job. Unfortunately, you won’t earn big bucks from doing it, but a bit of extra cash never goes amiss. Becoming a mystery shopper is relatively straightforward. By registering at one of the companies sites, when a shopper is needed in your area for a particular store, the company will get in contact, specifying details of what you have to buy and what you have to be on the look out for. Retail Maxim and Optimum Contract are both agencies that are worth registering with.
How much can you make?
Depending on the agency, you can be paid up to £70 a time, and some agencies may offer to pay your travel expenses.

4. Give the dog a phone

Recycling your old mobile handset is an effortless way of getting a bit of extra money. Envirofone.com is the UK’s favourite online mobile phone recycling site. They paid out over £4 million last year, for both working and damaged handsets. Registering to trade in your old phone is easy - just follow the step-by-step guide on their website.
How much can you make?
Trading in your old handset is beneficial to both you, and the environment. Envirofone.com will donate some of the money they get for your phone to charity, and you’ll pocket the rest. An old Nokia N-Gage would get you £12.34, and a Motorola Razr is worth £40.07.

5. Space to let?

If parking in your area is a little on the steep side, and you’ve got a spare space during the day, you could rent it out on a monthly basis. Registering at Parklet.co.uk is free, quick and very simple. Your spare space will join hundreds on the online parking marketplace. You can also set restrictions on use if you’re likely to need the space yourself, and ask users to pay a deposit.
How much can you make?
You should be able to make just under the going parking space rate in your area. Spaces in London generally go for around £200 a month.

6. Picture perfect money

If you’ve got an album full of scenic shots, or a new camera that you’re itching to try out, then you could make a very handy bit of pocket money. Whether you’re the next David Bailey or you’re completely camera shy, selling your photos on Fotolia.com is free, so there’s nothing to lose.
How much can you make?
This is something where size really does matter. A small photo could net you a couple of pence, whereas larger images fetch more. Selling your photos on this site can take a bit of time, but registering is free and easy, so waiting for the cash to start flowing your way is worth it.

7. Music to your ears

SliceThePie.com is a music review site with a difference. You review the songs you listen to, then you get paid. As simple as that. The site pays you 5p for each song you rate, but as your credibility as a reviewer grows, you can earn more – as much as 25p a song. Nice as pie!
How much can you make?
If you’ve got a spare ten minutes every day, sitting down to do a couple of these could net you about £30 a month, which isn’t bad if you enjoy music.
ConsumerChoices.co.uk suggests registering to the site and having a look around. There is music from every genre, and you can pick and choose what you’d like to review.

8. “Your opinions matter to us…”

Getting paid for online surveys may seem like a bit of a scam, but if you carefully sift through the multitude of companies offering “cash for your views,” then you’ll be able to find some that are really worthwhile. Signing up to Surveyhawk.com costs just £18, but after filling in a few questionnaires for their affiliate companies, you’ll soon be in profit.
How much can you make?
Surveys can pay between £2-£40, and online focus groups can pay as much as £75.

9. “Any cashback with that?”

If you tend to do a lot of you’re shopping online, then this is an option that you could really prosper from. CashbackShopper.co.uk is a UK site which rewards you for shopping online at 1000’s of online shops and high street retailers. It’s free to sign up to and they also offer a free £5 joining bonus, and a further £5 for every friend you refer.
How much can you make?
? If you shop online from a cashback store using a cashback credit card, you’ll get double the cash back. The American Express Platinum Card gives 5% cashback to customers for the first three months on up to £4,000 of spending. You could make £200 if you spend the full amount in the next three months, and double that if you make your purchases online.

10. Pimp your ride

A new advertising idea, that could have only come from America, is now speeding its way down the M4. Sign up to GetPaidToDriver.com and an advertising company will tart up your car with a paint job, in the style of the product you’re advertising. It’s a good way to earn some extra money each month while doing all your usual stuff – picking the kids up from school, visiting friends, shopping and even the day to day running of your existing business if it involves driving around. Just agree to have your car branded with the advertising company’s advert and see a cheque come through your door every month!
How much can you make?
Depending on the company you sign with, and the product you’re advertising, you could earn between £200 and £800 a month.

Almighty dollar

2010-08-29T00:15:00.001-07:00

Almighty dollar is an idiom often used to satirize an obsession for material wealth (the phrase implies that money is a kind of deity).
The beginning of the realisation that wealth can engender quasi-religious respect has been attributed to British writer Ben Johnson, who wrote in 1616:

"Whilst that for which all virtue now is sold,

And almost every vice, almightie gold"^[1]

The "dollar" version of the phrase is commonly attributed to Washington Irving, who used it in the story "The Creole Village", which was first published in the 1837 edition of The Magnolia, a literary annual.^[2]^{[note 1]}

"The almighty dollar, that great object of universal devotion throughout our land, seems to have no genuine devotees in these peculiar villages; and unless some of its missionaries penetrate there, and erect banking houses and other pious shrines, there is no knowing how long the inhabitants may remain in their present state of contented poverty."

Edward Bulwer-Lytton is often credited with coining the related phrase "pursuit of the almighty dollar", which he used in his 1871 novel The Coming Race.^[3] More obscure uses of the phrase can be found as far back as 1852.^[4]^[5]
"The Almighty Dollar" is also the name of an Ozzy Osbourne song from the Black Rain album. The song argues that money and greed are destroying the planet by blinding people to problems such as global warming and pollution.
"Almighty Dollar" is also the name of a Devin The Dude song from the 2007 album Waitin' To Inhale. It is a lament both of a marijuana user's lack of money and the declining buying power of the U.S. dollar.

Money

2010-08-28T01:40:00.001-07:00

Money is any object that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context.^[1]^[2] The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally, a standard of deferred payment.^[3]^[4]
Money originated as commodity money, but nearly all contemporary money systems are based on fiat money.^[3] Fiat money is without intrinsic use value as a physical commodity, and derives its value by being declared by a government to be legal tender; that is, it must be accepted as a form of payment within the boundaries of the country, for "all debts, public and private".
The money supply of a country consists of currency (banknotes and coins) and demand deposits or 'bank money' (the balance held in checking accounts and savings accounts). These demand deposits usually account for a much larger part of the money supply than currency.^[5]^[6] Bank money is intangible and exists only in the form of various bank records. Despite being intangible, bank money still performs the basic functions of money, being generally accepted as a form of payment