Quick Answers to Your Queries

Whenever you have a question about spread betting or our dealing platform, the solution is easy to find.

Our Help and Support section and Customer Service team are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We also provide regular updates and feedback on Twitter, if you’d like to get in touch with us that way.

For an instant answer to your questions, visit our Help & Support section. You can access this area of the website by clicking the ‘Launch Help and Support’ button at the top right hand side of the screen, below the client login button.

Alternatively, you can follow our Chief Market Strategist David Jones on Twitter at @DavidJones_IG.

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An industry friend of mine recently told me the story of a prospect of hers that needed factoring rather quickly. The company had some financial problems but also had good potential. My friend and the prospect had also developed a good rapport so she thought there were a good match she wanted to move forward. Like many factoring financing companies, my friend’s company charges a due diligence fee to the customers. This is used to defer the expenses of going through all the reviews, searches and filings that are required before funding an account. The fee is just a couple hundred dollars and most prospects pay it by check.

In this case   the prospect’s check bounced.

What do you think happened next? When confronted by this, the prospect presented a number of excuses and explanations. I am sure they were all valid. Howeve Read full post…

A U.K. study found that two thirds of kids 12 to 16 are worried about not having enough money in the future. The poll conducted by the Personal Finance Education Group, a charity focused on financial education, surveyed 1,000 kids between the ages of 12 to 16.

Will they have too much credit card debt?

Among the survey’s findings, 62 percent are worried about not having enough money and 30 percent worry about being in debt in the future. The poll also found that 77 percent of kids want to attend a university in the future, but half of them worried about getting a job later in life even if they get a degree.

Most of the kids polled (95 percent) said is important to learn to manage their money. T

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New numbers from the National Federation of Independent Businesses paint a frustrating picture for small businesses’ working capital management. USA Today reports:

Nearly 40% of firms surveyed by the National Federation of Independent Business said “receivables,” or money that customers owe, are coming in at a slower pace, new NFIB data show.

The article goes on to say that the manufacturing, retail and wholesale industries are bearing the brunt of these ever-lengthening payment terms. Manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual revenue received payments an average of 48 days after invoicing their customers, which is 10 days longer than in 2006.

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Strength and Security

As a retail client with IG Index you can rest assured that your funds are completely secure at all times.

When you open an account with us we will hold your money on a segregated basis, in accordance with the Financial Services Authority’s client money rules. Under these rules, we pay each retail client’s money – including deposits and net unrealised profits – into segregated retail client bank accounts (i.e. accounts which are separate from our own).

The money is treated as belonging to our clients and cannot be used by us in any way at any time, giving you complete peace of mind.

Please note, these protections do not apply to professional clients who have agreed to title transfer their funds.

Online safety

To ensure your funds are safe, our platform uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) – the online standard for financial transactions. SSL i

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Every so often we get a call from a foreign prospect who is doing business with a US company, wondering if they can factor their invoices. Their usual argument is that the invoices are to strong US customers, so just because they are in a foreign country is should not matter. For many factoring companies, it does matter quite a bit since due diligence is tougher, as is getting a security interest in the invoice. But there are a few companies that offer that service, it’s called  import factoring also known as foreign exporter factoring.

Import factoring transactions are much like conventional factoring transactions. Usually, the invoice is financed through two installments the advance and the rebate. The advance is giving as soon as the client is invoices (for completed work or delivered product) and goes from 70% to 80% of the invoice. The reb Read full post…

Ask Money Girl: When To Shop for a New Credit Card

I received this e-mail question from Stephanie C. about her credit card interest rate: Q. My credit card, which I’ve had for nine years, has an interest rate of 23.9%. I have perfect credit; my credit score is 800. The bank tells me that I’m paying for other borrowers’ who are delinquent with their payments. It doesn’t seem fair. Should I shop for another card? A. Yes, you should absolutely shop for a new card. Having a credit score that’s higher than 760 puts you in the “excellent credit” category and qualifies you for a much better deal than you’re getting. One of the benefits of having great credit is being able to enjoy low interest rates! Let your card issuer know that you’re shopping around for a much lower rate and ask them for their best offer before you make a change.   Search for low interest rate credit cards at creditcards.com and lowcards.com. Right now, Read full post…