Advice & other services

I provide advice to trade unions and other sector bodies on financial matters as well as loan accounting. Please contact me for details.
I offer discounted rates to trade union branches and have previously advised branches on how to engage effectively with management on bond issuance, financial reports and management accounts, investment programmes and restructuring plans.

I am not in a position to advise on personal finance matters or individual issues to do with student loans or debt. Although in general you should remember that student loans are subsidised by government (the government loses money on loans) and that the repayment threshold means that new graduates avoid the onerous repayments seen in the US for example.

Do not contemplate alternative finance products – they cannot match the government subsidy and demand higher repayments earlier. Similarly if you are a parent, do not pay your child’s tuition fees upfront. If you have the money to spare, it’s better to put it to other ends and only pay mandatory repayments as they fall due. Do not remortgage or access pension funds to pay fees – you are just throwing money away. Even if you mistrust the various net present value calculations that show student loans are the cheaper option, remember that government-backed student loans are discharged in the event of death or disability (in the worst case scenarios they have insurance built-in).