Moonbadger's posterous

They’re at it again folks: Designers and artists simply can’t get enough of concepts cars, this time the boys and girls from the Volkswagen engineering department have gone all out with a collection of fresh new designs for the future.

One particular Tron like design caught my eye and that’s the new L1 Concept, a lightweight diesel-electric hybrid made out of aluminium and carbon fibre, weighing a tiny 380kg. According to the designers the “driving experience shares more in common with an aircraft than a car” due to its middle positioned front seat and steering wheel.

Another new concept from VW, Europe’s largest producer of cars and vans, is an unusual take on a family mini-van: The VW Up, according to the concept designers is a versatile little motor which attempts to make the full use of space and reduce unnecessary gimmicks. The van comes in a variety of models, including more spacious models and hybrids.

The last concept has to be my favourite and it looks like the designers have played a little too much Grand Theft Auto because they seemed to have designed the ideal BF Injection, otherwise known by the VW designers as the Concept T. This great looking buggy again has a centrally positioned steering wheel and allegedly “harmonises the fascination of a thoroughbred sports car with the variability of a true off-roader”     

Even though it’s been three years since the 2007/08 financial meltdown, the full implications and consequences of the economic collapse are still only just coming to light.

This week the FSA (Financial Services Authority) completed a long awaited review into the practices and standards of investment and independent financial advisors. As a result of the FSA’s commission, all financial advisors must now hold accreditation as of 2013. To practice as an independent financial advisor participants must now sign an official code of ethics, as well as holding the correct up-to-date qualifications.

The result of the FSA report comes a week after Barclays Bank was fined £7.7m by the FSA for giving customers poor financial advice over the Aviva Global Balance Income Fund. Prior to the 2007 financial collapse hundreds of investors were advised to divest their accounts of retirement and savings funds, in exchange for a cautious-to-medium investment.    

During the financial crisis hundreds of investors in the fun lost 40-50% of their original investments. Fortunately for most of those involved Barclays has now paid out nearly £17m in compensation, the FSA predicts that a further £42m could be paid out as a result the ombudsman rulings.   

What do you call an Australian with a 100 next to his name?....   a bowler.

I’ve never really been one for finances; I seem to have trouble managing my piggy bank let alone any other accounts. That’s probably one of the reasons why I’ve never picked up a credit card, the thought of all that money at my finger tips is just too unnerving. Honestly I don’t think I’d be able to keep a track of it all, I’d just end up in a mountain of debt.

With the world becoming an increasingly financial controlled place it’s no wonder that we’ve had to invent accountants to keep track of everything. Of course the bigger you are financially, the more likely you are to need specialist help when it comes to money. Most corporations have a whole army of financiers, credit controllers and accountants all using the most up to date eBAM systems.

Yet despite all these complex systems, with their litany of facts and figures, companies still make the occasional mistake. Look at the HMRC, the government must have one of the largest treasury management systems in the world, yet they’re forever making mistakes when it comes to taxes.

Fortunately my accounts are somewhat smaller than most companies or the governments, and although I have no need for a sophisticated electronic bank management system, it’s still important to keep an eye on your finances.

To help me govern mine I use a combination of mobile banking apps and a couple of household spreadsheets, this enables me watch the ingoing and outgoings, as well as tracking the weekly and monthly household spends. If you live in a shared household I definitely recommend working out a spreadsheet, it may take a few minutes to set up, but once it’s up and running it makes keeping an eye on the bills a lot easier.