Review Archives - Nine to Three Thirty

Choosing The Right Suit

men in suits — Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash

A good quality suit is something that every gent must have in his wardrobe because you never know when you might need it. A suit should always be carefully considered and good quality is always better as that will give you a wardrobe staple with a long lifetime of wear. Purchasing a suit is a big decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. After all, most men wear suits for formal occasions or when there’s a good impression to be made, so it’s important to choose the right type of suit to create the best possible look without sacrificing personal comfort.

Preparation is key. A suit is a major purchase, so look around online to get an idea of the styles, fabrics and colours available. Try having a look at a site like Suitsmen which has a wide range of styles and plenty of choice.
When shopping for a new suit, you’ll need to consider fabric. Cotton and linen are excellent choices for the summer months or less formal occasions. But if you’re planning to wear your suit during the winter, you may want to choose a heavier fabric like wool. Wool is heavier than both cotton and linen, so it will keep you warm and comfortable during the cold winter months. Many suits have a mix of fabrics like wool, polyester and lycra. Each material used adds a quality to the mix: wool is warm, polyester is hard wearing and lycra is great for stretch and comfort.
Colour is important too. Blue, black and dark grey suits are probably the most common choices, but those colours will seem a bit oppressive in the summer. If you are looking to stand out from the crowd, you might want a colour that makes a bit of a statement. Whatever colour you choose, you need to match the garments and accessories with which you wear it. If you’re planning to wear a brown suit, for example, don’t choose a black button-up shirt. Instead, choose a shirt in a colour that matches brown.
A good fit is all important. Undersized suits are also a poor choice because of their constricting appearance. The other downside is that they can lead to stretching and this can permanently damage your suit by causing certain areas of the fabric to stretch while retaining the original size and shape of the other areas. If your suit is too big for your body, the excess fabric will drape off your body creating an awkward and unflattering appearance. Trouser length is important too. Your suit trousers should fully cover your legs and ankles when you stand up. If any part of your leg or socks are visible, you should consider choosing trousers in a longer length.
Add years to your suit’s life by buying an extra pair of trousers or two. Extra trousers means that you don’t need to have your suit cleaned as frequently and your suit will last longer. It’s almost always the trousers that wear out first on a suit, so it’s worth protecting your investment by having an additional pair to hand.

Protecting Your Buy-To-Let Investment

house keys — Photo by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash

It’s been a difficult few years for landlords. First there was the credit crisis which resulted in escalating tenant arrears, a dramatic fall in the number of mortgages to choose from and severely tightened borrowing criteria. Then there was the change in the tax relief given for mortgage interest, which is much less beneficial to landlord’s than it used to be. There was a freeze on evictions during the pandemic and more tenants struggled to pay their rent due to job losses. Owning a rental property can still be a sound investment move though, but it’s important to take steps to protect your property.

Make sure you have buildings (and contents) insurance so in the event of a fire or a flood or similar, your property can be fully restored. Landlord insurance such as Rental Void Cover and Rental Guarantee Insurance can protect you from the financial disaster wrought by properties lying empty and tenants absconding. And the cost of your premiums is tax-deductible. As always it’s worth shopping around for a good deal. You can compare landlord insurance online to make sure you have the right policy for you at a good price.
Use a mortgage broker to get the best deal on your buy-to-let mortgage. Consider locking into a competitively-priced fixed rate, which could help optimise your portfolio budgeting. It will give you peace of mind and protect against future interest rate rises (rates are at very low levels currently, so it’s more likely they will move up than down). If you were happy with the broker who arranged your existing finance, it is worth consulting them on a regular basis to see what else is out there and what they recommend you do with your mortgage(s). They can offer invaluable advice based on their industry experience; they have access to all of the deals currently on the market; and do a lot of the paperwork for you. A broker can also help you restructure your financial arrangements, reducing your costs or releasing funds to expand your property portfolio.
Improving your property can help you avoid having your rental property empty without a rent-paying tenant for long. You don’t necessarily have to go to a lot of expense, but investing a bit of cash in repainting the house, replacing worn carpets and at least making it look as cosmetically attractive as possible can really pay off. Even making sure that your rental is sparkling clean before viewings can make a difference, although that can be difficult if the current tenant is still occupying the property.
Be an approachable landlord. It makes sense to do everything in your power to keep your tenant happy. The longer each tenant is in a property paying the rent on time, and the lower your costs. Think of your tenants as your customers. Give them as much notice as possible about inspections; make sure any repairs are carried out promptly; and keep them informed. Hopefully, in return they will keep you advised of any changes to their plans or their circumstances.

Unexpected Lockdown Benefits

books and sunglasses I viewed lockdown one as a bit of an opportunity, but didn’t really do all the positive things I’d planned because the weather was so nice, so I just spent time indoors. Since then I’ve felt that it’s more important to take care of myself rather than than have any high minded ideas about the ‘perfect lockdown’. There have been some unexpected benefits though including escaping early morning starts for a while. So what are my positives.

More sleep. I know that this won’t have worked so well for everyone, but I have slept better. I’ve been managing a good 8 hours or more each night. When my son was little he used to wake me a lot at night and then became an early riser. He’s in his teens now so isn’t waking me. I’ve felt I’ve been in sleep deficit for years, so it’s been good to get a decent amount of sleep again. It’s supposed to be good for health, weight loss and so many other things too.
More reading. I have loads of books I want to read. Reading has always been a great joy, but I haven’t always had the time. Now there’s a lot more time for reading and I’ve read and enjoyed so many books over the last few months. I’ve read a wide range of things from classics like Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of a Plague Year to up to date modern fiction like Isabel Allende’s A Long Petal of the Sea. Most of my reading has been my usual crime fiction, but there’s been some non-fiction too and a few wild cards.
More languages. I’ve always enjoyed learning languages and I’ve found a bit more time for that in lockdown. Not masses, but some. I’ve spread it out over German (my best language), French, Welsh and a new starter Norwegian (I got inspired to learn that after watching a Norwegian crime drama). I haven’t done lots and a lot of it has been on Duolingo, but I have done some most days which is a real improvement.
Better knowledge of my local area. I’ve done a lot of walking right from my door and I’ve got to know my local neighbourhood a bit better. I’ve lived here pretty well all my life, but I have found some new spots to explore. It’s amazing how much is all around us.
Improved fitness. This isn’t quite a linear thing. I haven’t been able to swim for great chucks of time which has had a negative impact and I’ve done less yoga than I should. I did do quite a lot of Joe Wicks’ PE classes in lockdown 1 and beyond. I can do a lot of squats now without feeling the burn. It’s been a bit up and down on the fitness front: more walking, less swimming, less yoga, more gardening.
A nicer garden. The advantage of more time and wanting to spend it outside has meant a nicer garden for me. I’ve had more time to work on it. Over the last year I’ve invested in it a bit more. I bought a lovely parasol that I hope to use for years to come. I bought bedding plants and had a lovely floral display: much better than I’ve managed in previous years. I did more work on the vegetable beds and ate more of my own produce. I’ve invested in a bit more for the coming year: more seeds, some more raspberry canes and a wider range of seed potatoes.

Lockdowns can be positive and they don’t need to be supercharged with to do list to make steps forward.

Team Building In A Pandemic

teamwork — Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Team building is an important part of a successful business. If you don’t have team that works well together, then your company isn’t at performing as effectively as it should do. So how do you develop your team? Team building exercises are something you can’t do without. They are an investment in your company’s effectiveness. A team that doesn’t work well together or that isn’t engaged in their work could cost you business. Investing time and money into team building events and activities builds relationships and can help create a more open and collaborative culture.

In the midst of a pandemic team building becomes even more important. Some teams are working remotely at home and this can make it difficult for even existing, strong teams to function well. Even harder when you have new members joining a team or even a new team altogether. Other teams will be working flat out because they are so busy, or on a skeleton staff and all this has an impact on team morale. So how can you get around those logistical problems and find a way to create a team, build a team and make that team stronger?

The internet can come to the rescue. Online Team Building Games are a great way of creating a space to have fun in together as a team. This has a lot of benefits: it helps counteract loneliness; creates excitement and something to talk about; and increases collaboration. It’s a great way to renew an existing team or build a new one.
Create a memory wall. This can either be online or in the workplace (if people are going in). Looking back at pictures is a great way to renew bonds for an existing team. A memory wall will help to remember the happiness from the past and will remind people that there will be more happiness in the future.
If you are having a virtual team meeting, maybe include a weekly quiz or some other fun game. Two truths, one lie is a good game to play – you give three statements about yourself, but only two are true, people then need to guess which is which. Or have a joke of the week – you can have a few ground rules about keeping them clean.
Tackle a problem together. Bring an issue to the Zoom meeting and ask the team to brainstorm it. If it’s a big team, this might be better done in small groups, so use a break out feature or similar. Get each team to nominate a spokesperson to present their ideas to the bigger group. If you can put it into practice straight after the meeting, all the better.
Complete a task together. Is there something you can work on as a team together? Maybe an easy, but time consuming job that needs doing. Many hands make light work and if you all get stuck in, you’ll have it done in no time. Something that one person would have slogged over for a day or more could be finished in an hour by a motivated team.

Team building is more important than ever in a pandemic, so don’t neglect it and schedule something into your team plan very soon.