Brain Food

In the conference and convention market, venues are always looking for an edge over the competition. Given that the organisers hope that delegates will be sharp and mentally alert, the Bolton Hotel in Wellington New Zealand has developed a nice synergistic ‘twist’ on the regular offering. Their ‘Brainfood’ menu has been specially designed to increase mental attention and concentration levels.

This is an excellent example of an organisation coming up with a unique point of difference in a crowded market place where everyone is perceived to be the same. The key elements here are that the point of difference has a connection with the core product, and it won’t cost a fortune to do. After all, you have to feed the delegates something, anyway.

Is this something you could use either directly (linking a menu to an event) or indirectly (creating a low cost relevant difference to your product or service that will differentiate you from the competition.)

Gold & Silver Rises

My old friend, Garry White, writing for the Telegraph yesterday, echoes the front page editorial of October’s Streetwise Report newsletter – gold is rising. Garry says, ‘Investors seeking a safe haven from current market turmoil could see the gold price rally to "at least" $1,400 an ounce next year according to Capital Economics.’

Too true – more on this in the Streetwise Report out at the end of this week.

Mind you, Garry highlights another potentially good investment; silver! ‘Silver prices are also at their highest level since 1980, climbing to $21.44 in intraday trade. Bullion traders expect prices to continue to rise. Gold prices have risen by 18pc this year with silver rising 27pc.’ We can run a fuller article on investing in silver on request.

ID Theft Insurance

I’ve just received an offer of identity theft insurance at £70 for the year. For me, these are the ‘new’ PPI – in essence, commission-driven, largely unnecessary insurance that is riddled with exclusions. Fact is, you probably have cover in place anyway via a variety of sources. For example, if your bank card is stolen, you’re only going to pay the first £50 of any fraud.

Which? experts agree and say that simply being vigilant is likely to be more beneficial than paying for ID theft cover.

Their Rebecca Fearnley says, “Banks, building societies and the companies selling these policies are playing on our fears and making money from our concern about ID theft and bank fraud. They’re selling us expensive policies we don’t really need, and which we’re unlikely to ever claim on.” We have an article on ID theft, and how to avoid it, available on request.

Best Deals Online

Talking of Which?, they say that, if you are looking for a savings account, you’d be better off shopping online. Looking at instant access accounts, the average rate in a bank or building society high street branch was 0.56 per cent; that compares to 1.14 per cent for online accounts.

Similarly, it’s 2.34 per cent to 2,58 per cent for fixed rate bonds and 1.53 per cent and 1.84 per cent for ISAs.

The difference is even more noticeable with other offline and online deals – the best travel insurance deal online is one-quarter of the best price you’d find in the high street. Shop around via these various comparison sites for the best deals.

broadband speed checker for setting up a home office Advertise on this web site Contact Us Privacy Site Map