Steven Samuels Blog

Here’s a guide through the world of offshore savings and a recommended approach to protecting your nest-egg against inflation.

1. Protect against inflation – The real return savers actually make from interest rates is the actual profit you are left with after taking the effects of the currency’s inflation into account. Inflation is the rise in prices for goods and services over a period of time – usually calculated annually. When weighing up a rate offer, deduct the known inflation percentage to find out how much you’ll actually end up. Advisers also tell savers to include the impact of tax when estimating a potential profit to ensure an accurate projection of likely returns.

1. Protect against bankruptcy – Following a period of intense merger activity within the offshore savings sector, all savers should check that their accounts are not spread amongst deposit-takers owned by the same parent institution. If so, only a portion of your overall savings nest-egg may qualify for compensation if a deposit-taker goes to the wall.

1. Protect against lack of compensation rights – We’ve seen the collapse of two Icelandic banks in offshore Britain (Landsbanki Guernsey and Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander Isle of Man) so we know the worst does happen to some savers. It is essential to always interrogate a jurisdiction’s financial compensation scheme before putting a penny of your hard-earned cash with any of its financial institutions.

1. Protect against ID fraud – It is imperative you comply with identity protection procedures initiated by your deposit-taker. Your part of the bargain in the fight against fraud is never reveal passwords and security codes to anyone. If savings accounts are managed online, never leave a computer screen bearing the details. Do not fall victim to an email scam asking you to re-register your personal details. Real financial institutions would never compromise their customers in this way.

1. Protect against adverse terms and conditions – Always read the small print of any terms and conditions when opening an account. Look out for penalties in the form of loss of interest against withdrawals made outside the notice terms and ways in which you could miss out on introductory, or loyalty bonuses.

1. Profit by comparisons – it pays to research the rates paid by deposit-takers. Be sure to compare like with like and don’t be taken in by a new rate offer that is well above the market average. Those tempting percentages could be slashed once savers have been caught in the net.

1. Profit from a competitive market – Today’s market is more competitive than ever. To put it bluntly, financial companies want savers more than they do borrowers. Select a handful of consistent top league payers and do your research to find out which one really wants to reward your customer loyalty.

1. Profit by tracking market movements – Rates paid are still pegged to a currency’s base rate set by central banks. If you saving in sterling, euros and US dollars, make sure you stay abreast of these currencies’ base rates to gauge the rate offers on your accounts.

1. Profit by locking away for longer – Recent economic conditions aside, the best paying accounts are those that lock savers into a fixed term – we’re talking a couple of percentage points’ difference. Calculate how long you can manage without accessing your savings pot and match that period with a provider’s best fixed term offer.

1. Profit by saving regularly – Get the best from regular savings with products that encourage and reward such good habits.

There’s a clear difference between the life on villages during medieval times and today’s present living. The phase of life during the old times is rather slow yet, simple and peaceful. It is a kind of life where your grandparents went through and maybe, they are still as enthusiastic as ever whenever they brought stories of their unique childhood life.

During those days, agriculture is the main source of livelihood in early villages. They practically raise crops and livestock for food whilst most houses are made of bamboo and palm-leaf roofs, others are built using wood and stones. Millennials in today’s generation don’t have the chance to experience rural living and would definitely not know the struggle of everyday living back in time.

While living in the modern day village, crop farming and domestication of animals had been taken away. We now have concrete and steel houses which are painted and engineered with modern materials for housing.  There are nearby restaurants and local amenities equipped with all our essential needs. Modern villages provide conveniences that old village life lacks, yet, the old village possesses a peaceful and quiet lifestyle that anyone would love to have back again.

Obviously, there exist great differences from the past and in today’s living. However, neither of them is above the other. We all have the freedom to choose how we want to live our lives and it all depends on the comfort level one wants. People are always fond of changes, longing for something new to happen with their life. The majority, however, have embraced the modern village living as it provides all the necessities and amenities we need.  Most middle-class families have been the economic engine that sustained the growth of the real estate industry’s venture into a residential housing development.

Bell Moore Group Inc. has been part of providing service in satisfying the property needs of tenants and buyers for many years. It has come a long way to understanding the complex nature of property operations, just as the village has come a long way on its journey of evolving into what it is now. Whatever your lifestyle choice is, Bellmoore Group Inc review and understands your unique needs.

4-H has been around for many, many decades. It is formed with the purpose of engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development. Young people were guided by adults through positive, engaging, fun and educational opportunities. 4-H represents four personal development area of focus for the organization, namely head, heart, hands, and health. It stands for “head to clearer thinking”, “heart to greater loyalty”, “hands for larger service”, and “health to better living”.

The world is facing a huge challenge nowadays, and that is to produce enough food for everyone. It is reported that as of April 2017, there are already 7 billion people living on this planet we called “home” and it is expected to grow up to 9 or 10 billion in 2050. We need to produce twice as much food, and since we’re all living in one home, our resources will surely be limited. And that is one big problem.

But experts and researchers don’t want future generations to struggle with their food, thus they are eager to find a solution to such predicament. And that solution could be found in one country – Africa with the participation of its young people. This country has 60% of the uncultivated land in the world but most of the young people there don’t see agriculture as a way to have a better future, thus the initiative to take care of their land is low.

But these days, 4-H changed such view because the youth is being enthusiastic to learn more about agriculture with the help of various 4-H programs held by different project clubs, community clubs, after school programs, camps, workshop, and events.

To extend their support on the global 4-H initiative, DuPont recently invested 2 million dollars in helping build leadership institutes in five African countries. This way, the adults will have a proper training to teach the youth on the significance of 4-H.

Having ample knowledge on the entire food business could be really helpful to the youth because they’ll learn better ways on how to farm, which could help them earn more income. With the help of adults and their lectures on how to use the right tools and how to properly plant seeds, the young people are encouraged to focus on agriculture and use a scientific approach. In addition, the youth also sees good opportunity in making money with agriculture as well.

Farmers experience having more income with the influence of 4-H as well since it drives improvement in the production. In no time, young people in Africa will build wealth through agriculture and will improve their livelihood. Parents also see the huge importance of 4-H because they are witnessing how eager the children are producing food and feeding themselves. And eventually saw an improvement in their community with 4-H.

If each of us focuses on every aspect of agribusinesses, then the science, production, and distribution involved in it will surely prosper. Adults in Africa have high hopes to their youth because they believe that the children will lead the success for their country and transform their older generations.  

4-H and its influence on the youth to learn more about agriculture will definitely help them prepare for the future. DuPont, along with Cathay Dupont Award, is confident that the country of Africa will transform itself through its people and will solve its food problems and the world’s.

With 4-H, different families all over the world also learned its significance and reached success. For them, it is a big part of their family. The youth, who will be feeding the world tomorrow, needs a lot of support and DuPont and Cathay Dupont Award will wholeheartedly provide theirs.

4-H is often viewed as an organization that solely focuses on agriculture in many years, but Cathay Dupont Award would like to add that it also centers on citizenship, healthy living, science, engineering, and technology programs.

Sophisticated scams in today’s era are increasingly emerging and evolving. Many online users already became a victim of fraud and it is something that you can avoid by following these simple ways we prepared for you.

1. Use a paper shredder to shred files and receipts which contain personal and financial information if you no longer need the documents.

1. It is common for many to use the same pin code to all their debit and credit cards, however, tolerating this kind of habit may lead to your loss. Use different pin codes for different cards.

1. Never ever use your personal details as your phone’s security pin or password in any online account.

1. Don’t save passwords on your desktop.

1. Cover up your pin number when you’re typing and be wary of your surrounding while withdrawing money.

1. If you’re going to call your bank, do it in a private and secure place where no one can overhear your conversation.

1. Be cautious and extra careful when you are doing online banking in an internet shop or in public places.

1. Install anti-virus software on your phone and even on your computers, this will ensure protection against malware and spyware.

1. Phone scams are one way for fraudsters to obtain sensitive information from their target. If someone called you claiming that they are from your bank, verify their identity first by asking few questions. Moreover, it is best to call the bank instead by looking for their official phone number at their website.

1. Make it a habit of locking your phone whenever you’re not using it. Set a security pin code to prevent access by unauthorized people.

1. Do not write your pin number on a piece of paper or even save it on your mobile phone and computer.

1. If you get an email from your bank or from an unknown sender asking you to click a link, don’t do it. Ignore the message and call your bank instead if you have questions.

1. Don’t give away your private information to a suspicious email requesting for it.

1. Don’t access websites that are too suspicious. If it isn’t a reliable site then don’t provide any private information.

1. Beware of emails pretending that they are from a legitimate bank and asking you to provide any personal of financial details. Always remember that a bank wouldn’t ask to confirm any sensitive information through emails.

We are all vulnerable to cyberattacks. It is your duty to protect yourself from internet threats that may affect your life in so many different ways. Know more about internet security. Be informed!