Do You Get Value for Money With Your Degree?

A survey has revealed that many students believe that they do not get ‘value for money’ from their degree and this week, I ask on the Kiran Trivedi blog just how much your degree adds to your bottom line.

The traditional argument states that a degree is an investment in your future. Those people who are able to boast a bachelors on their CV are said to prove more attractive to higher end employers, meaning that there is supposedly a direct link between university education and earnings potential.

Is it Really Worth £9,000 a Year?

However students have become increasingly distrustful of the benefits of a degree, as fees have risen to £9,000 a year for the average University course, and this has led many to consider whether they truly provide value for money.

According to a survey conducted by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and the Higher Education Academy (HEA), a third of the 15,046 students questioned say that in a world where you pay up to £9,000 a year for your degree, the course offers poor value for money.

There is a clear reason why so many students have questioned the value of the £9,000 price tag. That is because the controversial change that was first brought in in 2012 has only resulted in 10 minutes extra contact time.

It’s important to note that this is a sharp contrast from 2012, when it was reported that only 18% of students surveyed suggested that a degree offers poor value for money. Furthermore in 2014 only 36% said their course offers good value for money, whilst 52% held this opinion back in 2012.

The Link between Your Degree and Your Wage

The real question here is does the cost of a degree justify the greater position it gives you in the jobs market? Whilst graduate starting wages generally measure over at least £14,000, students have to start paying back their loans when they earn over a certain amount, and if you’ve borrowed more, you’re paying back more over a longer period of time.

This would suggest, Kiran Trivedi readers that a degree is worth the money you’re willing to pay for it depending on the starting wage of your chosen profession. It’s important to remember that 31% of those surveyed said that they would take a different course if they had their time again. If you’re thinking about starting a degree, think long and hard about what it could add to your bottom line in the long term.

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The Rising Cost of Ticket Scams and Four Tips to Avoid Them

If you’ve ever been the subject of a ticket scam, you won’t be surprised to learn that this week, we all found out that they’re costing UK consumers a ridiculous amount of cash. How can you avoid fouling foul of the scammers?

Kiran Trivedi blog readers, I bet that most of you out there have attended a concert or sports match at some point in your life?  There’s always one artist or team that we tend to get a little crazy over, and seeing them do their thing lends a little colour when our lives are at their most grey.

However, this enthusiasm has a dark under belly, and this is that it makes you vulnerable to ticket scammers; people who sell false tickets to unsuspecting consumers to rob them of their hard earned cash.

The Nation’s Rising Ticket Bill

News sources have now gone on to report that collectively, ticket scams are actually costing the nation millions a year. Specifically, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) found that in 2013 alone, we frittered away £3.7 million on scams involving ticket fraudsters.

Furthermore, ACPO went on to reveal that there were 4,555 reports of ticket frauds last year and of these, 22 victims were conned out of a whopping £10,000 or more. If anything, this reminds us that ticket fraudsters are ambitious, and that it’s possible to loose far more than the price of tickets to the latest Cheryl Cole concert.

The BBC spoke to ACPO’s, national co-ordinator for economic crime, Commander Stephen Head, who argued that the problem is only getting worse. Head said "millions of pounds were lost last year and millions more could go the same way in 2014." He went on to further point out that "taking a punt on an unofficial seller, be it over the internet or face-to-face, is just not worth the risk."

Kiran Trivedi’s Top Four Tips to Catching a Ticket Fraudster.

Kiran Trivedi couldn’t agree more, you really need to be careful, and if you’ve got any doubts on how to catch a ticket fraudster in the act, here are my top four tips to help you along the way:

1. Research: I’ll say it again, do your research. If there’s any scam to be found, you’ll find out about it on the internet, there will be someone out there who has already been scammed and have a story to share.
   
2.  Secure Payment: If the seller is asking for an unsecure or unusual method of payment, chances are, they are a scammer.
   
3.  Official: If you can, stick to official sources for tickets. Don’t be the idiot who tries to score one last minute off the random selling tickets to spare outside the venue. If someone is doing this, chances are, they are a scammer.
   
4.  Compare: Compare the prices, if you are paying above board, you’ve just found yourself a fraudster!

At the end of the day, if you fall victim of a ticket scam, then you’ve just frittered away hard earned cash that could have been added to your weekly budget, and got absolutely nothing out of it! Always check before you buy. 

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The Art of the Counterfeit: Spotting a Fake

You always have to remember, Kiran Trivedi readers that one of the biggest threats to your personal finances is when you’re tricked into buying a fake product. In order to help protect you from the risk this brings, I thought this week I’d give you a few tips on spotting a fake.

Kiran Trivedi knows it’s not rocket science. If you are tricked into buying a fake product, especially a big ticket item like a fake designer piece of clothing, then you are blowing money on something worthless, and either you’ll simply lose money on something that is not going to add any value to your life, or you’ll have to fork out more money on buying a replacement.

This is bad enough – however there is more than one way to skin a cat, and as such, more than one way to be taken in by a con. An article by the BBC brought this to my attention, as it highlighted the top five cons tricksters run on you to make you part with some serious cash.

It was certainly illuminating. According to the news source, the top five cons that can cost you the most money are the fake solicitor, fake holiday tickets, fake debt help, fake job adverts and fake alcohol.

It’s easy to see why these cons would be so effective and so detrimental to UK consumers. They are all either essential or popular products/services, and thus not only can they bring in significant amounts of people, they can part them from a lot of cash.

Counterfeit bill in the US

Kiran Trivedi’s Top Tips

So if you want to protect your personal finances, what can you do? Here are a few tips straight form the Kiran Trivedi blog:

• Use your common sense: If something feels like a con, walk away, it probably is. 
• Research: Once again, use the internet to look up who you are dealing with. Research is everything!
• Identification: If you have any doubts, check for ID or official verification if possible (this usually depends on the industry involved).
• Caution: Protect your details, don’t give them out unless sure, avoid online banking and pay in cash when possible to minimise any damage a potential scammer could do.

The reality is that it is so easy to get scammed in the modern world- it’s happened to nearly everyone at one point or another. If you want to protect your personal finances, take precautions and always remember to do your research! A great place to start is the Kiran Trivedi Blog.

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Kiran Trivedi’s Top Five Ways Scottish Independence Could Impact Your Bank Balance

Whatever side of the debate you’re on, Kiran Trivedi readers, if Scottish Independence is achieved through this year’s referendum, it could impact your bottom line both positively and negatively, and you need to know about it.  That is why this week on the Kiran Trivedi blog, I’ve detailed my top five ways Scottish independence could impact your bank balance.

Leaders on both sides of the argument have been banging on about how Scottish independence could affect the economy, and it shouldn’t surprise you that it could affect you. Here are the top five ways Scottish independence could impact your bank balance.

An Independent Scotland: The Top Five from Kiran Trivedi

1)      Energy: This is a real concern, considering how high energy prices are already. Scottish independence means that we have less households shouldering the cost of nuclear power, which means energy prices could very well go up.

2)      Taxes: There’s no evidence to categorically suggest that a Scotland free of the rest of the UK would mean higher taxes for all of us, but it could do. If Scotland, for example, don’t take their share of national debt, taxes will go up most likely to offset the difference.

3)      Jobs: This could actually be a huge plus south of the border, as public sector jobs currently based in Scotland could very well have to move back to the rest of the UK, which would actually boost the economy and increase the average person’s spending power.

4)      Tuition Fees: This is one for you students out there. It’s entirely feasible that if Scotland breaks away, then UK students will pay Scottish prices to attend their universities, as is normal for foreign study. Scotland has lower university fees, which would benefit any student who wants to study north of Hadrian’s Wall.

5)      Postage: Believe it or not, stamps could actually be cheaper for the rest of us, should Scotland flee the Union. This is due to us no longer having to pay for postal delivery to Scotland, a cost traditionally covered by stamp prices.

So, as we have seen, Scotland breaking away could have good and bad effects on your personal finances, and should they do so, you need to know about them. However it’s all just conjecture at the moment and we won’t know how it’ll play out until this September! There will be updates on the Kiran Trivedi blog.

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