Page 55 - News

Person analysing a financial chart with coins, apples in a bowl, a notebook, and a cup of coffee on the table.

Dividend Growth Investing: A Quiet Route to Growing Income

Harriet M. Ashford • September 30, 2026

It started on a bitter Tuesday: the kettle took an age to boil, and the energy bill on the doormat...

Person tending to a potted orchid on a wooden table with water and spray bottle nearby in a sunlit room.

How to Make Your Orchid Last for Years

Harriet M. Ashford • September 30, 2026

Growing a beautiful ornamental plant at home is a common ambition for many people. Yet seeing a flower suddenly drop...

Middle-aged man reading a letter at a wooden table with a calculator and tractor visible outside window.

How Rural Favours Can End in an HMRC Tax Bill

Harriet M. Ashford • September 30, 2026

It often begins as a modest act of goodwill. A neighbour asks whether you could “just store” a caravan in...

Scientist in a white coat using headphones and a microphone to record sounds from a tomato plant in a greenhouse.

Study Finds Plants May Scream When Stressed

Harriet M. Ashford • September 30, 2026

Roald Dahl may, it seems, have been right about one thing: when a plant is hurt, it screams. Not quite...

Person organising sticky notes for budget planning on a wooden table with calculator, phone, food cans, and money.

How to Build a Grocery Budget That Fits Your Life

Harriet M. Ashford • September 30, 2026

A half-finished yoghurt is sitting open on the worktop: it went out of date yesterday, and nobody spotted it. You...

Man analysing financial charts on laptop at desk with papers, calendar and coffee in modern office.

AI in 2026: When Hype Meets Hard Reality

Harriet M. Ashford • September 30, 2026

A junior analyst at a major European bank watched an AI-driven forecasting dashboard quietly cut its ratings on a dozen...

Older couple sitting at a table, looking at a smartphone, with a laptop, newspaper, and coffee mug nearby.

January State Pension Cut Headlines: How to Check What Is True

Harriet M. Ashford • September 30, 2026

The alert appears as the kettle comes to the boil: “STATE PENSION CUTS IN JANUARY – MILLIONS TO LOSE OUT...

Person highlighting and marking a printed document beside an open laptop on a wooden table with a coffee mug.

The 3-Minute Subscription Highlighting Ritual That Changes Everything

Harriet M. Ashford • September 30, 2026

You do not go broke because of one disastrous purchase. It happens through £7.99 here, £4.99 there, and a “free...

Mother and son sitting at a table, the boy focused on a smartphone while the mother gestures during conversation.

Screen Addiction in Schools: Why Parents Are Rethinking Smartphones

Harriet M. Ashford • September 30, 2026

The school bell has scarcely sounded before half the parents at the gates are reaching for their phones. This time,...

Two hummingbirds and an orange bird near a herb garden in a terracotta planter outdoors.

Sage and Basil for Thrushes, Hummingbirds and Sparrows

Harriet M. Ashford • September 29, 2026

Thrushes, hummingbirds and sparrows appear more often in gardens that provide food, shelter and a natural flow of insects. Two...

Person placing a smartphone into a small red ombre crossbody bag in a minimalist store with colourful wallets on a wooden tab

Apple unveils the iPhone Pocket, a new accessory for carrying an iPhone

Harriet M. Ashford • September 29, 2026

Apple has unveiled the iPhone Pocket, a new accessory designed for carrying an iPhone. Apple has introduced a new product...

Young man using phone and holding credit card while working on laptop at kitchen table with documents.

How Your Payment History Can Help You Negotiate a Lower Credit Card Interest Rate

Harriet M. Ashford • September 27, 2026

You are looking at the figure on your credit card statement, palms a little clammy as you practise what to...

Person working with travel documents and a laptop showing a map on a rooftop terrace with a cityscape view.

Portugal Golden Visa: Stability and Opportunity for Long-Term Planning

Harriet M. Ashford • September 27, 2026

The proposed amendments have generated extensive debate and close legal examination. The government has consequently returned to its plans, further...

Young man with curly hair using smartphone and notebook, talking on phone at wooden desk with headphones.

Why Phone Calls Feel Like a Mental Ambush

Harriet M. Ashford • September 27, 2026

The name appears on your screen: familiar and hardly alarming. Even so, your stomach knots. Your finger pauses above the...

Close-up of hands planting carrot seeds in soil next to a notebook and black alarm clock in a garden.

Sow Peas and Carrots by the End of April for a Better Harvest

Harriet M. Ashford • September 27, 2026

The clock is ticking in the vegetable garden: miss the right moment and summer can bring sparse beds and undersized...

Quiet suburban street with manicured flower beds, parked car, and modern detached houses under clear sky

Garden Tax: When Roses Cost More Than Your Neighbour’s SUV

Harriet M. Ashford • September 27, 2026

In early spring, a quiet street can seem to host an argument that is spreading as quickly as the dandelions....

Two people at a checkout counter, one holding a credit card, the other handing over euro banknotes.

Card payments: the cashless effect on spending

Harriet M. Ashford • September 27, 2026

A habit that can have consequences for your spending. Paying by card at a supermarket checkout has become an entirely...

Child and adult sitting at a table playing with colourful building blocks in a cosy living room.

Why Children Need a Smartphone Ban Before It Is Too Late

Harriet M. Ashford • September 27, 2026

The boy sitting opposite me cannot hear his own name. His mother calls to him three times across the café...

Worried man reading a pension document at a table with coins and a piggy bank, while people socialise in the background.

New Pension Reform Reshapes Retirement Timelines and Payouts

Harriet M. Ashford • September 27, 2026

The pension reform presented as a rescue measure is already altering retirement schedules, pension payments and public expectations, triggering fierce...

Scientist in a lab coat using a touchscreen device on a wooden desk with notebooks, headphones, and a coffee cup.

Why Neuroscientists Never Open Brain Training Apps

Harriet M. Ashford • September 27, 2026

I was in a meeting when I opened a brain training app I had downloaded the previous evening: one of...

Young couple sitting at a table reviewing documents with a vintage key and house model nearby in a bright room.

French Inheritance Tax: The Sibling Exemption Explained

Harriet M. Ashford • September 27, 2026

Many British and American families connected with France are unaware that, in limited circumstances, siblings can escape inheritance tax entirely....