How credit scores are built and what actually moves them
The UK has no single credit score: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion each model borrowers differently, lenders rescore applicants privately…
Marcus Vale
421 reading now
Business
Markets, companies, the economy and the money stories that affect your life.
445 stories
What actually changes when private equity buys a familiar brand
Private equity ownership follows a recognisable playbook of debt, cost discipline and a five-to-seven-year exit clock, with outcomes that…
Marcus Vale
339 reading now
The quiet cost of late payment culture to British small business
Small suppliers in the UK are collectively owed billions at any moment, and the tools that exist to fight late payment are used far less…
Rachel Stone
434 reading now
VAT explained: how the tax actually moves through a supply chain
VAT is collected in fragments at every stage of a supply chain but borne entirely by the final consumer, a design that explains both the…
Marcus Vale
387 reading now
Why so many small firms fail in their second year, not their first
The first year of a new business is cushioned by savings, goodwill and tax timing. The second year is when the real bills arrive.
Marcus Vale
369 reading now
Reading a set of company accounts when you are not an accountant
Companies House filings are free, public and more revealing than most people realise, if you know which four things to check first.
Marcus Vale
400 reading now
Business rates explained: the tax high streets love to hate
Business rates tax the notional rent of commercial property, fixed at a valuation date years in the past, which is why declining shops can…
Marcus Vale
480 reading now
What a company going into administration means for its customers
Administration is a rescue procedure, not a shutdown, but customer rights change sharply the moment administrators are appointed.
Marcus Vale
340 reading now
How the Bank of England base rate reaches your monthly bills
A base rate decision in Threadneedle Street can take anywhere from a day to five years to show up in a household budget, depending on the…
Marcus Vale
345 reading now