Last year saw businesses closing at the rate of around 100 a day, so it’s hardly surprising that the business community is being cautious about what is in store this year.

There may be signs that the economy is improving, but confidence among entrepreneurs remains shaky.

It is against this background that I am launching the Entrepreneurs’ Business Academy (EBA) to provide a forum where budding entrepreneurs can learn from the experts, network with their peers, and make their ideas a reality.

People may question the timing, particularly if 2010 turns out to be as volatile as forecasters suggest, but it will be a make or break year for a number of companies and I believe the academy will be capable of helping the seasoned business owner as well as up-and-coming entrepreneurs to weather the storms.

The academy will have the backing of high-profile entrepreneurs and experts and will provide the tools and a wealth of advice to those owners wanting a deeper insight into developing a successful company.

Yes I will be closely involved and will, for example, be talking about the techniques I employ to maximise sales, and the know-how to turn any business around.

I want the academy to provide an invaluable experience to emerging entrepreneurs, current owners of SMEs, professionals re-launching their careers, and ultimately, the man or woman with an idea, and the courage to make it a reality.

I was interested in a recent Dun & Bradstreet survey indicating that 90pc of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) fail because business owners lack all round knowledge about how to run the enterprise.

These disturbing findings show that the UK’s entrepreneurs still need a helping hand and with this in mind, I’d imagine any form of advice would be welcomed with open arms. After all, what entrepreneur can honestly say he or she knows it all?

The problem with being the boss is that there is no one to guide you and there’s a preconception rooted within entrepreneurs that asking for help signals failure.

It’s actually quite the opposite. Asking for advice in fact reflects a smart mind – one that will go far.

Even I’m still learning. At the age of 40 I went to Harvard to study the Advanced Management Program, a course that has proved invaluable. I’m still making use of the content.

It just goes to show you can never stop learning – irrespective of age or where you are in your career.

The EBA launches with the first event on March 20 when myself and my team of “Millionaire Mentors” will be making the first presentations.

There are still some spaces available. Details at www.the-eba.com

* James Caan is founder and chief executive of Hamilton Bradshaw and founded and ran recruitment group Alexander Mann between 1985 and 2002. Please send your questions to askjames@telegraph.co.uk

Nothing like a bit of blue-sky thinking to brighten business prospects. The General Election season is quickly gathering pace. The political parties are engaged in either leading with or misleading about their ultimate post-election intentions and plans.

Business organisations and lobbyists are mulling over the contents of their own manifestos. They face the same dilemma as the politicians, how to handle what could be a double-dip recession at a time when government spending and borrowing is out of control.

Business will be on the receiving end of whatever unpleasant tax or spending medicine is doled out, while the new administration will be looking to the industrial and commercial sectors to deliver the growth the economy so badly needs. Some task.

But it is not too late for business to go on the offensive and take the opportunity for a bit of blue-sky thinking in their wish list to the politicos.

The British Chambers of Commerce has taken a modest stab by suggesting a reversal of last year’s reduction in VAT and increase in National Insurance contributions (NICs).

It wants next year’s increase in NICs abandoned and a one percentage point increase in VAT substituted. In short, shift the tax-raising burden from employers and employees to consumers.

The arithmetic works in favour of business, representing a saving of £5bn against an additional £4.5bn yield from VAT – but as a well-known jingle points out, every little helps.

There is of course an element of special pleading in the Chambers’ submission and arguments for shifting the basis of one particular tax yield. Nonetheless, the suggestion marks a departure from manifesto convention.

Reductions in government spending along with less red tape and tax relief for the small businessman have traditionally been the staple diet in the business submissions around election time to the political parties.

There is scope for variations on the BCC theme. The credit crisis and the flow of so-called initiatives from Government after the banks put up the shutters to help small businesses raise finance was a combination of a knee-jerk reaction and do-goodery.

In the second year – or maybe third for some – of the credit crisis there are lessons to be learned from the failure of some of the schemes and the rules attached to them without producing another complex set of arrangements.

The age of the “big idea” may have been consigned to the “something to forget” in the history books, but perhaps the time is ripe for something more practical like giving small businesses a tax holiday to encourage more investment, start-ups and job creation.

The small business organisations and lobbies might also achieve more if they temporarily, at least, formed a coalition to make a joint submission. There should be strength in numbers.

http://www.workfromhomeinuk.com

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/

Figures from price comparison site moneysupermarket.com show on average people could save more than £4,070 over the next 12 months by reviewing their finances.

It makes sense for people to review their finances on a regular basis and the turn of year is a great trigger to do just that.

Dig out every single financial record you possess, including: savings balances, Peps and Isas, bonds of every colour and shape, insurance plans, both general and life, pensions statements, receipts, income payments and anything else relevant to tax returns.

Do the same with borrowings: mortgages, credit cards and storecards, personal loans, student loans, hire purchase agreements.

Work out how much spare cash you have, over and above money needed to take care of emergencies and bills. If you have debts, use it to repay them. Borrowing rates may be low, but savings rates are lower still.

The more sophisticated may have super-flexible mortgages, or offset plans, which automatically use savings to bring down borrowing costs. The rest of us have to do the same thing manually.

Your savings will be looking pretty battered after a year of eye-wateringly painful interest rate cuts. Minimise the pain by transferring to the best possible rates.

Check out your investment portfolio. Make sure it is achieving what you originally intended it to do. How do you see the next few years panning out? Is the risk profile about right? Are there any real dogs you’d be better off without?

Did you ever have a joined-up strategy in the first place? Too many people are sitting on a mishmash of different Peps and Isas, invested willy-nilly in a myriad of different sectors and countries, equities and bonds, with no logical structure. Others have been contributing for aeons to a single, probably UK-based, unit trust savings plan with no attempt at diversification.

If you fancy seeking professional help, then visit www.telegraph.co.uk/findanifa. Try more than one; the good ones are prepared to travel to worthwhile clients. It’s worth paying a fee to avoid unsuitable, commission-led advice.

Make sure your will is up to date. If your affairs are in any way complicated, consult a good solicitor.

Check list:

Bills

Use direct debits wherever possible to save money. Check statements to ensure you are not building up credit balances. If you are, demand a cheque. It’s your money, not theirs.

Current accounts

Check monthly statements exhaustively. They’re computerised and staff no longer check for obvious errors. Retain lists of bank charges and keep them handy. Watch out for unnecessary credit insurance charges. They’re expensive and rarely worthwhile. Don’t be afraid to transfer to better-paying accounts. The process is getting simpler and faster.

Insurance premiums

Household and motor premiums have soared. Never renew without trawling the market for cheaper quotes. Brokers don’t always mention direct providers, so check them. Use the internet if possible. Don’t assume deals from big broker brands like the AA are alwasy the best.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/new-year-money-makeover/

More than half of Britons make a New Year’s resolution each year and taking steps to sort out their finances is often near the top of people’s lists.

Here are 10 steps to consider taking during 2010 to improve your financial position.

1. Do a budget

The first step to financial planning is knowing exactly how much you have coming in each month and how much is going out.

Take the time to draw up a budget, remembering to include not only regular bills such as utilities and council tax, but also costs that occur less often, such as having a car serviced.

Once you have a list of all your outgoings look for any areas where you could cut back, and try to make sure you have enough money to set something aside into a savings account each month.

Danny Cox, of financial adviser Hargreaves Lansdown, suggests categorising items as being essential, such as mortgage repayments or food, important but not essential, such as mobile phones and motoring costs, and luxury, such as going out.

2. Repay debt

At the end of October, the latest month for which figures are available, Britons owed £228 billion in unsecured debt, such as credit cards, loans and overdrafts.

Key to getting on top of debt is understanding exactly how much you owe and what interest you are being charged on it. Debts with the highest interest rates should be paid off first.

If you are having trouble keeping up with your minimum repayments contact a debt advice charity, such as Citizens Advice or the Consumer Credit Counselling Service, for help.

3. Start saving

Saving is an important part of financially planning, as it offers you a cushion against unexpected expenses. But recent research showed that four out of 10 people have failed to save any money this year and 20% of people have no savings at all to fall back on.

Despite the current low level of interest rates, it is still important to build up a nest egg. Financial advisers generally suggest people try to have the equivalent of four to six months’ worth of their take home pay in a savings account.

Try to include some money for saving when you draw up a budget, rather than waiting to see what, if anything, is left at the end of the month. Regular savings accounts often reward people who save a set amount each month with higher interest rates.

4. Review your finances regularly

It is important to get into the discipline of reviewing your finances on a regular basis, so it is good to set aside some time at least once a month to check your banks statements and ensure your money is still working hard for you.

Things to look at include making sure you are still getting good rates on your savings accounts, cancelling any direct debits you no longer need, and checking if any insurance policies are coming up for renewal, so that you can search the market for the best deals.

5. Monitor the mortgage market

With the Bank of England base rate currently at a record low, many people who have come to the end of a mortgage deal find they are better off staying on their lender’s standard variable rate, rather than remortgaging to a new deal.

But this situation is likely to change during 2010, as the Monetary Policy Committee is widely expected to start raising interest rates towards the end of the year.

Fixed rate mortgages are currently expensive in relation to swap rates, upon which they are partially based, but the situation is likely to change during the coming 12 months as competition returns to the mortgage market.

Keep an eye on the best buy rates being offered and get ready to remortgage when the time is right.

6. Contribute to a pension

While retirement may seem a long time off, financial advisers suggest people start contributing to a pension as soon as possible, particularly if they are paying into a defined contribution or personal pension.

As a general rule advisers suggest people contribute a percentage of their salary that is equivalent to half their age when they first started a pension. So, if someone starts a pension when they are 20 they should contribute 10pc of their pay, but if they put off starting one until they are 40pc they will need to pay in 20pc, showing the benefits of starting early.

7. Pay less tax

There are some simple steps consumers can take to ensure they pay less tax, or even no tax, on their savings.

Everyone has an annual Isa allowance, enabling them to save money in cash or shares without having to pay income tax on the interest or capital gains tax on any profits.

People born on or before April 5 1960 can currently save up to £10,200 a year into an Isa, £5,100 of which can be held in cash. Other age groups can save up to £7,200 in an Isa, including £3,600 in cash, with the limit rising in line with that for older savers from April 5, 2010.

Those who do not pay income tax can also fill out an R85 form, which means banks and building societies will not automatically deduct income tax of 20pc from their savings.

8. Shop around for insurance products

Consumers can make big savings by shopping around for home, car, travel and other insurance policies. Most of these policies have suffered significant premium increases in the past couple of years, making it important to search the market, rather than just renew policies with your existing providers.

Price comparison website Confused.com claims the average user saved £200 on their motor insurance and £180 on home insurance through the site.

But people who use price comparison websites to find a new provider should read the details of all policies they are offered carefully to ensure they offer sufficient cover and do not included a high excess to reduce premiums.

9. Plan for the future

Take the time to think about any big events or expenses you have coming up and plan towards them. These may include annual events, such as Christmas or a summer holiday, or less regular ones like buying a house or having a baby.

Think about the costs involved and how you will cover them, and work out how much you will need to set aside each month towards them.

By planning in this way and using savings you can save considerable amounts compared with relying on debt to cover these events, and then having to repay the money plus interest.

10. Get clued up on investments

Shares generally produce higher returns over the medium to long term than simply keeping money in a cash savings account, so it is a good idea to consider investing in the stock market.

But equities are also higher risk, so it is important to understand how they work and what level of risk you are happy to take.

Investments range from relatively low risk products which offer some capital protection to higher risk funds that invest in emerging markets.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/

Keeping track of cash flow in a small business can be a hit and miss affair. Here are a few simple steps to take to get your business finances in order for 2010 – and keep them that way.

Set up a filing system and start recording everything

The keeping of accounting records isn’t just sensible, it’s a legal obligation. Companies are required to keep all records relating to their VAT returns for a minimum of six years after the tax year they relate to.

As a minimum, you must record any income earned or expenses incurred by the company, and retain all related documents, including receipts, cheque stubs, invoices, bank statements, PAYE records, and so on.

Of course, piling records in a box until the end of the year will tell you nothing about your situation. You can get a very basic sense of your cash flow by creating two columns (on paper or computer) with one showing income and one showing outgoings.

You can then give each transaction a reference number and mark this on the relevant paperwork, which can then also be stored in date order.

Categorise expenses

To get a clear picture of where your money is going, however, your transactions need to be recorded in a meaningful way. It’s wise to give your ‘expenses’ record a sheet of its own, with columns representing categories such as ‘rent’, ‘utilities’ or ’stationery’. This will give you an ongoing sense of where you might be overspending, which can inform your daily business decisions.

Keep petty cash in check

It’s very easy to let small receipts pile up in the petty cash box. If you’re regularly forgetting to record these transactions, try making it a rule that you will only replenish the petty cash box by £100 increments, and only when it’s completely empty and all receipts have been filed.

Reconcile your records with your bank statements

It should be possible to reconcile every figure on your book-keeping records with your bank statements. It’s vital to make time each month when your statement arrives to tick off every transaction on your statement before filing it away. This is a great way to pick up on missing receipts, and gives you a consistent monthly deadline to follow for getting your records in order.

Get everything on a computer

Paper records are workable to a point, but the more complicated your affairs become, the longer you’ll spend rifling through papers if something doesn’t add up.

Keeping your records on a spreadsheet, or using book-keeping software, will allow you to see your total transactions in an instant. You will also be able to search for a figure among your costs should a mystery debit appear on your bank statement, and even produce projections based on the average transactions made in previous months.

Put key dates in your calendar

Make sure everyone involved in filing your book-keeping records is aware of the key deadlines for filing accounts with HM Revenue & Customs and Companies House. If you have an accountant, you will also need to enter the date they require your records to be passed to them in order to meet those deadlines.

Put them in your calendar with a reminder set 30 days prior to each date to ensure that you make time to get everything in order without facing a last minute rush.

Commit to updating regularly

Book-keeping as a means to keeping track of your cash flow really only works when done regularly. If possible, make one person in your organisation responsible for gathering and filing receipts and invoices on a daily basis or weekly, and have an assigned slot each week or month when you as a manager can review the transactions and learn from them.

If you really can’t commit to the above, it may be time to call in an experienced bookkeeper. Of course, there will be an expense associated with this, but since it could free up your time, and give you better information with which to make business decisions, it could be worth the investment.

• Anita Brook is director of chartered certified accountancy firm Accounts Assist (www.accountsassist.co.uk)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/doctorbiz/

We look at ways to cut costs and even earn cash back on your Christmas shopping this year.

Sign up for sales alerts

The first step for any savvy shopper is to know where to find the sales. The quickest and easiest way to stay informed is to sign up for Sales Alert email newsletters.

This week, according to the Moneysavingexpert.com newsletter, for example, you can save 10pc at organic food store Planet Organic with the discount code JD72YQP at the checkout.

Or you can print a voucher and fill in your name and email address to get 20pc off full-price items in store at Envy and Tom Wolfe. Visit www.moneysavingexpert.com to register.

Or sign up for the mydeco Sales Scoop and get an early bird peek of the best deals. Visit www.mydeco.com to sign up.

Or why not sign up to receive the Frugal Friday weekly email from Lovemoney.com? This newsletter is full of money-saving tips, the week’s best offers and even Frugal Food – recipes for tasty treats that don’t cost a fortune. You can even follow Frugal Friday on web messaging service Twitter (www.twitter.com/Frugal_Friday ) to get daily updates on the latest offers and savings.

To find out more, visit www.lovemoney.com

Use voucher codes

Shoppers can find big savings this Christmas by using the internet before they hit the high street. Nearly every major retailer is offering discounts to shoppers that could cut hundreds of pounds off your shopping this season.

Research by Kelkoo, the price comparison website, said shoppers saved £16m this year by using voucher codes, an increase of £5m compared with two years ago.

Shoppers can use online vouchers in two ways – by printing them off and taking them into the store, or by using voucher codes at the checkout when shopping online.

To find the latest vouchers and discount codes, visit www.telegraph.co.uk

Cut the cost of the Christmas tipple

It is possible to save money on your Christmas wine without having to cross the Channel, provided you know where to look.

Check out supermarkets for good deals on alcohol – they will often offer discounts if you buy in bulk.

For example, Marks & Spencer is offering 25pc off wine online and in store when you buy six or more bottles. A quick look on the website shows you can find a case of Château Gasparets Corbières 2006 for just £56.20, down from £83.88 or a case of Single Estate Grenache Blanc 2008 for £53.91, down from £71.88.

You can order online, by telephone or in store and you can opt for home delivery for just £3.50. Visit www.marksandspencer.com or call 0845 6031603 for more details. If you visit M & S through the money-back website Quidco (www.Quidco.com ), you will also earn 8pc cashback to maximise your savings.

One of the best websites for wine deals is Quaffers’ Offers (www.quaffersoffers.co.uk ) This simple site allows you to search the current offers at supermarkets across the country, as well as specialist wine merchants.

For instance, this week it shows that Tesco is discounting Famiglia Terraccia Chianti Riserva to £5.49 from £10.99, while Co-op has reduced Firetail Estate Selection Chardonnay 2008 from £6.99 from £3.49. Add to your savings and earn 3pc cashback on your purchase when you visit the website through Quidco.

Or why not make the most of voucher codes if you are shopping for your alcohol online this Christmas? They could result in substantial discounts.

For example, you could get £25 off a case of wine worth £64.99 with the code MVC25 at Naked Wines (www.nakedwines.com ) Or you could save 5pc on all orders when you use the code WGALGYX3PU at Home Brew Online (www.home-brew-online.com )

You can also earn an extra 5pc cashback on your purchases from Home Brew Online if you visit the website through Quidco.

Compare prices on your mobile

Bagging yourself a bargain is now even easier as shoppers use price comparison applications on their mobile phones. Anyone with a web-enabled phone or iPhone can check prices from thousands of retailers online while standing on the shop floor.

According to research from Kelkoo.com, comparing prices on your mobile can save shoppers more than 15pc on their purchases, including delivery, which can easily add up for families doing the Christmas shopping.

For example, the Peppa Pig Princess Peppa’s Palace is £45 at Debenhams, but a quick search on Kelkoo and you can find it for £34.44 at Toys R Us, including delivery.

Alternatively, the latest Jamie Oliver cookbook – Jamie’s America – can be found at M&S for £15, but only £9.99 with free delivery from Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk )

The most popular price comparison mobile phone applications, such as Kelkoo and PriceRunner, are free and easy to use. However, your mobile network may charge you for using the internet on your phone. Most providers charge based on the amount of data you download; others have bundles where you pay a fixed charge for as much browsing as you like.

You can access the Kelkoo Mobile service by typing http://m.kelkoo.co.uk/ into your phone’s browser, as there is no download required.

But with PriceRunner Mobile, you have to download the free software to your mobile. To download, text ”PR” to 60009 and you will receive a text with instructions on how to install the application. If your phone is not compatible with the PriceRunner Mobile application you will be sent a text message to your phone telling you that when you try to install it.

Visit www.kelkoo.co.uk or www.pricerunner.co.uk for more information.

Try a discount supermarket

Supermarket snobbery is a thing of the past. The recession has made savvy shopping chic and we are just as likely to shop at Aldi as Waitrose, or pop into Marks & Spencer for something special, but do the weekly shop at Tesco.

For example, this week at Lidl, you can buy 15 bottles of Budweiser Beer for just £8 or Tête de Moine Swiss cheese (100g) for just £1.99.

It is also worth looking at discount shops such as Poundland, which is now offering plates, crackers and festive table decorations for just £1.

To see what’s on offer, visit the websites www.poundland.co.uk or www.lidl.co.uk where you can find your nearest store, although you cannot yet buy online.

Buying cheaper supermarket own-brands need not mean scrimping on taste. To find the best own-brands, visit www.supermarketownbrandguide.co.uk , which reviews more than 2,000 products from shops such as Waitrose, Tesco, Asda and Aldi.

Remember, when buying unbranded products, people who have food allergies or intolerances should carefully check the ingredients to make sure they can eat it: dried milk and wheat are often used as fillers, and cheaper options may include gelatin or animal fat not suitable for vegetarians.

Order your Christmas cards online

Vistaprint (www.vistaprint.co.uk ) has hundreds of Christmas cards for much less than you would pay on the high street. Create your own for a fraction of the cost through the free online greeting design studio. It is easy to customise your Christmas cards with text and upload photos for a personal touch. Order now and save 50pc on all Christmas cards. Prices start at £2.49 for 10 cards.

If you visit the website through Quidco, you will earn £6.50 cashback on your first purchase.

Buy cheap books

If you have a few bookworms on your Christmas list this year, you could save a fortune by using discount retailers online.

The first place to look for a deal is The Book People (www.thebookpeople.co.uk ), where you can find savings of least 50pc off the publishers’ recommended prices. For example, a 10-piece set of the popular children’s books Charlie and Lola will set you back only £9.99 on the site, compared to the recommended retail price of £59.60.

For food lovers, The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook is available for just £4.99, down from the regular price of £16.99.

If you have a vampire fan to buy for, why not buy the entire True Blood eight-book collection for just £8.99, instead of the usual £55.92 price tag?

And there is good news for shoppers who steer clear of buying online as The Book People sends out a monthly mail-order catalogue packed with popular titles. To put your name on the mailing list, call 0845 602 4040. Another port of call for cheap books is Red House (www.redhouse.co.uk) A quick visit to this discounted book retailer shows that you can buy all three books in the best-selling Twilight saga for just £7.99, a saving of £24.98, or the seven-book Rainbow Magic Dance Fairies Collection for just £6.99, which is £20.94 less than the recommended retail price.

Save even more and buy your books through Quidco where members can earn 6pc money back from The Book People and 5pc back from Red House.

Compare supermarkets

Competition at the supermarket is stronger than ever at Christmas, and you can save one-fifth of the cost of your weekly food shop with grocery comparison website www.mysupermarket.com

The site allows you to compare prices at different supermarkets, including Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose’s online service, Ocado. Not only will it compare the cost of your trolley in all four supermarkets, it allows you to buy the items from their cheapest source at the click of a mouse. Visit this website through Quidco and earn £5 when you sign up to mysupermarket.com.

Keep it local

According to a survey published this year by Opinium Research, 24pc of consumers have turned their backs on supermarkets because of the recession and are shopping more regularly at local shops such as butchers, markets and greengrocers in an attempt to save money. Butchers often offer cheaper cuts – collars of pork, brisket and stewing meat – which you may not be able to find at the supermarket, yet can save you a fortune. To find a local butcher, visit www.findabutcher.co.uk

When it comes to vegetables, why not look at your local street market? Find one by visiting The National Market Traders Federation website, www.nmtf.co.uk

And remember to do your shopping just before closing time to save yourself a bundle. Many market-stall sellers do not want to have any stock left at the end of the day – making it the best time to pick up a bargain.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/

Feminism is too easy a target for those who rue the absence of stable relationships and family life. Capitalism is the real villain, says Fay Weldon

A new reality has crept up on us while we’ve been busy wondering about whether the post-feminist world is a good thing or a bad thing. Gender hardly matters any more. We live in a dystopic society where we are all wage slaves, not just the men, but the women too.

This is the dominating truth about how we all live now. And we are over-tired, especially if we have children. We have no time to stand and stare. If we snap and snarl at one another, if policemen have forgotten how to smile, and it takes a law to stop a parent slapping a child, it is not so surprising. But don’t blame feminism. Blame capitalism.

Capitalism crept in under the cloak of principle, while feminists back in the seventies were busy discussing gender justice in the home. The big C offered women economic independence from men, careers in professions once barred to us, promotion, status, dignity; wasn’t that what we were fighting for? Why yes, we said, in our innocence. But what we got – most of us – was simply, jobs.

They are often called careers, but for the most part they are just jobs, in which a woman competes for promotion by working harder and longer than the one at the desk or the till next door. Women joining the work force doubled its size, and concomitantly halved the worth of wages. One male wage could no longer support a family. Earning, going out to work, became no longer a matter of choice, but of necessity for all of us. And spending became our reward, so capitalism’s little sister, consumerism, also flourished.

For many, that’s good. A husband no longer has to bear the full burden of keeping a family; a wife no longer has to ask a husband for a new pair of shoes. Going to work is not the hell it used to be. And for men and women both (but probably still more for men than women) it’s a welcome relief from looking after the children. Work becomes the focus of social life: you’re among your own kind – your own age group, if promotion keeps pace with length of service – and you’re happy as you are. The job’s enjoyable and keeps you busy. You’re free to get married, stay unmarried, have lovers (if you can find one) or not, have children or not as you choose, and decide where on the male-female scale you want to place yourself. Hetero, homo, trans, bi, take your pick. If feminism is responsible for the new world and its many freedoms, then hooray.

But for a minority it is not hooray, it is misery. What suits some does not suit everyone. We live in a flawed, least-worst, swings-and-roundabout world, not in one that’s perfect. If you have children and are anxious for them – they’re unhappy at school, they need you to be with them, but you can’t be because you have to work – then the new world is torment.

If you long to have more than one child but can’t afford it – and many these days can’t, not just in terms of money, but of available energy – it’s a real deprivation.

If you don’t have boundless energy, or health, and are the kind who likes to be looked after and to potter about the house, then it’s not too hot either – unless you are very beautiful and can marry a rich man and be a trophy wife, but that is an option open to very few. (Young girls today believe that to be thin is to be beautiful but of course this is not the case. Far more girls are born plain than pretty.)

If the exigencies of the new feminised world have left you partnerless at 50 and you equate that with loneliness, then the new world is not what it was cracked up to be, but is a matter for resentment. “They said we could have it all – now look!” The rising number of unwilling singletons among us, male and female, can’t be a cause for rejoicing.

Feminism allied to wage-slave capitalism has left us with a world in which schoolgirls flourish and schoolboys tend to slide into gloom and depression; in which one in four children live in one-parent households where normal psycho-sexual development is inevitably distorted (see Freud, Jung and friends); in which exhaustion from doing a full-time job and looking after children, whether you are male or female, is a blight on your sex life and the continuation of whatever relationship you are in. “Really, honestly, think many, “what is the point?” Relationships sever and children suffer.

Feminism is too easy a target. It is not to be blamed for all the evils of a failing society. Blame capitalism if, when you get home tired from work, you slump in front of the TV or computer screen. Blame the banks if once you could live cheaply and now you can’t – what with credit cards and direct debits. Blame the medical profession for inventing the pill and divorcing sex from procreation, so the streets are full of coupling boys and girls and sex has lost its mystery. Blame the Government for trying to marginalise the family and make the citizen-worker the repository of all virtue. Blame anyone, in fact – this is a blame society – but how about laying off feminism for a bit? Although it’s customary and tempting, I know, always to blame the women.

The contraceptive pill, for the record, pre-dated seventies feminism by a decade, and launched the age of promiscuity. That sudden event took some getting used to. Men took advantage of the new freedom and turned women into sex objects. Virginity was no longer a prize worth having, contraception was suddenly the woman’s obligation, not the man’s. If the woman allowed herself to get pregnant, it was she that got the blame. And yet the more women were pressurised to say yes, the more men despised them. Out of this injustice, I suggest, much of the energy that created feminism was born. And notice that still the coupling girls get the media flak while the boys are cheered on.

As capitalism itself becomes a little shaky, as women begin to fare better than men in the labour market (women lose jobs at a slower rate), as consumerism loses its power over our hearts and minds – tap water now wins in restaurants over bottled water, and that started even before the Crunch: Susan Boyle gets a better press than Jordan, viewers desert I’m a Celebrity by the million – and women begin to acknowledge men as fellow victims, not oppressors, there just might be a Third Way.

It would involve turning the whole work force into part-time, not full-time workers, so we had time to love, live, slow-bake, develop our sex lives, be with our children, and earn, and consume, and indeed have it all. And then wait for the downside and deal with it when it comes.

Fay Weldon’s novel ‘Chalcot Crescent’ is published by Corvus at £16.99

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/

As The Telegraph marks 15 years of its online presence, we look at how the internet has transformed the way we deal with money matters.

1. Internet banking

Millions of people now take for granted that they can pay bills and transfer money at any time of day and without having to worry about queues – whether in branches or on telephone lines. These days, you never even have to speak to a human being when it comes to personal banking. You can also use the internet to find the best deals on savings accounts and then set up and run accounts online. Sixty per cent of people with instant-access accounts have registered for online banking, according to the British Bankers’ Association.

Many people also research the mortgage market online, and some even apply for home loans over the internet.

2. Price-comparison websites

If you want to find the best interest rates for your savings or the best price for your home insurance, you can save time by using a price-comparison website. These provide up-to-date lists of the top accounts, as well as data on the best deals on credit cards and other financial products.

In the old days, we had to phone around brokers or insurers to compare prices for car or home insurance, giving out the same long-winded information every time. Most of us would have given up after a handful of calls.

Comparison sites do all the work, showing the cheapest providers, policy details and links to application forms.

Other sites, such as Kelkoo and Pricerunner, find the lowest prices for goods such as cameras, fridges and PCs.

Comparison sites are also much in demand for finding the best deals on energy, although recent research by The Daily Telegraph found that energy-comparison sites did not always agree about which supplier offered the best deal.

Consumers are becoming more savvy about these discrepancies. While a recent survey by Mintel, the analyst, found that six out of 10 people had used a price-comparison site, the consumer group Which? found that consumers lacked trust in them, with one in four finding better value financial products elsewhere.

3. Voucher codes

The recession has sharpened shoppers’ appetite for a bargain – and many cost-conscious consumers have turned to the internet to track down special offers. If you want to save money at Tesco you can just type “Tesco voucher codes” into a search engine and find dozens of sites offering the discount codes – short combinations of numbers and letters that you enter into the online checkout. Hundreds of retailers operate these schemes; some also allow you to print off vouchers from the website to claim discounts in shops and restaurants.

According to research from moneysupermarket.com, more than 2.2 million discount vouchers are redeemed every day, while an internet traffic analyst found that the number of web searches in Britain for discount vouchers had increased by 48 per cent over the past year.

4. Dealing and investing

Ten years ago, small investors who wanted to trade shares had to phone a broker. Now they can buy and sell online. Nine out of 10 share deals are made online, according to Barclays Stockbrokers.

Access to information online has helped level the playing field between small shareholders and professional investors with the resources of large banks behind them. “The role of the internet is key, giving the individual at home with a laptop access to the kind of tools, research and up-to-the-minute data previously the preserve of City traders,” said Des Byrne, head of Barclays Stockbrokers. “The internet brought financial democracy to newly empowered investors.”

People can buy investment funds, such as unit trusts from “fund supermarkets” – online shops that usually offer discounts on charges. These funds are often held in tax-free wrappers, such as individual savings accounts or personal pensions.

5. Buying and selling

Auction websites, such as eBay, have made it far easier to buy and sell second-hand goods, which in the pre-internet age would have meant a trip to the car boot sale. The average British home is estimated to have at least £450 worth of saleable items, typically clothes, CDs, DVDs, books and toys. Online auctions offer a quick way to turn them into cash. About one billion items have been sold on eBay.co.uk in the past 10 years, and 17 million people use the site each month.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/

Retired hurdler Sally Gunnell, 43, is now a motivational speaker. She lives near Brighton with her husband, Jonathan Bigg, and their three children.

Is there a reduced demand for your services because of the current squeeze?

Yes, I’m not earning as much at the moment because companies are cutting back on events. I’m speaking at almost as many, but I’m charging less. My response to the downturn has been to make myself available to those businesses who might have previously found me priced beyond their budget – I think you have to do that to maintain demand. And instead of concentrating on motivational speaking I’m now adding personal training and coaching, so I’ve added to my portfolio of skills. If you work for yourself you never know what’s around the corner and you must keep reinventing yourself.

Have you been reviewing your expenses as well?

When the credit crunch began, one of the first things we did was look at our direct debits and go through them with a fine tooth comb to see what we could cut. It was the first time we had looked at our energy bills, for example, to see whether we could get it cheaper somewhere else. We cut our Sky television package because we didn’t need all the channels and we looked around for cheaper insurance deals. We saved quite a bit on insurance, maybe £500 a year. I think the whole experience has made me better with money.

What has been your best buy?

Our house – we bought it about eight years ago for £800,000. It has six bedrooms and is set in 12 acres with barns and outbuildings that we use as offices. In 2007, we had it valued and found that the price had almost tripled, but I’m sure it has now fallen back again by quite a bit.

And your worst buy?

We invested in a whole portfolio about 10 years ago using a financial adviser to set it up, but it hasn’t performed brilliantly. We’re cautious investors, but it is now probably a third of the value it was at its peak and I believe most of the shares have fallen back to less than we initially paid for them. But we invested with a long-term view and we will certainly be holding onto them for quite some time until their values recover.

How do you prefer to pay for things – cash, card or cheque?

I use a debit card as much as possible, but I put larger purchases on my credit card. With a debit card I feel more in control – I never carry enough cash and Maestro cards are easy.

Do you have many credit cards?

I have four, but I only use one. The others came along from a phase I went through of trying to collect air miles and loyalty points, but I’ve concluded I’m not disciplined enough to do it. I have a Tesco MasterCard, for example, because I have friends who were always going off for free weekend breaks after converting their points into rewards deals, but I never got around to converting any of my points. And I wasn’t spending enough to get a decent amount of points because I preferred using Maestro.

How did your childhood experience influence your attitude to money?

My dad was a farmer so I grew up on a farm in Chigwell in a large five-bedroom house. I had a comfortable childhood – if I needed anything (like new running shoes) my parents would buy it for me. I was never deprived of anything, but it wasn’t an indulgent life – we never went on expensive holidays because a lot of our time was taken up managing the farm. And at weekends I would often be running.

Are you cautious with money or liberal?

I’m a bit of both. Before I won the Olympics in 1992, I didn’t have a lot of money and I had to question every purchase. But afterwards I went through a stage when I was running well and getting sponsored so I didn’t have to think too hard if I wanted to buy a new dress. In the past couple of years, paying for our boys’ education has caused me to question again whether we really need the things we’d like to have. All three boys are at private schools, but our eldest has won a scholarship to secondary school next year so that will help.

How do you separate responsibility for finance with Jonathan?

He is a commercial property investor so he looks after our mortgage and takes all the big decisions. I look after the household expenses, but we run a joint bank account.

Have you learnt any difficult lessons about money through mistakes?

Not exactly, but I’ve had a lot of people coming to me over the years with business ideas and I’ve learnt to be wary. You hear what sounds like a fantastic way to make money, but you have to stop and think whether there is also anything to lose. In the late Nineties I became involved in plans for a range of gyms called Fit Stop, but it didn’t amount to anything. When you are lending your name, your reputation can be on the line, so it’s worth being cautious. Thankfully I didn’t put any money in – it just proved to be a waste of time and effort.

How do you tip? Are you an easy tipper or do they have to work hard with you?

I tip well – our babysitters are certainly very happy when they come around. And I usually pay 10pc in restaurants because it’s easier to work out.

What’s been your greatest extravagance?

Holidays. Last year we went to the Maldives, and although we only stayed in a bed-and-breakfast, when I added the cost of flights, restaurants and scuba-diving it amounted to £9,000. I broke my usual rule and failed to pay my credit card balance in full. I carried it over for about four months before paying it off, but it was worth it because I think holidays are important. It’s the very thing I work for.

Aside from your shares portfolio, how do you invest?

Jonathan invests our money in commercial properties which he then rents out. He has also put some of our money into commercial property funds. We see all that as our main pension.

What about Individual savings accounts (Isas)?

We invest in Isas each year because it makes sense to put in the annual tax-free amount.

Do you bank online?

No I don’t – I use telephone banking because I think it’s easier. And we’ve got a very good relationship with the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Do you frequently remortgage?

Not too frequently, but we’ve just extended our mortgage to put more equity into a commercial property purchase Jonathan was making. It made sense to do it while interest rates are low.

What do you love to spend money on for fun?

We eat out once a week in a couple of very good restaurants locally to us. And I still really like shopping for clothes, but I’m not as extravagant as I used to be. Our priority now is the kids’ education and our quality family holidays.

Sally Gunnell is an ambassador for McCain Foods. To find out more about McCain Track & Field visit www.mccaintrackandfield.co.uk

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/

A new 50 per cent rate of income tax for people earning more than £150,000 a year comes in next April.

All income over this threshold will be taxed at 50pc, except dividend income which will be taxed at an effective rate of 36.1pc. In addition, those earning over £112,950 will lose entitlement to the tax-free personal allowance – currently £6,475. Most types of trusts will also suffer 50 per cent tax on all non-dividend income over £1,000.

Accountants say high earners should take action to minimise the effect of the new tax. “Coupled with national insurance contribution rises scheduled for 2011, an individual could face marginal tax rates as high as 61.5 per cent on earnings between £100,000 and £112,950,” warns Francesca Lagerberg, head of tax at accountancy firm Grant Thornton.

“The majority of the population will not be concerned about those the Chancellor calls high earners but £7 billion is a huge increase from a relatively small part of the population. This will come as a blow to the business people who are expected to play a significant part in kick-starting the revival of the economy.”

It is not too late to take action now. “The new 50 per cent rate is just a few months away but there is still time to plan for it,” says David Kilshaw, head of private client advice at KPMG. “By being smart about the timing of financial decisions and ensuring that you take full advantage of tax allowances and tax-efficient savings vehicles, people can, to some extent, mitigate the effects of the new top rate of tax.”

1) GET PAID EARLY

Consider whether you can bring forward income to the current tax year, suggests Kilshaw. “Is there scope to take bonuses or dividends before April so that they will be taxed at the current lower tax rates?” You could consider asking your employer to pay a few months’ salary in advance, but you should be aware that by advancing the income you will also bring forward the date the tax is payable.

2) CASH-IN INVESTMENTS FOR INCOME

Review any life-assurance based investments which allow you to withdraw up to 5 per cent per year with tax deferred until encashment – such withdrawals, allowed for up to 20 years, are treated as “return of capital”. “On encashment, the profits are subject to income tax so consider whether you should encash before April 2010,” says Kilshaw. “Similarly the growth in value of treasury stock – gilts – is subject to income tax so consider realising the value before April.”

3) HAND OUT TRUST PROFITS

If you have family trusts which will be affected by the new rates consider making distributions to the beneficiaries before April of all accrued income to avoid paying a further 10 per cent tax charge on this income. Trusts can be exceptionally complicated, so it is vital that you take independent financial and legal advice before tinkering with them, and that you consult any other appointed trustees.

4) ORGANISE YOUR ASSETS

Review your investment portfolio. “Consider holding investments that produce growth in a capital form which is therefore subject to capital gains tax rather than income tax,” says Kilshaw. Instead of relying on dividend and other investment income, you could instead invest for growth and meet your income through the disposal of assets each year. This way, you will only be charged 18 per cent tax on any capital gains, rather than 50 per cent on income. Furthermore, every person has an annual capital gains allowance of £10,100 before tax is due.

Some investment managers are asking HM Revenue & Customs for a special “distributor status”, which will allow them to distribute profits from their funds as capital gains instead of income.

Also try to distribute investment assets equally between spouses, advises Kilshaw. “If you earn more than £150,000 and your spouse doesn’t, consider transferring income-producing assets to your spouse to take advantage of their lower-rate tax bands,” he says. “Similarly consider who acquires future income-producing assets to ensure lower rate bands and unused allowances of your spouse and other family members are used.”

Even if only one of you is the breadwinner, some couples will be able arrange their affairs so the higher rate of tax does not kick in until income reaches £300,000, depending on their spread of assets and the sources of their income.

5) HARNESS HIGHER TAX RELIEF

Consider deferring claims for tax reliefs such as income tax losses until the tax year ending on April 5, 2011 when tax relief will be available at 50 per cent rather than 40 per cent. “Similarly consider deferring claims for capital allowances to the end of next tax year so that tax relief is available at 50 per cent,” suggests Kilshaw.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/tax/