MBA Geek

So, the official word is out, the UK is in recession for the first time since 1991. The technical definition of recession is when the economy shrinks for 2 successive quarters, and that’s just what happened. Last quarter the economy deflated by 0.6% and in the last 3 months, the economy slowed by another 1.5%. Considering that happened over Christmas, which is supposed to be one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. Granted, the rest of the economy slows down but you don’t normally expect to see these sort of figures.

The pound is also losing value compared to other currencies around the world, which has the effect of making it harder for people to spend money abroad. For example, a tub of Ephedrasil hardcore costs $79 which today is around £58. Some time ago, this used to cost £45 just a few weeks ago. It’s not all bad news though; exporters get more for their products, assuming that they can make the sales they are after. And people being paid in dollars get more bang for their buck, figuratively speaking.

How has the recession affected you?

It’s interesting to note how many academic subjects end up being used in practical applications without most people being aware of what they’re actually doing. For example, you can look at subjects like mechanical engineering for example; where people who drive cars have no idea what’s going on beneath the bonnet.

Another similar subject, is finance, particularly in the world of insurance. Insurance is really all about managing some sort of risk. The formal disciple, called risk management, has evolved into a practice where organisations recognise and measure the level of risk they are exposing themselves to, and put in place plans for avoiding, mitigating or absorbing that risk. But this also effects each and every one of us in a simple form. I’m thinking about taking out a car or bike insurance policy. What this does is pass on the risk of some unforeseen event from yourself to the insurance company who has the financial backing to be able to deal with that sort of eventuality. The insurance company collects premiums from people who want to be covered and uses these to foot any claims that may arise. Premiums are calculated by measuring the risk that your policy covers, which is really a function of the likelihood and the financial cost of one of a set of events happening.

It’s quite fascinating to see the different flavours of insurance available to people. I was looking through the FAQ page on the Autonet Insurance website just to get an idea of what is available. They claim to be the country’s largest independently owned insurance brokers and have a huge selection of different insurance policies on offer (including quad-bikes which is cool). Must bookmark them for future reference.

Here’s an interesting way to present some golden rules to help the general public deal with the current recession. It’s a great post today that lists the 10 Commandments of Personal Finance. Here’s a summary:

• Though Shalt Take Action
• Though Shalt Pay Off All Credit Card Debt
• Thou Shalt Understand the Difference Between Wants and Needs
• Thou Shalt Live on Less Than You Earn
• Thou Shalt Pay Yourself First
• Thou Shalt Set Financial Goals
• Thou Shalt Educate Yourself and Be Responsible for Your Decisions
• Thou Shalt Save and Invest
• Thou Shalt Protect Your Finances
• Thou Shalt Donate to Worthy Causes and Those Less Fortunate

Some of these are down to common sense, but it’s amazing how many people aren’t aware of the fundamentals. I have a friend who’s an expert at keeping himself and his family healthy (he can talk about healthy grilling for hours), but really doesn’t have an idea how to manage his finance. I bookmarked the post to send to him because it’s versed in a way he might understand.

So pop down to The Abundant Alliance Blog and read the detail.

With economic turmoil at our shores it is easy to forget that others around the world are facing similar hardships. I was reading today that Japan’s economy isn’t looking too hot at the moment. The base rate is set to 0.1% (lower that the UK or the US), unemployment has risen to 4% and output has dropped 8% in November with another expected 8% drop in December.

The problem is that forcast sales of the goods produced by the Japanese economy is down. This is felt by factories and support industries, all the way down janitor and programmer jobs, everyoen is affected. Unfortunately until a positive outlook appears, everyoen is going to be affected and this is the net effect of the economic crisis we are facing.

There have been a couple of ripples here in the Isle of Man, but the politicians feel that we will not technically suffer a recession. The reality is that the Island has had a number of years of unprecedented growth and the hope is that any short-term blips will be cancelled out by long-term growth. We’ll just have to watch that …

I was reading about a financial instrument we have available here in the UK called an IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement) which is a formal and legally binding agreement between someone in debt and his creditors. It’s not quite a free ride through because although the terms of may vary, creditors will expect that their prospects of recovering money will be at least as good as in bankruptcy. Creditors also don’t lose their right to bankrupt you if you don’t fulfil your part of the agreement.

In order for the IVA to be binding, a minimum of 75% of creditors must agree to the IVA proposals. Creditors can suggest changes, however you must agree these in order for them to be implemented. The proposals usually call for the party in debt to make monthly payments and a dividend is paid out to creditors in full and final settlement of their debts.

The reason why creditors usually go for this sort of arrangement is because they expect a larger repayment than they would otherwise get if the debtor were made bankrupt. This is enough incentive for them to accept the IVA.

If you need to go down this route, it is always advisable to get a professional to guide you through the process. There are a number of organisations who will help you to avoid bankruptcy and get back on your feet. If you want to learn more about IVAs, check out the FAQ page on ClearDebt’s website.

I was looking at how much the Sterling is worth against the Euro today and was shocked to see the exchange rate is pretty close to 1. Here’s how the Pound has dropped recently:

It’s amazing to see how far down it has come, I remember it being at around 1.5 Euros to the Pound. Will be interesting to see what happens in the next few months …