The dream of retiring early can sometimes be just that; a fantasy. Even those who have saved carefully all their life can underestimate the amount of cash they are going to need to live comfortably. But finishing a lifetime of toil with a full set of teeth, and with time to indulge in your greatest hobbies, can be achieved, however, as long as you plan ahead.

According to a survey carried out by MSN, over half of 30-50 year olds plan on retiring before they are 60. But while the decision to retire early is easy, making your money last is harder. Because the eligible age to receive state pensions is on the rise, it is more important than ever to have your personal finances sorted before you retire early.

The first step is to save, and then save some more. Never underestimate the necessity of saving up your hard earned cash if you plan on retiring early. Remember, there is a big difference between retiring at 40 and retiring at 60, so the earlier you think you want to retire, the more money in the bank you will not just want, but need.

Saving 20% of your monthly wage is recommended, with it better to start at least 10 years before you plan on retiring. 30-40 years would clearly be much better, but with mortgages and other expenses this is not always possible. Save what you can, when you can. Even if it is just a few pounds a week when times are tight, it all adds up.

To compliment your ability to save, it is worth being more modest with your purchases. Got two children? Then chances are you won’t need a five-bedroom home. Instead, get a smaller mortgage and save the interest you would otherwise pay on a larger mortgage. The same principle applies to new cars, luxury holidays, designer clothes etc.

The next step is to make sure you are taking advantage of your employer’s pension package. Most part- and full-time employers will offer a pension scheme that will match or even as much as double your monthly pension deductions. Paying into a pension plan as soon as possible is highly recommended as they more you pay in, the more you will get back. It will also help you to determine how much other savings and investments you will need to consider.

Passive income is another great tip if you can manage it. Investing and renting out a property to tenants and getting annual dividends from companies you have invested in, for example, can mean getting a regular income even when you have finished working for good.

It may also seem like an obvious point, but think about when you will stop repaying any loans or debts if you want to retire early. Repaying instalments on mortgages, credit card and overdrafts becomes harder when you are on a lower income, so try and be as debt-free as possible before you clock-off for the last time.

And finally, it is important to review your pension regularly. Every year or two, it is worth checking how your money is adding up. It may be that it is not stacking up as quickly as you would like which may mean re-assessing your expenditure or employee pension plan. But then again on the bright-side, you may also be pleasantly surprised!

Direct Lenders Mean Direct Savings

When you apply for a loan with a direct lender, you usually get better quotes than when you do it through a broker or agent because the quotes that they provide usually include financial fees and their own commission fee for their services. Commission to agents are sometimes paid by the lending companies and some others are charged to the borrower, so it might be a game of chance dealing with an agent when it comes to knowing who will pay his or her commission.

Always Know Who You Are Dealing With

Another advantage of dealing with direct lenders is that you know what the company is. Suppose that you had a bad experience with a lending company and that suddenly you find a good deal from a lending broker that is connected to the company that you are trying to avoid. On the other hand, lending companies have always a physical address, a phone number and several other ways you can get in touch with, as opposed to middle person brokers.

Ghostly Lending Companies

Among the drawbacks that you may find when you are not dealing with direct lenders is finding that the supposed company that you have found to have the best deal is a “ghost” company that only has an Internet presence or that manages a phone number and a P.O. Box as the only contact methods you can use to buy a loan. However, sometimes those companies are simply the front end that people who are not lending agents use to promote a lending company sponsor or affiliate program.

Direct Lenders, Direct Deals

When you deal with direct payday lenders, you can always negotiate the best deals directly, what means that you will not only save money but also time because they can determine if your request proceeds. They usually offer you all the lending options that they manage and also financial advice so you can choose the loan that best matches your needs, or the interest rate that you can afford to pay.

With that said, just ensure that you are working directly with the lender to ensure that you know the true company behind your loan so if you have any issues you will know who to actually contact.

In the rest of the United Kingdom, the minimum wage was also raised from £7.20 to £7.50. However, by February 2013, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that inflation had remained without noticeable changes since the announcement of the new minimum wages. Inflation has topped at 2.8%, but this indicative does not reflect that the inflation index is decreasing, just that living standards have been falling for at least the past 12 months.

One main problem is that the National Minimum Wage rate per hour is unrealistic. The HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes a chart of minimum wages that are based on the age of a worker and even for the apprenticeship group, have left school is condition to getting paid minimum wage. As an example, in early 2012 the National Minimum Wage for people 21 and older was £6.19, but if the worker fell in the 18-20 years group, the minimum wage dropped to £4.98, people under 18 received £3.68, and apprentices £2.65 only. Even though, in 2010 there was no apprentice minimum wage and people falling into this category, usually students were often underpaid.

Professional Wages Are Actually on the Rise

Discrepancies in salaries make bring on a fear of a new inflation episode as the only salaries that are rising at a fast pace are the professional salaries for academics, in fact twice as fast as any other. Financial analysts say this factor may have a negative inflationary impact, not just in the research excellence framework, but in the overall economy after the Higher Education Statistics Agency released information that reveals that many universities are paying higher wages to retain or attract senior staff just to boost their departmental REF scores.

The UK and the European Crisis

Despite Great Britain seems to be far from an unemployment problem derived from the European crisis, the Trades Union Congress revealed that the real global wages in the UK dropped 4.5% between 2007 and 2011. In addition, an unemployment rate of 7.8%, being the lower unemployment rate in the Eurozone where unemployment peaked at 11.9%, but still a rate that did not contribute to lower inflation in the UK.

Financial specialists say that inflation will never decrease while that sort of unequal cities, unequal age groups remain as factors to determine the National Minimum Wage.

Renting or Owning is a Matter of Lifestyle

While owning real estate is the most cherished dream of most Americans, there are people who find it pointless doing such a large investment. Reason to choose either option depends on many factors including your lifestyle, number of dependents, your approach to the futures and, naturally, the money you can count on to get a place to live in.

Pros and Cons of Renting a Home

Individuals who live alone often neither prefer to rent a home because they are not expecting to leave the property to a beneficiary nor need to build equity or get any other benefit coming from home ownership. The pros of renting a home include the ability to move out whenever you want to find a better place, work in a different city, or avoid taxes and other expenses that homeowners have to do in the long run.

However, the cons include that your possessions are not protected by homeowner insurance, what means that you need to take out renters insurance to protect your assets, besides being unable to make structural changes in the property without the homeowner’s consent, and obviously the money that you spend in rent that goes to the landlord without giving you other benefits that living in the place your are renting.

Pros and Cons of Owning a Home

As a homeowner, you can enjoy many benefits, including giving your family a patrimony that may last for the generations to come, besides the comfort and satisfaction of having made your dream come true. Among the pros that becoming a homeowner provides you can build equity, improve your credit score, and overtime may result in cheaper expenses than renting an apartment.

Unfortunately, home ownership has also disadvantages that include the inability to move out with ease, you have also to take care of the maintenance, repairs and home improvements that often require further disbursement, the interest rate of your mortgage can make the total price your are paying for your home triplicates when you pay off your debt, or you may not get it paid but your children may inherit the house and the debt and, in the worst case scenario, you can lose all your investment if you do not have anyone to whom you can leave the property when passing away.

Today, divorces are more about who walks away with what and who gets the most money. So, how do you make sure that you get out with the money you deserve? There are several steps and important tips to keep in mind as you and your soon-to-be ex negotiate with lawyers and sign documents.

Prepare Your Finances

A divorce can have significant financial implications. So, before you even file for papers you should prepare yourself financially. If you have not been in charge of filing taxes, paying bills and keeping track of money made and spent, it’s time you start keeping a close eye on things. If you are unsure of your spouses’ finances, research them and look at statements such as payroll and retirement plan statements, credit card statements, tax returns, online bank accounts and life and homeowner’s insurance policies to get an indication. You and your partner should cancel joint credit cards. You should also set aside emergency cash to pay for attorney fees and other things if need be.

Get Legal Advice

Consulting a solicitor may cost you money upfront, but it will pay off in the end, particularly if your case is extremely complicated. Before hiring a lawyer, make sure the firm is established and reputable, like Irwin Mitchell, and that the lawyer is experienced and has a strong record. He or she will help you understand your legal rights such as whether or not prenuptial agreements stand up in court, how assets will be split, if you’re responsible for joint debts and if you’re entitled to maintenance and other financial assistance. Depending on your situation, it may not be necessary to go to court. Instead, you and your solicitor may be able to negotiate with your partner in four-way meetings so that you can reach an agreement. If both parties are willing to do so, this can save time and money.

Seek Financial Assistance

Hiring an attorney is often necessary, but you should also consult a professional on financial matters, preferably before or during the divorce, not after the divorce is finalised. An advisor can help you better understand your finances, how much your assets are worth and help you develop a budget and plan for your future. You may have to consider finding additional work or other ways in which you can support yourself and pay for bills during and after the divorce.

Dividing the Money

During a divorce, all your assets and finances will be put on the table. You will have to divvy them up according to fairness and need. Some things, such as inheritance and finances acquired prior to the marriage may be inadmissible. Everything else will be taken into account, as well as your responsibilities, your ages and the length of the marriage. Although it may sound difficult, the more transparent and honest you both are about finances, the process will be easier and quicker. After an agreement is reached, make sure that your solicitor contracts a consent order so that no changes can be made later on.

Whether or not you decide to go to court, it is always a good idea to have documents and agreements approved by the court so that they are enforced and you will not encounter future problems.

At one point, flipping houses was so ubiquitous that it seemed like anybody could do it as long as they had some interest in design and an eye for detail. The process seemed simple enough – clear out the space or if need be, completely demolish it; rebuild to meet legal requirements; put the house on the market; and collect a nice check. Even if people weren’t in search of rundown properties and wanted to renovate their own house there was still a lot of encouragement to do so.

Before you grab that sledge hammer, you may want to think twice. Ask yourself if have you really done your research, and as accurately as possible, estimated the total costs. If you’re not hiring a contractor, do you know the condition of the building and have you taken into consideration all the physical labor and time that is involved? Most importantly, are you aware of the health and safety risks? Here are some additional points to consider as you remodel a property.

Make Smart Upgrades

Many people think that installing all high-end appliances, state-of-the-art spas and extravagant home entertainment systems will increase the value of the property. However, that’s not always the case. Depending on the neighborhood, the interests of the buyer and other factors, luxury appliances and upgrades may not be necessary. To get the best bang for your buck, thoroughly research other properties in the market you are looking to sell in.

Know the Health Hazards

It is safe to say that most homes in the UK built before 2000 contain the harmful substance asbestos. When materials containing asbestos are deteriorating or disturbed, they can release the fibers into the air and endanger those around them. Knocking down walls, tearing up floors and messing with pipes can stir the fibers. There have been countless cases in which a lawyer mesothelioma has had to fight on behalf of a contracted worker who has developed the disease as a result of long-time exposure to asbestos. The government warns that even if homeowners aren’t renovating, they should be aware of whether or not asbestos is present in the home and if it poses a threat. Potential and current property owners and renovators should also be cautious of lead, mercury, gases, polychlorinated biphenols (PBCs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mold, and the dangers associated with using construction equipment.

Avoid Costly Mistakes

Such a huge undertaking requires a lot of meticulous planning and informative decisions. If the project is DIY, talk to an expert so that you gain a better understanding of what is going on. Even if you’re hiring a contractor, you should know what is going on so that you can keep a close eye on the project. Always create extra room in your budget and anticipate chaos. No matter how well you plan, something will go wrong or something will cost a lot more than what you expected. Understand that mistakes will happen and plan for them so that your wallet doesn’t take a hit.

And even the world’s biggest corporations can feel the financial pinch, especially when some of their financial endeavours come under scrutiny.

2012 seemed to be no different as some of the most respected companies had to endure an expensive day or two in court.

Here are our most high-profile cases of 2012.

Paddy Power vs. LOGOC

Irish bookmakers Paddy Power are known for their tongue-in-cheek attitude towards advertising (who can forget Nicklas Bendtner and his branded underwear), so it came as no surprise that their campaign last year caused some controversy.

Paddy Power launched a billboard campaign claiming to be the ‘official sponsor of the largest athletics event in London this year’.

This angered the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOGOC), but in fact, the bookmakers were in no breach of rules as they were indeed sponsoring London’s biggest sporting event,

London in France that is.

The tiny village in Savigny-Sur-Seille hosts an egg and spoon race each year, the ‘London’ event Paddy Power was actually sponsoring.

Despite threats of legal action, LOGOC finally backed down and the campaign continued throughout the summer.

Tesco vs. Spicerhaart

The supermarket giants decided to take their influence over British retail even further when they ventured into the property industry, but unfortunately for them, this turned out to be a disaster.

Tesco had planned to further their involvement with the home-selling sector; however, this was knocked back by the Office of Fair Trading.

They then decided to acquire the services of estate agents, SpicerHaart, but the deal went sour when Tesco claimed they were owed £3.37 million from an unpaid loan agreement.

SpicerHaart fought back, claiming that Tesco broke a promise to provide marketing support for the estate agents new brand, iSold.

The case continues

Apple vs. Samsung

The two biggest names in mobile phone production and technology went head-to-head in 2012’s biggest legal dispute.

Apple accused Samsung of copying their patented ‘double-tap functionality’ and the appearance of the hugely successful, iPhone.

A jury in the US ruled in favour of Apple, agreeing that Samsung had indeed imitated Apple’s patents.

This decision by Samsung turned out to be very costly, as they were ordered to pay Apple a whopping $1.05 billion (£677,245 million) in compensation.

So as you can see, even the world’s biggest brands can be involved in bitter legal disputes. But what if your business doesn’t have the money to fund such a lengthy process? Well litigation funding could be your solution.

This article was provided by Vannin Capital, the leading experts in litigation funding.

Read on for some ideas on how to use colour in the right way for your business.

What do you want to say?

For many people, a specific colour will convey a distinct message. Blue is a stalwart of the financial services industry; as it gives the impression of serenity, reliability and security, banks and building societies have scrambled all over themselves to make this shade their own (for example, Barclays, Halifax, Royal Bank of Scotland and Nationwide).

Similarly, red is often seen as a warm, passionate colour – but it can also convey danger, too! Yellow is a happy, summery shade, while purple is associated with luxury, wealth and royalty, and green is the go-to colour for companies wanting to come across as environmentally-friendly and down to earth. Think carefully about what you want consumers to think of when they see your logo before settling on a particular colour combination.

What are your competitors using?

Top tip – go for a colour scheme that’s different to anything your competitors are using if you want to stand out in your sector. Think about what you see when you go to the supermarket – chances are you’ve noticed some of the store’s own brands have a similar packaging to that of the market leaders. You don’t want to look like a copycat when it comes to your own company, especially if the market you operate in is already saturated with rival products/services.

Consider a colour scheme that’s the opposite of that utilised by your main competitor to really differentiate your brand. Just make sure that the shades you choose still convey the message you want your customers to receive.

Is your colour scheme consistent across all media?

Once you’ve settled on a colour or set of shades for your brand, you’ll need to ensure the new look is applied across all of your company’s communication channels for consistency. Be sure to identify the exact pantone reference of each colour you want to use, so that your logo will look the same whether it’s viewed online, on TV or in a newspaper ad.

Don’t forget to apply the colour scheme to everything that’s used for marketing purposes, whether they’re promotional presents for existing customers or giveaways designed to attract new clients. You should also look at ordering new uniforms, printed clothing and stationery to fit your brand’s new image.

One of the most important things to review is your website. It’s likely that opting for an entirely new set of colours for your logo and brand will mean your website needs to be redesigned. Take this opportunity to fix any other issues with your site – e.g. poor usability, broken links, etc – and revamp your online marketing strategy as a whole. For example, you may need to tweak any ads for your products that are displayed online via advertising networks, as well as overhaul your social media pages and review your email marketing communications.

Here are just a couple of money making ideas that could see you earning real money online.

1. Start a blog

The internet is awash with blogs and the reality is that 99% of blogs do not make any serious money. If you have a genuine passion or expertise, however, starting a blog could be a way of creating some online income over the longer term. It’s certainly not a quick fix and it took even the most profitable bloggers years to start making real money.

If you’re passionate about a subject, you can set up a blog using WordPress in a matter of minutes. By signing up for affiliate schemes, with sites such as Amazon, it’s possible to start putting ads on your site almost instantly. While it will take time to build the popularity of your site, monetising it from the beginning will ensure that you earn money as the popularity of your site grows. With free hosting and the use of social media sites as marketing tools, it’s a low cost, long-term investment that could certainly make you some money online.

2. Play poker online

If you know how to play poker, turning your skill into a means of earning income could be much less of a risk than you think. While a small investment may be required in the beginning, taking advantage of offers like the online poker bonus at gcasino.com allows you to double your initial stake; this allows you to play for higher stakes, with what is effectively free money.

With poker being a game that requires a lot of skill and strategy, the internet is awash with stories of people who have made themselves rich purely through playing online poker.

3. Become a freelance writer

If you’re good with words, then there is a whole world of online opportunities waiting for you as a freelance writer.

Search engines are increasingly sensitive to duplicate content when indexing websites. The result is that many large companies commission agencies specifically to improve their search engine optimisation. These digital marketing agencies often employ freelance writers in order to produce short ads on behalf of the companies that engage them. Contacting these agencies with your CV and some samples of previous writing work, or offering to do a free sample, is usually enough to get your foot in the door.

4. Create an e-book

If you’re a professional writer, gone are the days of waiting for that elusive book deal to appear. If you’ve got a great idea for a book or an instructional manual, for something which you have an expertise in, consider self-publishing. A quick search online will return thousands of “how to” articles about how to self-publish by creating an e-book. By placing your e-book on your website, blog or in the Kindle store, it’s possible to make a very real income in a very short space of time.

5. Online tutoring

The invention of video chat functions, such as Gmail chat and Skype, have opened up a whole new industry online for tutors. So, whether you’re living in the UK or China, whether you’re great at maths or speak a foreign language, there is an opportunity to make money online through charging for instruction in almost any skill. Secure payment sites such as PayPal make receiving an online income for your services exceptionally easy too.

Let’s not beat about the bush here, because if there’s one thing that defines success, it’s money. And who earns ridiculous sums of money? People in IT jobs of course.

So if you want to become filthy rich, then IT is most definitely the best route to go down if you don’t fancy the emotional rollercoaster or trading stocks and shares and the inevitable heart attack that goes with it.

The top 5 best paid IT jobs
The most well paid IT job is a Carbide.c++ Developer, on an average salary of £150,000 per annum. Carbide.c++ is a software development tool for C++ development on the Symbian Operating System for Nokia mobile phones.

In second place is an Information Security Risk Manager on an average salary of £135,000 per annum. The information security risk manager performs security risk management frameworks and methodologies for new IT projects, measures security ROI, and quantifies current risk levels.

Third is a Services Director with an average salary of £122,500 per annum. What does a Services Director do? Well, it varies massively depending on the job, but they typically have to manage massive teams (400+) and multi-million pound budgets.

We all know that business analyst jobs are well paid and in plentiful since the crash of so many high profile businesses in recent years, and in fourth place is a Reference Data Business Analyst with a £121,250 salary, compared to the average business analyst salary of £40,000 per annum. So what makes a Reference Data Business Analyst so important? Well, it’s much like regular business analysis with extensive experience and knowledge of investment banking thrown in for good measure. So we’re talking about handling massive sums of money in addition to forecasting returns and minimising potentially very high risks.

And in fifth place, we have the Senior SAP Programme Manager role with an annual salary of £120,000, which involved overseeing the implementation of SAP software, such as SAP R/3, which is typically a massive operation that brings a lot of changes in the organisation and can take up to several years. For this you would need to be highly qualified in SAP programming for large scale implementation with at least 10 years’ experience.

Worst paid IT jobs
If these are the best paid jobs in IT, then what about the worst paid jobs? Well, developer jobs always seem to be poorly paid compared to other IT fields. Although this depends on which programming language you choose to specialise in.

For example, the worst paid developer job is a Junior Java Programmer on £16,000.

Even a Games Tester gets a better salary of £20,000 – and everyone says that games testers are poorly paid!

But then again, Java is an incredibly common programming language considered to be a basic language that every developer should know, just like HTML.

Add IT to your job title for more money
It’s almost comical how you could at the letters IT to the front of many generic jobs for an instant salary increase.

Question: What’s the difference between a manager job and an IT manager job?
Answer: 10%

No kidding, IT manager jobs typically have a 10% greater salary than regular manager jobs – and often no real IT experience is required. You’re just managing a team of IT professionals rather than regular non-IT professionals. And it’s not like people in the IT industry are known for being loud or extroverted. We just tend to have an alternative taste in music.

Become an IT contractor for even more money
But if you want to earn even more money, then becoming an IT contractor is definitely the best approach. Because not only do you get paid up to 60% more on a daily rate, you can claim expenses as one of the perks of being self-employed as well.

In a society where taking sick days is frowned upon, taking holiday is difficult due to work commitments, while pension contributions, health care and other employee perks are becoming a thing of the past, contracting is becoming more appealing than ever.

CONCLUSION
Obviously you can’t just walk straight into a £150,000 IT job like Carbide.c++ development. Even a Senior SAP Programme Manager requires at least 10 years of SAP experience. But that’s not to say that there aren’t good developer opportunities at the bottom of the ladder.

So whether you’re just starting out in your career or thinking about taking a totally different direction, IT is definitely a good career path if you want to be rich, successful and retire early.

Now you just need to choose which of the many IT career paths you want to travel…