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Are you aware of the Child Trust Fund and its benefits? a small amount appear to know about the fact that all new babies get a free £250 voucher from the government to place in a Child Trust Fund. The child’s voucher can be invested in any one of three types of CTF account, Stakeholder - a shares-based account thatswaps into cash, a savings account or a shares account. It is an excellent way to prepare for the future requirements of a youngster

Scottish Friendly is an approved provider of the Child Trust Fund The State is keen for people to have access to Stakeholder accounts and this is the kind of account that we are offering. This means that:

Investments go into Scottish Friendly’s Managed Growth Fund, which seeks to provide strong growth potential

An investment is made in part in shares to get the benefit of potentially higher returns over 18 years,compared to a cash deposit account (although the value of shares can
fall as well as increase whereas capital would be protected in a deposit account)

It is available with a low ‘Stakeholder’ funds charge of just 1.5 percent yearly

When reaching 18 the child will get a lump sum, totally free of Capital Gains and Income Tax under prevailing legislation

It’s affordable - extra payments can be put in the account from as little as £10

A notable attraction of the Child Trust Fund is that anyone - parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends - can add to the Fund to a maximum of £1,200 per year to help augment the child’s Fund (once added, this money is not allowed to be withdrawn).

All this means our Stakeholder account offers a good balance between potentially high returns and a reduced level of risk. There’s also the additional assurance that our account is in accordance with with the Government’s stakeholder criteria. Nonetheless this doesn’t mean that returns are assured or that Stakeholder accounts are suitable for everyone. Remember that the value of shares in the Managed Growth Fund (where your Child Trust Fund money is invested) can fall as well as go up and would not be guaranteed.

Only children born on or after 1st September 2002 are eligible to start up a Child Trust Fund. If you have older children born before the above-mentioned date who are not qualified you could contemplate saving for them with a Child Bond - it’s a tax-free savings plan intended for long-term growth.

The fact is that investing for a child.your children is a sensible means of preparing for tomorrow.

By definition, barter is the when parties swap services or resources. But in business terms, it’s an exchange that ends usually with everyone a winner. All parties involved in bartering hold onto their cold hard cash and don’t lose a cent. There’s no worries about getting ripped off as a buyer or seller, so it’s an exchange that’s high on trust, low on tension. And finally, the government doesn’t get its hands on any of the proceeds. Bartering is such a great system, it’s no wonder it’s been around nearly forever.

Historians and archeologists reckon that bartering is a human business practice for the ages. It goes back as far as written history, and perhaps even further into mankind’s (and womankind’s) history of business practices.

Between humans, the actual business practice of money came long before money was invented. In written history, as far back as 9,000 BC, shepherds used cattle as a means of exchangefrom sheep to cows, camels to goats. Then when farmers came along during the course of the next couple thousands of years, grains and plants became the hot commodity in the world of bartering.

Bartering may have dissipated over the years, but it by no means went away. That’s the amazing thing about bartering. It still is, to this day, the ideal method of business exchange for some business folk, including companies with millions in assets. But it’s especially helpful for small businesses looking to get a leg up on their competition.

Listen to people talking in today’s business world, and you’ll hear stories such as the programmer who helped to code an interactive Web page for a startup graphic-design company, in exchange for a logo design for his own startup surf-board design shop. Then there’s the story of the new Internet advertising firm rolling out an ad campaign for a restaurant. Later that year, the restaurant hosted a “free” party and dinner for that ad firm’s clients.

Examples in today’s business world abound for bartering. The reason is that bartering still has many advantages to it in this modern business world.

For instance, for companies that are just starting to build up their assets, bartering is an opportunity to save their hard-earned cash. Even established companies love the chance to keep their money in the bank. With bartering, a company can get what it needs, while providing a service that the other company needs.

And because there is no money passed between pockets, the taxman does not even need to know about it. That saves you, and your accountant, the trouble of figuring out one more piece of business income or expense.

Lastly, deals involving money may whip up the old Scrooge mentalitya combination of greed and mistrust. With money deals, you may always be left wondering if you got the short end of the stick. Not so with bartering. With bartering, you get exactly what you need. And in return, you give a fair share of goods or services.

There’s no need to be a Scrooge here. Instead, the whole transaction is one of trust and understanding. Generally speaking, bartering for goods and services feels more worthwhile than paying money, whether you’re bartering for a dinner party for your clients, Internet advertising space, or whatever it is that you and your bartering partner agree to. Perhaps it’s because you can actually feel the value of your own goods and services. Or it may be just because you don’t have to open your wallet.

Donald Lee is the public relations manager for Buysellcommunity.com. Buysellcommunity provides free classified listing services. Buy, Sell and trade: auto, computers, household items, real estate, pets and much more. For global and localized classifieds, please visit
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