Business

Households with solar panels in their roof  are being warned they face the risk of £100 HMRC fines this January.As many as 54,000 solar panel owners are running the risk of a fine from the taxman this month according to George Penny, founder of The Solar Co.That’s because households liable to pay extra tax must file a self-assessment tax return by midnight on January 31. Those who fail to turn in and pay their return on time could be hit by a fine.And many solar panel owners now make profit from their rooftop installations by selling energy they haven’t used back to the grid.Mr Penny explained that many of the UK’s 1.6M solar households make over £300 a year by selling excess solar energy through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG).This means more than 600,000 solar panel owners could be e...

I want to weigh in on the Trump economic boom, which showed up again today, with surprisingly strong manufacturing numbers in the industrial production report. Both consumer goods and business equipment are booming. Over the past two months, the production of consumer goods is rising roughly 8 percent at an annual rate. While business equipment is running at roughly 7 percent, and for the past year over 10 percent. The Atlanta Fed GDPNow is on a run rate of 5.3 percent for the fourth quarter of 2025.Basic core retail sales are up more than 5 percent for the last year. Core consumer prices rose only 1.6 percent annually in the fourth quarter. And wages are running significantly above inflation, as working folks’ take-home pay continues to rebound under President Trump after the Biden ...

Numerous Nationwide customers will see their finances affected from next month, with changes taking effect from February 10. On Monday, January 12, the world's largest building society announced it was making "adjustments" across several of its accounts and products.Nationwide stated the alterations follow the Bank of England Bank Rate reduction of 0.25% on December 18, 2025. From February 10, it will decrease certain rates by between 0.10% and 0.25% on particular savings products.However most products will see reductions smaller than the Bank Rate change. And Nationwide will raise the rate on its five-year Fixed Rate Bond and ISA to 4%.Meanwhile, there will be no alterations to:Nationwide accounts and products which will soon have lower interest ratesAccount type - previous rate - new ...

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol speaks with FOX Business’ Liz Claman from the company’s leadership conference, where he weighs in on top priorities and growth strategies, as well as adding protein cold foam to drinks in menu innovation. A growing list of restaurants are packing their menus with protein as more Americans opt for healthier diets.  Subway recently announced that it was kicking off the year with new Protein Pockets. The items are described as soft tortillas with a selection of protein, such as chicken, ham and turkey, vegetables and a sauce. The company said that each one has more than 20 grams of protein and is under $4. "Getting more protein in their diet is important to so many people. But all too often that protein is expensive or fried," Dave Skena, Subway's chief mark...

A simple check could spare homeowners a financial nightmare after weeks of storms and flooding left large parts of Britain battered by extreme weather.Experts are warning that thousands of families may be paying for home insurance that will not protect them when disaster strikes – because they are unaware their property sits in a flood risk zone.Research from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs shows that two-thirds of households living in designated flood risk areas do not realise they fall into this category, raising fears many policies could be invalid when claims are made.Holly Andrews, Managing Director at KIS Finance, said the consequences of failing to understand – and disclose – flood risk could be devastating.She said: “Far too many homeowners don’t realise t...

The Big Money Show breaks down new IRS limits for 401(k)s and IRAs, giving savers more room to invest for retirement. Tax season is fast approaching and several tax policy changes impacting older Americans will be in effect when seniors go to file their returns. The enactment of Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) last year revised a number of tax policies, including some provisions that the IRS is implementing for the 2025 tax year, for which Americans will begin filing their tax returns beginning on Jan. 26.Among the new tax provisions that will impact seniors is a bonus deduction for seniors age 65 and older that can be claimed in addition to the standard deduction.  "In addition to the existing standard deduction, filers who are age 65 and older can qualify for a ne...

The money is paid through the Winter Fuel Payment, which helps older households cover rising heating costs during the coldest months of the year. Most eligible recipients should receive the payment automatically, with many already paid in November or December.For most pensioners, the payment is worth £200, while those born before September 22, 1945, are entitled to £300.People living in care homes receive a lower amount, with payments set at £150 for those born before September 22, 1945, and £100 for those born between that date and September 21, 1959.Last winter, around 1.3 million Winter Fuel Payments were made. That figure is expected to increase significantly in the coming years following a Government U-turn on eligibility rules.In July 2024, ministers announced that only pensioners...

Trump hosts the "Great, Historic Investment in Rural Health Roundtable" in the East Room at the White House. President Donald Trump said Friday that he would consider imposing fresh duties on countries that defy his plans for the U.S. to acquire Greenland. "I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security," Trump said during an event at the White House.DENMARK IN TRUMP'S CROSSHAIRS AS US MAKES AMBITIOUS APPEAL TO GREENLAND Houses are pictured in Nuuk, Greenland. (Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images / Getty Images)In recent weeks, Trump has zeroed in on Greenland, the world’s largest island at a strategic crossroads in the Arctic.  A semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, Greenland is home to a crucial U.S. m...

Iceland shoppers are set for a significant shift in their shopping experience following a recent announcement from the frozen food retailer. The supermarket has revealed plans to implement changes to certain orders as part of efforts to reduce waste.The chain has announced it will eliminate plastic and paper bags from online deliveries, with pilot schemes already underway in select regions. West Yorkshire, for instance, has been testing the new packaging approach since January 10 this year.Currently, Iceland shoppers nationwide can opt to have their deliveries arrive in paper bags, insulated freezer bags, or reusable woven bags for an additional 30p per bag. Yet, customers in the trial zones will no longer have access to these choices.Moving forward, Iceland will dispatch all online ord...

Piper Sandler chief global economist Nancy Lazar discusses the economic outlook for 2026, the importance of patience and more on Making Money. The main worry facing CEOs of U.S. companies as 2026 begins is economic uncertainty, which is a bigger concern for American business leaders than their global counterparts, according to a new report. The Conference Board released a survey of more than 1,700 executives, including more than 750 CEOs, from North America, Europe and Asia, which showed a difference in the primary worry bothering CEOs of firms in the U.S. versus those around the world.Uncertainty was the leading economic concern among U.S. CEOs for 2026, with 43% of respondents ranking it as the top threat, followed by 35% citing the risk of a downturn or recession.  Among CEOs gl...