Unable to decide which of his two staff to lay off, a manager came up with the idea of keeping the one who could devise the most secure log-in computer password. The successful password was MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofyParis. Intrigued, the manager asked his employee to explain how he had managed to create such an unusual password. He replied, “Well, you said it had […]
Do you know how much holiday you are entitled to? Most workers have a right to a minimum amount of paid holiday from work (statutory holiday). This includes full-time, part-time, agency and casual workers. The rules apply regardless of how long you have worked for your employer and how old you are, unless you are […]
Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine. When Lord Byron first offered this advice he could not have imagined the scale and cost of medicines prescribed in England 200 years later (which are certainly no laughing matter). According to government figures, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre there were just […]
Mark Twain once remarked, “Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get”. Well, we have got a lot of weather during the last few weeks and if you have been affected by it the following information might be helpful. Many of you will have insurance policies which cover buildings, gardens and home contents […]
It has been a long time since the wise men made their epic trip to deliver three simple gifts and it was a long time before that when Hippocrates, another wise man observed, ‘Whenever a doctor cannot do good, he must be kept from doing harm’. In July 1945 the founders of […]
Careless driving puts innocent people’s lives at risk. In 2011 excess speed contributed to 213 deaths and using a mobile phone while driving contributed to 374 road casualties. After consultation, in August 2013 the Government introduced some new offences and made some changes to existing penalties, most of which had not been reviewed since 2000. […]
Stating the obvious. Most of the people who volunteer for Citizens Advice do so because they want to help people – by giving advice (the name is a bit of a giveaway). I joined Citizens Advice to work on Social Policy. This is the bit of Citizens Advice which is not as well known by […]
Someone once observed that if all the cars in this country were placed end to end it would probably be a Bank Holiday weekend. As many as 7 million of them would have been bought and sold second-hand during 2012. Buying a second-hand car can be a risky business although it doesn’t have to […]
The rules for challenging or appealing against a benefit decision for most benefits paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) changed on 28 October 2013. The new rules already apply to Universal Credit (UC) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). What’s changed? If you disagree with a decision about your benefit that is dated […]
Whether you live in an old house or a new one, are a tenant or a homeowner you may well feel that it is becoming more and more of a financial burden. Rent or mortgage repayments, Council Tax and heating and lighting bills all mount up to form a significant part of what we spend. […]