Pensions plug

At last the government has woken up to that fact that very few women clock up a working life of 39 years. That’s how many qualifying years are currently needed for a full basic state pension. But taking career breaks to have children make it impossible for many women in the UK. In fact, only one-third manage it.

So the Department of Work and Pensions said this week that women can buy back the missing years at a reduced rate. Over half a million women will benefit from the change if they act quickly. It won’t plug the female pension gap completely but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

Find out more here.

Simonne says:

Did you know that it’s National Energy Saving Week this week?
What better time to look at ways of saving energy (and, of course, money!).
Have a play with the energy saving clock on this site to give you some inspiring ideas: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/.

Simonne Gnessen

Trouble, strife and stilettos

Women, apparently, are donning their battle gear against the economic crisis. And it consists of higher than ever heels. An international shoe designer was reported saying at the weekend that heels rise in proportion to economic downturn. So if we are in recession we’ll see more 3, 4 and even 5-inch heels.

Women are known to cope well in a crisis. So I predict that we’ll see, literally, the rise of the Sheconomist in coming months as more and more women handle changes in family income and bring their budgeting skills to the fore.

After all, as they say, Fred Astaire was a fantastic dancer but Ginger Rogers did everything Fred did. Backwards. And in high heels.

Simonne on having our resilience tested

It’s a pretty turbulent time in the world of finance (keeping me busy with lots of calls from panicky clients). But don't get hypnotised by all this bad news and make decisions that are just knee-jerk reactions. Don’t forget that emotions can highjack common sense. So perhaps seek advice before making big decisions. And try to avoid the mistake that can often be made when fear strikes - of selling stocks and shares at the bottom of the market or closing down accounts and stuffing money under the mattress.

If you want to know where’s a safe place to put your savings, have a read of the following article: http://www.fool.co.uk/news/your-money/savings/2008/10/09/big-banks-for-safe-savings.aspx?source=uemfoleml0010038. Or for a view on what to do with your investments: http://www.h-l.co.uk/news/Feature-articles/articles/795/rq/article.

Keeping one eye on the credit-crunch

It's quite scary isn't it? All this credit-crunch crisis and talk about cutting back.

Where do we start, I'm sure many women will ask themselves, particularly those who fear their face will fall off if they stop using expensive beauty products.
They could try my friend V's experiment.

Worried about eye-wrinkles V decided she had reached that eye-cream stage of life. The adviser in her local store recommended one for £95. So V persuaded the girl to part with a sample size for free.

Then she applied the cream religiously every night. To her left eye.

Two weeks later V and hubbie are having dinner.
V asks: Does one of my eyes look brighter, more youthful and less wrinkled than the other?
Hubbie: Yes, now you come to mention it, it does.
V: Which one?
H: Your right one.