Ross Naylor's Column
New Year’s Resolutions Revisited
Given that today is the first of July and we are now into part 2 of 2011, I thought that it was a good time to revisit the list of financial resolutions that I published at the start of the year.
They are all still valid and the good news is that there is still half a year left to take action.
1. Make or update your will/testament. The number one reason people don't do this is that they believe they will never die. If you are, in fact, immortal, go ahead and skip this one. Otherwise, it is something that you should consider.
2. Rebalance your portfolio. Bank some of the gains on your winners from 2010 and reinvest the proceeds in the areas that didn't fare so well and are thus available at more favourable prices.
3. Diversify. There is a lot of uncertainty out there. Don't keep all of your money in one currency. Don't keep all of your money in one asset class e.g. stocks or property. Spread your risk.
4. Look for "absolute return" investments. Most investments only make money in an "up" market. However, there are those that can also profit when markets go down. Look to reduce your overall risk by adding these to your portfolio.
5. If you don't already have an emergency fund, start one today! Your emergency fund should have a minimum of 6 months worth of expenses in it.
Keep these funds in a money market account or other high interest, easily accessible account. If you ever have the misfortune of an unexpected job loss or medical expense, you will be far more prepared to weather the storm if you know you have a little breathing room on your finances.
They are all still valid and the good news is that there is still half a year left to take action.
1. Make or update your will/testament. The number one reason people don't do this is that they believe they will never die. If you are, in fact, immortal, go ahead and skip this one. Otherwise, it is something that you should consider.
2. Rebalance your portfolio. Bank some of the gains on your winners from 2010 and reinvest the proceeds in the areas that didn't fare so well and are thus available at more favourable prices.
3. Diversify. There is a lot of uncertainty out there. Don't keep all of your money in one currency. Don't keep all of your money in one asset class e.g. stocks or property. Spread your risk.
4. Look for "absolute return" investments. Most investments only make money in an "up" market. However, there are those that can also profit when markets go down. Look to reduce your overall risk by adding these to your portfolio.
5. If you don't already have an emergency fund, start one today! Your emergency fund should have a minimum of 6 months worth of expenses in it.
Keep these funds in a money market account or other high interest, easily accessible account. If you ever have the misfortune of an unexpected job loss or medical expense, you will be far more prepared to weather the storm if you know you have a little breathing room on your finances.
Ed Wight's Column
Abort this plan
When 28-year-old Magda fell pregnant, the last thing she wanted to do was keep the baby.
Not because she hates children. She already has a lovely 4-year-old daughter. And not because she doesn’t want anymore. She and husband Marek had been thinking about it.
The reason she didn’t want to keep it is because she didn’t want to have a baby by the man who dragged her down an alley, beat her senseless and then raped her, leaving her lying in a pool of her own blood.
So she had an abortion. That, under Poland’s current law, is what she is legally entitled to do. It is also the humane thing to do.
But if legislation now making its way through parliament goes ahead, other women in her situation could be jailed.
At the moment women have a legal right to terminate if the pregnancy endangers their health, if the foetus is terminally damaged, or if the pregnancy is a result of rape.
The plan approved by parliament on Friday with PiS, Poland Comes First, and the Polish Peasants’ Party all giving it the thumbs up will end that. It is a blanket ban.
That is an outrage. First, the black market is already huge with doctors raking in hundreds of thousands of zloties from illegal abortions.
The new law now under consideration by a special committee due to report on September 1st will see that increase exponentially.
Second, this isn’t about the rights of a foetus. It is about the rights of a woman to decide if and when she wants to become pregnant and the circumstances under which that decision is made.
Forcing an unwanted pregnancy benefits no one.
How many women can say in all honesty that if they became pregnant as a result of rape they would want to keep the baby?
Not many and for good reason.
Not because she hates children. She already has a lovely 4-year-old daughter. And not because she doesn’t want anymore. She and husband Marek had been thinking about it.
The reason she didn’t want to keep it is because she didn’t want to have a baby by the man who dragged her down an alley, beat her senseless and then raped her, leaving her lying in a pool of her own blood.
So she had an abortion. That, under Poland’s current law, is what she is legally entitled to do. It is also the humane thing to do.
But if legislation now making its way through parliament goes ahead, other women in her situation could be jailed.
At the moment women have a legal right to terminate if the pregnancy endangers their health, if the foetus is terminally damaged, or if the pregnancy is a result of rape.
The plan approved by parliament on Friday with PiS, Poland Comes First, and the Polish Peasants’ Party all giving it the thumbs up will end that. It is a blanket ban.
That is an outrage. First, the black market is already huge with doctors raking in hundreds of thousands of zloties from illegal abortions.
The new law now under consideration by a special committee due to report on September 1st will see that increase exponentially.
Second, this isn’t about the rights of a foetus. It is about the rights of a woman to decide if and when she wants to become pregnant and the circumstances under which that decision is made.
Forcing an unwanted pregnancy benefits no one.
How many women can say in all honesty that if they became pregnant as a result of rape they would want to keep the baby?
Not many and for good reason.
Ross Naylor's Column
New Year’s Resolutions Revisited
Given that today is the first of July and we are now into part 2 of 2011, I thought that it was a good time to revisit the list of financial resolutions that I published at the start of the year.
They are all still valid and the good news is that there is still half a year left to take action.
1. Make or update your will/testament. The number one reason people don't do this is that they believe they will never die. If you are, in fact, immortal, go ahead and skip this one. Otherwise, it is something that you should consider.
2. Rebalance your portfolio. Bank some of the gains on your winners from 2010 and reinvest the proceeds in the areas that didn't fare so well and are thus available at more favourable prices.
3. Diversify. There is a lot of uncertainty out there. Don't keep all of your money in one currency. Don't keep all of your money in one asset class e.g. stocks or property. Spread your risk.
4. Look for "absolute return" investments. Most investments only make money in an "up" market. However, there are those that can also profit when markets go down. Look to reduce your overall risk by adding these to your portfolio.
5. If you don't already have an emergency fund, start one today! Your emergency fund should have a minimum of 6 months worth of expenses in it.
Keep these funds in a money market account or other high interest, easily accessible account. If you ever have the misfortune of an unexpected job loss or medical expense, you will be far more prepared to weather the storm if you know you have a little breathing room on your finances.
They are all still valid and the good news is that there is still half a year left to take action.
1. Make or update your will/testament. The number one reason people don't do this is that they believe they will never die. If you are, in fact, immortal, go ahead and skip this one. Otherwise, it is something that you should consider.
2. Rebalance your portfolio. Bank some of the gains on your winners from 2010 and reinvest the proceeds in the areas that didn't fare so well and are thus available at more favourable prices.
3. Diversify. There is a lot of uncertainty out there. Don't keep all of your money in one currency. Don't keep all of your money in one asset class e.g. stocks or property. Spread your risk.
4. Look for "absolute return" investments. Most investments only make money in an "up" market. However, there are those that can also profit when markets go down. Look to reduce your overall risk by adding these to your portfolio.
5. If you don't already have an emergency fund, start one today! Your emergency fund should have a minimum of 6 months worth of expenses in it.
Keep these funds in a money market account or other high interest, easily accessible account. If you ever have the misfortune of an unexpected job loss or medical expense, you will be far more prepared to weather the storm if you know you have a little breathing room on your finances.
Steve Sibbald's Column
Welcoming EU with open arms
So it’s finally come around. After months of speculation, build up and hyperbole, Poland takes the reigns as President of the European Union.
It would take a more cynical man than myself to suggest that this stint in the EU hot seat will merely take attention away from more important matters on home soil. Yes, even I am inclined to agree that the next six months could bring many benefits for Poland.
Some will argue that most European citizens wouldn’t be able to tell you the name of the last EU President (Hungary), but Poland’s heading of the table will be different. This is a country that held its head high during the ‘financial crisis’, is increasingly growing in stature and has the small matter of co-hosting a major football competition next year. Yes, it’s fair to say there will be many pairs of foreign eyes watching how Poland conducts itself in the coming months.
But back within its own borders, this is a chance for the country to instill a bit of home pride in its people. After the recent COVEC motorway debacle, the sham that has been the upgrading and building of its main stadiums for EURO 2012 and this week’s ‘revelations’ contained in Law and Justice’s ‘White Book’, it’s fair to say that Poland could use this opportunity to create a bit of much-needed positive PR.
Ironically enough it was 20 years ago today that the Warsaw Pact ended and as President Komorowski said as part of his speech, “Our unique road has led us from the Warsaw Pact to EU Presidency.”
Lets hope the next six months can help lead the country even further forward.
It would take a more cynical man than myself to suggest that this stint in the EU hot seat will merely take attention away from more important matters on home soil. Yes, even I am inclined to agree that the next six months could bring many benefits for Poland.
Some will argue that most European citizens wouldn’t be able to tell you the name of the last EU President (Hungary), but Poland’s heading of the table will be different. This is a country that held its head high during the ‘financial crisis’, is increasingly growing in stature and has the small matter of co-hosting a major football competition next year. Yes, it’s fair to say there will be many pairs of foreign eyes watching how Poland conducts itself in the coming months.
But back within its own borders, this is a chance for the country to instill a bit of home pride in its people. After the recent COVEC motorway debacle, the sham that has been the upgrading and building of its main stadiums for EURO 2012 and this week’s ‘revelations’ contained in Law and Justice’s ‘White Book’, it’s fair to say that Poland could use this opportunity to create a bit of much-needed positive PR.
Ironically enough it was 20 years ago today that the Warsaw Pact ended and as President Komorowski said as part of his speech, “Our unique road has led us from the Warsaw Pact to EU Presidency.”
Lets hope the next six months can help lead the country even further forward.
Craig Turp's Column
Welcome to (the dark side of) Poznan
We’ve been around Poland for over 12 years during which time the changes have been momentous and we feel privileged to have had the opportunity to witness what, by any country’s standards, must be one of the most fascinating decades in its history. It is sometimes hard to remember how different many everyday things were when we first arrived, let alone trying to think back to personal visits prior to In Your Pocket’s launch in 1999.
One of these came to mind last week as we finished updating the latest issue of Poznan In Your Pocket (back from the printers on Monday and available to download free from poznan.inyourpocket.com now). A visit to a series of bars and clubs, one in particular located right in the square, had us thinking of an episode of the Sopranos with a Tony character surrounded by a gang of black t-shirted ‘meatheads’ sat outside. We were naïve enough to think that the days when the local ‘boys’ ran the bars and clubs in a major city had gone to be replaced by young Polish entrepreneurs with great ideas and clean money. Yet in Poznan it appears to be going the other way. The only places in town that seemed to be busy were those with an unsmiling pair of doormen and a cover charge that went straight onto the roll of cash in the man’s pocket thick enough to choke a donkey.
And then there was the mandatory cloakroom charge. And we mean mandatory. When one young lady told the large chap she just wanted to see if her friends were upstairs and didn’t want to leave her coat she was told quite rudely to leave her coat or leave the club. She left her coat. So on the day Poland takes over the rotating presidency of the EU maybe it doesn’t hurt to remember that while change has been incredible, there are still some fairly miserable parts of yesteryear left over.
One of these came to mind last week as we finished updating the latest issue of Poznan In Your Pocket (back from the printers on Monday and available to download free from poznan.inyourpocket.com now). A visit to a series of bars and clubs, one in particular located right in the square, had us thinking of an episode of the Sopranos with a Tony character surrounded by a gang of black t-shirted ‘meatheads’ sat outside. We were naïve enough to think that the days when the local ‘boys’ ran the bars and clubs in a major city had gone to be replaced by young Polish entrepreneurs with great ideas and clean money. Yet in Poznan it appears to be going the other way. The only places in town that seemed to be busy were those with an unsmiling pair of doormen and a cover charge that went straight onto the roll of cash in the man’s pocket thick enough to choke a donkey.
And then there was the mandatory cloakroom charge. And we mean mandatory. When one young lady told the large chap she just wanted to see if her friends were upstairs and didn’t want to leave her coat she was told quite rudely to leave her coat or leave the club. She left her coat. So on the day Poland takes over the rotating presidency of the EU maybe it doesn’t hurt to remember that while change has been incredible, there are still some fairly miserable parts of yesteryear left over.
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