Personal finance is firmly on the school curriculum with over 10,000 pupils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland looking forward to gaining finance qualifications, that they hope will enable them to pursue careers in the financial services industry.

The teenagers are studying optional GCSE, AS and A-level equivalent courses that have been designed as ‘stand-alone’ qualifications, and are delivered by the IFS School of Finance educational charity. Although approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) schools can choose whether or not to offer the additional subjects to students.

The GCSE equivalent courses were only launched a year ago and have already attracted 5,700 students. This follows on from the success of the AS and A-level equivalent courses that have attracted 4,500 pupils to enrol since 2005. Although the content of the GCSE course is designed to enable students to grasp basic financial concepts such as budgeting, opening and maintaining accounts and using different payment methods, the AS & A levels are far more in-depth providing a foundation for those wishing to work in the financial services sector.

Director of external affairs at IFS School of Finance, Anne Kiem said: “The fact that more than 10,000 14-19 year olds are now gaining the skills necessary to manage their own finances and make informed financial decisions is clearly great news.”

It is hoped that as well as basic financial skills the courses will encourage pupils to find out more about how the financial markets work in the UK, and offer a simple understanding of how complex financial products such as mortgages and life insurance work. Currently, schools must include citizenship in their curriculum but there is no requirement for personal finance to be taught at any level.

However, the government has announced plans to include personal finance modules within existing, related subjects such as personal social and health education (PSHE), following expert advice that the subject should be taught more widely in the UK.

Secretary of State Ed Balls has indicated that pupils will be taught “essential financial life skills” through the functional maths and revamped PHSE, which from September 2008 will include a new module covering economic wellbeing. But, he has stated that the “economic wellbeing” aspect will remain voluntary prompting the IFS School of Finance to lament a missed opportunity.

With the backing of the Building Societies Association and the British Bankers Association it believed that personal finance should be put on an equal footing with subjects such as history, geography and modern languages, meaning that although all students are not compelled to study personal finance, the schools will be forced to offer it as part of the curriculum.

The capital city of India, New Delhi is one of the top three preferred investment destinations in Asia. The economic boom in the country’s economy has filtered down to almost all its sectors, especially real estate. The rising income levels of the people and the consequent increase in the buying capacity are contributing positively to the surging real estate sector.

Noticing the positive Delhi property news, many people are purchasing property in Delhi either for future occupation or for rental purposes. Rentals in legal commercial property have risen by 20% to 30% in the past few months. On the whole the real estate demand in the capital is increasing by 30% to 40% yearly.

The spreading metro network in Delhi has spurred the property prices along the planned routes. The Indian government has reduced the stamp duties and has allowed a 100% foreign investment in large projects. Also, the sustained activity of the MNC’s and the $23 billion software service sector is a major factor. So, it not surprising that the demand for the residential and commercial property is dramatically soaring. It is likely that in Delhi and the adjoining areas the demand for organized retail space will rise to $14 billion by the end of the year 2007.

Since a hoard of finance companies are offering great deals and dipping interest rates, buying Delhi properties has become all the more easy. Many prominent financing agencies like HDFC, ICICI, RBI HSBC, etc. have set up bases in Delhi and the stiff competition is benefiting the consumers. Homes for sale in Delhi are an attraction to the customers who no longer have to struggle with their financial statuses to purchase them as easy home loan facilities solve that problem.

If you also want to buy a house in Delhi, there are a number of available options from apartments to villas. Buy a flat in Delhi and you can be sure that the investment journey will be hugely profitable. Not only are the prices expected to rise in the future, they are expected to bring great returns to the property owners in Delhi. With the Taj Expressway and the NH8 Highway projects on the charts and the expected makeover to be given to the city for the Common Wealth Games 2010, the real estate delhi prospects are very bright.

A business letter is a formal written communication. It is ideally concise and direct. There are proper ways of writing a business letter.

Writing a business letter is a formal manner of communication. It is often used in companies. It is usually direct, concise and clear. It also follows certain writing etiquettes.

The approach to writing a business letter is very important. Sounding too informal may give an impression of disrespect.

Business letters should be brief, direct and clear as possible. It presupposes that the recipient does not have enough time to read your letter. Three or four paragraphs are enough to complete everything you need to say.

Make sure to include all the essential data in your business letter, like your name, the date, recipient’s name and address, and purpose of your letter.

Know your audience. If your letter is intended to the HR Department, steer clear of extremely technical terminologies that only ITs would comprehend. If you must use industry-specific terms, make sure that they are directly related to your point and use them in a way that will express your competence.

Keep a professional tone. Even if your letter intends to complain a certain product or service, be civil and well-mannered. Just declare the issues and problems together with any other pertinent details and shun from insults or threats. You are after all not talking to your parents or friends. Keep a respectful tone all the time.

There are seven basic parts in a business letter. First off is the date of writing. There are several ways to write dates. Most often, it is written with the month first, followed by the day, then the year. In other cases though, it is also okay to start with the day, followed by the month then the year. Separate the day and year with a comma.

The second part is the return address. This is your address. It is called a return address because in mails, when the postman is not able to locate the recipient, it will be returned to you for notification that the message was not sent across.

The third part is the recipient’s address. Normally, in business letters, you write the name of the recipient, the company he works for and the address of the company. Also specify his position or job designation. Although there are certain cases wherein the recipient will prefer to receive his mails in his residential address, by default, and in general, you address it to his company or office address.

The fourth part is the salutation or greeting. In business letters, the traditional “dear” preceding the name of the recipient is often disregarded or dropped. Instead, for more formality, “sir” or “madam” is more often used. You can also address the recipient by his profession. Example is “Attorney,” “Doctor” or “Engineer.”

The fifth part is the bulk of the letter. This is the body, where your message is actually written. As earlier said, keep it concise and direct to the point. Avoid wasting the time of the recipient in having to read long letters. Always indicate gratitude for taking time to read your message. Also express appreciation for immediate replies when needed.

The sixth part is the closing. Be as respectful as you can. Avoid using the word “lovingly” as what is common in informal notes. Use “Respectfully yours” or “Sincerely yours.”

And seventh and the last part is the signature. This is your printed name with your signature on top of it.