Father Christmas and the Windfall Profit

They will already have been bombarded with TV adverts and have an endless wish list of items they would like from Father Christmas.

Towards the end of the Roman Empire in the town of Demre in what is now southern Turkey, lived a bishop who was later canonised as Saint Nicholas.

Apparently this generous chap secretly left coins for the poor. His name, Saint Nikolaos, went through a series of corruptions (- it’s everywhere isn’t it?) until it became “Santa Claus” - which Father Christmas adopted!

Father Christmas has always been associated with generosity and providing gifts at no financial cost to the recipient – what we in the financial world would refer to as a windfall profit.

Everybody enjoys a surprise financial bonus, whether it is something as trivial as finding a coin in the street, receiving an unexpected tax refund or winning the lottery.

At times people live in hope of such a financial miracle occurring, not just to live out a fantasy but to sort out financial problems.

Problems caused by unforeseen events in their lives – redundancy, divorce, and accident or serious illness.

Or it could just be that they have not been very good at managing their finances. And at this time of the year there are numerous financial additional pressures.

Businesses also hit bad patches and can run into cash flow problems. Owners and managers of businesses often struggle to see a way out of their difficulties. In these situations (and in panto season) anybody could be forgiven for wishing to find an old lamp which if rubbed would produce a financial genie to sort out their problems.

In reality, there are often ways of turning around troubled businesses. Experienced professionals can see solutions to salvage businesses, whether through re-financing, introducing private investors or restructuring.

If, you have financial worries no matter how great, don’t let them spoil Christmas - take the first steps to make a fresh start to the New Year - take professional advice now to regain control of your finances.

For more visit www.wilsonfield.co.ukPhil Meekin, Head of Marketing, Wilson Field