For those of you who like to know about the nuts and bolts our technical briefing looks at economic conditions driving investment decisions for fund managers...

Global dividends paid to shareholders rose by 12.9% in the second quarter of the year to reach a record $497.4bn.

The growth in global dividends means payments to shareholders comfortably exceeded analyst

Out of 10 what score would you give our reputation? Hold that thought until the end...

During the year we enter a few awards, not many as the applications are very time consuming. One we are doing at the moment asks the question: how have we contributed to improving the reputation of the financial services industry as a whole?

Reputation is important to all businesses

People assume that state benefits are for those who need financial assistance and support. This might be true in most cases, but not all benefits are means tested.

For example Attendance Allowance is to help people who need extra assistance. The criteria are based on the ability to complete personal care tasks to establish a need for support in the home. It is not means