The Titanic’s heartbeats keep going. Now it will cost you $20 to see the exhibition As the 100^th anniversary date of the Titanic nears, a museum in Belfast launches a landmark attraction. “That’s where she was built. That’s where she was designed. That’s where the workers lived.” Noel Molloy is a man with a mission to explain and entertain. He is project manager for Titanic Belfast, monumental like the ship it commemorates.   Titanic proportions The term “Titanic proportions” applies. The top of the five-storey building is exactly as high as the tip of Titanic when the transatlantic liner was completed at the Harland and Wolff yard a century ago. During construction, she was known as SS No 401; her twin, Olympic, occupied the adjacent slipway as SS No 400. Any Belfast resident will tell you, “Titanic was fine when she left us” on April 2, 1912. Twelve days later, on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, Titanic struck an iceberg. As she sank, with th Read more…

There are times of the year you expect to be expensive.  The holiday season, tax time and back-to-school are all big budget busters, but one season that can sneak up on you is summer.  Vacations are expensive of course, but there is another factor that nips at your wallet.

Boredom.

Kids or no kids, boredom can drill a hole right in the bottom of your piggy bank.  Even if your schedule changes very little from month to month, the tendency to get bored seems to be exacerbated by the summer heat.  We feel like we have to get out and do something, which usually means spending some cash.  Here are a few ways to avoid those tendencies.

1. Plan entertaining activities that can be done at home.  Instead of going to the theaters, plan an all day “escape from the heat” movie day.

2. Have a stay-cation instead of a vacation.  Find a hotel in a nearby town or city and explore that area.  The amount you save on travel (gas, airline tickets, rental cars) can amount to hundreds.

3. Enjoy the w

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The financial news seems to be full of stories about banks and building societies changing their lending criteria with regard to interest only loans at the moment and the changes are happening so quickly, it is difficult to keep up with who is prepared to offer what, when it comes to an interest only loan.

In recent weeks, the general trend has been for lenders to restrict their criteria on interest only loans, with the majority either lowering the maximum loan to value on such loans, restricting who is able to borrow on an interest only basis, or both.

Many of the main high street lenders have reduced their offering on interest only loans, particularly on residential home owner loans, although buy to let loans have remained largely unchanged with regard to an interest only option.

Last week, both the Nationwide and Coventry building societies reduced their maximum loan to value to just 50 per cent for interest only loans and Nat West withdrew from offering interest only loans altogether.

Since then, Nat West have reintroduced some new loan products which are available on an interest only basis and following an announcement at the end of last week, that no more high street lenders were planning to alter their interest only loan criteria, the Royal Bank of Scotland has announced this week that it is restricting criteria on interest only loans.

RBS has said that it will still allow loans of up to 75 per cent on an interest only basis, however, this will only be available for borrowers who earn a minimum of £50,000 per annum and interest only loans will not be available to first time buyers at all.

Anyone looking for an interest only loan should do so as soon as possible, while there are still some deals left on the market, but should also check with their lender, as interest only loans seem to be changing on a daily basis at the moment.

I visit my investment adviser with $10,000 and ask for advice Last week I found myself in an unusual situation, in fact a first for me. I received a call for the bank to please drop in and see them. I was puzzled, I am in the black for the first time in years and they want to see me? I needn’t have worried. “You have too much cash lying in your account. We suggest you invest it,” said the clerk with a smile. A smile in the bank was a first for me as well.   Investment adviser The investment adviser is young and enthusiastic. He suggested that I spread my $10,000 among a few different stocks and he slowly and carefully drew up a list of what he called the “good investments”. I listened eagerly and left the bank an hour later, my head swimming with new information and the proud possessor of stocks, another first for me.   Apple Computers Already very expensive at almost $600 but there’s no telling where they are going. A new iPad is Read more…