News and views

At school, (yes that was a few moons ago), I remember there was one guy who had an incredibly difficult existence. I can’t recall a single thing he did that would even begin to explain the insidious hostility levelled at him day in, day out, yet he was “The Target”.

New minimum wage rates have just been introduced, providing a good time for employers to ensure they’re up with the pay play – remembering the cost of breaching these laws can be more painful than many realise.

If you’ve ever been at the helm of any venture, you don’t need me to tell you about the hard graft, long hours and sheer breadth of critical decision-making required to keep a business’ engine room firing.

In his song, Italian Restaurant, Billy Joel sums up a piece of fraud prevention advice I regularly give to small business owners: A bottle of white, a bottle of red … perhaps a bottle of rose instead.

Bob and Vera are enjoying a quiet drink on the deck during the holidays. All of a sudden, neighbour Stan appears at the boundary, armed with a shovel and string line.

With property prices appreciating at record levels, not surprisingly, real estate is piquing the interest of many who haven’t traditionally invested in bricks and mortar.

It’s been around eight years in the making – and, after an in-depth review by some of the country’s leading legal luminaries, 2017 looks to be the year the much-anticipated overhaul of trust law will finally make it to Parliament in Bill form.

It’s hard to believe two months have zipped by since Christmas – but what happens if, in the weeks since, that much-loved gizmo that was waiting for you under the tree has gone kaput?