Opinion

Richard Hepburn, managing director of Millar & Bryce, discusses the property trends of 2022. 2021 was a challenging year for the Scottish property industry, so most of us were cautious in our hopes for 2022. After all, we started the year with Covid-19 regulations still firmly in place in Scotla

Lisa Charlwood-Green, director and founder of the WOW network, discusses the action required to eradicate religious and cultural hate from Scottish workplaces. Close to 100 business leaders are expected to attend the Strive to Thrive diversity conference in Glasgow later this month, which aims to cr

Stuart Clark, managing director at Russell & Russell Business Advisers, offers advice for business owners who are seeking to achieve a satisfactory exit from their companies. Every so often a flurry of activity ripples through the Scottish business community, of a nature that makes the more astu

Michael Reid, managing partner of Meston Reid & Co, discusses the issues surrounding fraud. It is often said that desperate times lead to desperate measures and in times of financial hardship, there always seem to be plenty people who will take advantage of a situation to the detriment of others

Stuart Gray, senior director of investments at Willis Towers Watson and manager of Dundee-based Alliance Trust, discusses the risks of diworsification. Most investors are familiar with the term diversification – avoiding risk in an investment portfolio by ensuring a spread of assets. Diworsifi

Several recent well-documented cases of ransomware – malicious software used by criminals to encrypt information until a ransom is paid – highlight a growing danger to both private and public sector organisations, writes James McGachie, legal director at DLA Piper. Research by

William Cullen, senior manager of specialist firm Dunedin Advisory, discusses the options available for Scottish residents who are struggling financially. With the increasing cost of living - many facing hiked up utility bills running into hundreds of pounds per month and increases in many other ess

Andrew McNamara, head of business services & outsourcing for Scotland at BDO LLP, discusses the impact of short-termism on Scottish firms. Scotland has a rich business history. It’s a country ripe with entrepreneurial talent, ambition and drive, and every day I see first-hand the exciting

Kevin Hollister, founder of pension calculator site Guiide, responds to the P&O scandal, highlighting what this means to those affected and their pensions. When members are made redundant, or even when a scheme is just closed to future accrual, they may make pension decisions that are not in the

Martin Bell, partner and head of tax at BDO in Scotland, outlines what Scottish businesses are looking for in today's Spring Statement. Overall, we are expecting more of an economic update than a tax-focused Statement. Given the current inflationary squeeze on household income, consumer spending and

Paul Denton, CEO at Scottish Building Society, discusses the impact of the rising cost of living on the ability to save. The cost-of-living crisis is impossible to ignore. At the start of the year, inflation reached its highest recorded level since 1992 and the affordability of goods and services ha

Speaking ahead of the Spring Statement tomorrow, Vishal Chopra, head of tax in Scotland for KPMG UK, highlights his predictions. The Spring Statement wasn’t intended to be used to launch significant new tax-related measures, but an intensifying cost of living crisis, coupled with what many exp

Yvonne Dunn, partner and financial services technology expert at Pinsent Masons, discusses the opportunities made available to businesses through open finance. A 10-year road map strategy published for Scotland’s fintech hub has highlighted “open finance” data as a key theme.

Helen Mill, Aberdeen-based business coach and facilitator of The Alternative Board, offers advice to all business owners on planning an exit strategy. You have devoted a huge part of your life building up your business to where it is today. It has given you the chance to do what you love. You have m

Craig Kennedy of Dentons examines coming changes to property ownership transparency in the UK. Recent events in Ukraine have resulted in a revival of the UK's Economic Crime Bill, which aims to make it much harder for overseas entities to hide wealth in UK property. The Bill made rapid progress thro