A self imposed goal of one blog per week, creates a continuous demand for interesting content meaning one meets some very interesting people, complementing the more mainstream stories from several news feeds like www.mycompanypension.co.uk First is a catch up meeting with Michael Harrison, one of the founders of www.3Cscommunity.org where we meet at the Royal Institution http://www.rigb.org/registrationControl?action=home in Albemarle Street off Piccadilly. The museum in the basement is one of London’s hidden gems and features much of the equipment used by Faraday in his electricity, magnetism and chemistry discoveries. All done in the nineteenth century on the same premises, but you will probably remember him best from his image on the Twenty Pound note. Mental note – Good place to take my grandson when he’s bigger.

After training as a lawyer, Michael set up a desk top publishing company before starting the current digitisation company scanning priceless public and private documents – some of which can be seen in the museum. The business has changed in the two years since we met and there are two main solutions to taking things forward. But helped perhaps by a superb 3 course set lunch, the simplest solution turns out to be with people he worked with many years before and knows well – much less risky than signing up with people you don’t know.

My blog on financial Planning for People with Cancer http://www.georgeemsden.co.uk/2009/05/financial-planning-for-people-with-cancer/ leads to a trip to South Wimbledon to see Chantal Cooke’s digital and on-line radio station www.passionfortheplanet.com Covering Essex, London, Peterborough, Bristol and Devon it has a firm niche in environmental issues not to mention a mission to introduce non-mainstream music which works well too – no celebrity gossip either. Having always wanted her own radio station, first step was the BBC then setting up another commercial station in Canterbury. Catalyst, or perhaps the I don’t want to do this any more moment came after 4 years when rumours of band Oasis splitting up saw a newsroom of 60 journalists running round like the proverbial headless chickens – they really do this see  http://www.georgeemsden.co.uk/2009/01/a-bolt-from-the-blue-barack-obama/

But what is the point of creating another radio station just like the others? Answer: do the opposite and if it is something you are passionate about, you have a chance. With Chantal doing the journalism bit and Kenny whom she met in Canterbury doing the music, their own plus backers money got the station on the air 7 years ago. Listeners are now 120,000 on digital radio – plus a few on-line listeners, accounting for < 2 per cent of radio listeners nationally. My own item on financial advice for people with cancer is scheduled for transmission 29th June 2009.

Walking back finds me in Merton Abbey Mills with its Alternative Market and London’s only working water wheel – another place to take the family perhaps http://www.mertonabbeymills.org.uk/index.php Can also recommend the creamy penne alla gregoriana at the Mama Rosa Ristorante.

Pension surgeries lead to signing up an employee who has been with the company for 10 years entitling him to a nice employer contribution. Now full-time, he can afford to join but has sadly missed out on 10 years of his own, his employer’s contributions, tax relief and growth. Another member wants her pension paid to a different bank account which the pension provider can do over the phone but after getting lost in a call centre, she tells me she will bring the papers and new bank details next month, so I can make the call for her while she is with me. Some people just find the whole subject of pensions intimidating.

Snippets appear on my newsfeeds: AEGON Scottish Equitable reduces some of its rates by 44 per cent for joint-life second death policies – useful for people who want to have a policy in place that will enable their beneficaries to pay Inheritance Tax (IHT) due. IHT is essentially the children’s problem where their parents are married as it only becomes payable on second death but IHT has to be paid before Grant of Probate. Until the executors or administrators get this, they cannot do much. While the parents are the insured here, these policies can be taken out and paid for by the children/beneficiaries so it will not affect the parent’s standard of living.

At the ABI conference, Shadow Chancellor George Oborne announces that the Tories will abolish the rule which forces people to buy an annuity before age 75 if they can prove that they have enough to live on and will not need to claim State Benefits – small glimmer of hope but will believe it when I see it. Interesting situation as the well off can get a reasonable rate of return on their money and keep their capital – which can of course, be passed on to the next generation although may be subject to IHT. The less well off will get a slightly better rate of return at current rates but lose their capital and pass nothing of their pension funds on to their children. Bill Gates probably never thought any of his quotes would be applied to British pensions, but his quote “Life isn’t fair, get used to it” may apply here. Annuities are Theft from another IFA might be another.

In the mortgage market which shows some signs of recovery, the Council of Mortgage Lenders announce that 69% of borrowers opted for Fixed Rates in April at an average rate of 4.83%. Meanwhile in the market for funding for entrepreneurs the http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/ networking group has a lively e-mail community dealing with issues like: patents, NDAs (non-disclosure ageements) business plans & due diligence. Off-line (face-to-face) meetings are every Thursday 10 – 12 in the UCH Roberts Building in Malet Street. And if the words of a serial entrepreneur are of interest, see  http://www.ft.com/comment/columnists/mikesouthon

But to finish on an amusing note, coffee break chuckles from a colleague lead me to Hitler and the Expenses Scandal on YouTube  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHbNPlDAUwE where there is now a whole family of Adolf Hitler videos subtitled onto a chunk of the film Downfall N.B. Strong language but very funny.