Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Ben Carter
How CFL star Brady Oliveira and influencer Alex Blumberg built a life around rescuing dogs
Television Their story is featured on new CBC series Must Love Dogs, proving that some victories are won far away from the football field. New CBC series Must Love Dogs shows that some victories are won far away from the football field Ben Carter · CBC Gem · Posted: Apr 20, 2026 9:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: April 20 Listen to this article Estimated 6 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur.
Looking backwards and forwards
2025 was geopolitically a rollercoaster year, with conflict, old rivalries and a new US President intent on change. Yet despite this, investments largely finished the year higher than they began. As the calendar turns, it is once again the season for bold predictions and confident outlooks. Experience suggests that such forecasts are best treated lightly. Markets incorporate known information very quickly, and prices only move meaningfully when something new and unexpected arrives.
Inheritance tax reliefs threshold to rise to £2.5m for farmers and businesses
Today (23 December), the government announced that the Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs threshold will rise from £1m to £2.5m when introduced in April 2026. This means spouses or civil partners can pass on up to £5m in qualifying agricultural or business assets before paying Inheritance Tax, in addition to existing allowances. The change will be included in the Finance Bill in January and apply from 6 April 2026.
Selling your business
Selling your business is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make, and it’s about much more than numbers on a page. We understand that every sale is personal, shaped by years of hard work and a vision for what comes next. That’s why we bring not only technical expertise, but also energy, experience, and empathy. We work closely with you to design a process that reflects your goals, maximises value, and protects what matters most — on your terms and at your pace.
Untamed Review: A Man, a Mountain, and a Murder
There are few television openings more likely to induce a cold sweat than the first three minutes of Untamed. Two climbers inch their way up the sheer granite face of Yosemite’s El Capitan, the ground a terrifying memory thousands of feet below. The tension is already unbearable. Then a body plummets from the summit, a horrifying human pendulum that becomes tangled in their ropes.
Bookish Review: Secrets, Spies, and Split Infinitives
The television schedule has a seemingly endless supply of gentlefolk detectives, leaving one to think the field is full. Yet Bookish carves out its own space amidst the atmospheric rubble of 1946 London. We are introduced to Gabriel Book, a man whose passion for a well-preserved first edition is matched by his sharp eye for a misplaced clue. His secondhand bookshop, a sanctuary of paper and print, serves as his base of operations.
Born to Be Viral: The Real Lives of Kidfluencers Review: Say Cheese, You’re Getting Paid
Once upon a time, you needed a talent agent and a headshot to become a star. Now, all you need is a ring light, a Wi-Fi connection, and a child willing to unbox a toy on camera. The path from the playroom to the payroll has never been shorter, and the Freeform docuseries Born to Be Viral: The Real Lives of Kidfluencers serves as our tour guide through this strange new frontier. Filmed over a five-year span, the series follows the families who live, breathe, and broadcast for a living.
In the Arena: Serena Williams Review: Serving Her Own Legacy
There is no shortage of documentaries about Serena Williams, but the eight-part series In the Arena announces itself as the definitive article. This is not biography; it is autobiography. With Williams herself serving as an executive producer and chief narrator, the series promises a guided tour through a career that fundamentally altered modern sports. From the cracked courts of Compton to a record-setting 319 weeks as World No. 1, the story is vast.
Under a Dark Sun Review: Come for the Mystery, Stay for Isabelle Adjani
French thrillers have a certain style, a promise of tangled histories and simmering passions set against a chic, moody backdrop. Under a Dark Sun opens by delivering exactly that. We meet Alba Mazier, a young mother whose frantic escape from an unseen past leads her and her son, Leo, to a sprawling flower farm. She’s there for a job interview she never arranged. The farm’s patriarch, Arnaud Lasserre, hires her anyway.
A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054 Review - How Netflix Turns Tragedy Into Accountability
Some disasters announce themselves with the subtlety of a freight train—and then there are those that whisper their arrival through a thousand small compromises until the inevitable becomes unavoidable. Angelo Defanti’s three-part Netflix docuseries “A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054” belongs firmly in the latter category, examining Latin America’s deadliest aviation disaster with the forensic precision of a coroner and the moral clarity of a prosecutor’s closing argument.
Building the Band Review: Flawed Format, Affecting Mentorship
Just when you thought the televised singing competition had sung its last note, Netflix re-enters the arena with “Building the Band.” The concept feels like a mad-lib of recent reality TV hits. Fifty hopeful singers are sequestered in individual pods, tasked with forming the next great pop group. The catch? Every decision is made sight-unseen. Hosted by the Backstreet Boys’ own AJ McLean, the show forces contestants to judge one another based on voice alone.
Ballard Review: Maggie Q Leads a Compelling Team of Misfits
Every police procedural universe eventually expands, and the latest addition asks a potent question: what happens to the cases that fall through the cracks? Ballard dives headfirst into that dusty filing cabinet, exploring the neglected world of cold cases through a protagonist who is herself a product of being cast aside. We meet Detective Renée Ballard, played with a quiet intensity by Maggie Q, as she takes the helm of the LAPD’s new cold case division.
Race for the Crown Review: The Real Race Isn’t on the Track
Race for the Crown pulls back the velvet rope on thoroughbred horse racing, a world where the mint juleps flow as freely as the multimillion-dollar investments. The series breathlessly follows the 2024 Triple Crown season, a three-race gauntlet composed of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. This is not just a show about fast horses; it is a character study of the ambitious humans chasing them.
School based interventions for depression and anxiety in UK
Mental health problems among adolescents, particularly anxiety and depression, are a growing public health concern (Marcheselli et al., Citation2018). In the UK, approximately one in four adolescents aged 17–19 meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health disorder, and the impact of untreated mental health issues during this critical developmental stage can be profound (Newlove-Delgado et al., Citation2023).
The 50 Greatest Football Managers of All Time
For ten weeks, we at 90min ranked the top 50 greatest managers of all time. In those weeks, we at 90min published 100 articles on these managers, wrote the guts of 100,000,000,000 words (roughly) on these managers, and told some of the most incredible stories in the beautiful game's history. So now, here is a rather long list detailing every single one of these managers' storied careers.
The 50 Greatest Football Managers of All Time
So now, here is a rather long list detailing every single one of these managers' storied careers. 50) Marcelo Bielsa Taking influence from Rinus Michels’ totaalvoetbal, as well as Argentine pioneers César Luis Menotti and Carlos Bilardo, Marcelo Bielsa is still to this day one of the most well-renowned managers in football history. That’s come not only as a result of his tactics on the pitch, but Bielsa’s antics off it too.
Investing - Looking backwards and forwards
Looking backwards This time last year, the world faced challenges and uncertainty with continuing conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East. As well as the election in the UK and US, there were also elections in democracies such as Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, and within the European Union. Despite these headwinds, last year was generally another good year for most markets as the chart below illustrates.
Financial health check
When there are changes in taxation and the treatment of different financial products, it is always advisable to review your current circumstances. For our existing clients, this is part of our financial planning process. We know change can cause anxiety so do speak to us about how the changes may affect you. You may also be speaking to family and friends who may be equally concerned by recent announcements and we would be pleased to help.
I want to buy a company but what due diligence should I do?
Corporate Finance The honest answer… it depends on multiple factors, considered below. In the context of buying a company, due diligence involves conducting careful research in multiple areas of the company or business you intend to acquire (such as financial, tax, legal and operational).
New legal project aims to protect rights of Kentuckians with substance use disorder | Opinion
Almost every Kentuckian knows someone who has died of an overdose. The crisis is so acute that Kentucky claims the 4th highest overdose death rate in the country, with the rate among Black Kentuckians more than doubling in recent years. While 2022 data shows a slight in overdose deaths, much more must be done.
My Favourite Player: Ben Carter on Carlos Gonzalez
Whether they’re willing to admit it or not, every baseball fan has a favourite baseball player. Maybe it’s their favourite team’s current ace, the random right fielder whose jersey they received as a Christmas gift when they were eight years old, or a promising prospect whose career was cut short by injury. In this series, we ask British baseball fans to tell us how their favourite player came to be their favourite player and a whole lot more.
Spring Budget 2024 Summary
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered his ‘Budget for Long Term Growth’ on Wednesday 6 March 2024. His speech promised ‘more investment, more jobs, better public services and lower taxes’. Here we update you on all the announcements.
National Pension Tracing Day
Reclaim It’s National Pension Tracing Day on Sunday 29 October this year. Since the campaign started in 2021 there have been some amazing stories – one person found pensions worth £80,000, another managed to retire seven years earlier than they’d planned.* To help you on the journey to find old pensions there is a handy free checklist you can access here NPTD-Checklist-PS.pdf (nationalpensiontracingday.co.uk) with tips on reclaiming old pensions.
Department of Education names Old Mill as one of England’s top apprenticeship employers
Old Mill has achieved the remarkable ranking of number 47 in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer Rankings. This recognition underscores our commitment to fostering exceptional apprenticeship programs, as independently assessed and ranked by the Department of Education.
Protect Yourself from Fraudulent HMRC Letters
In recent times, there has been a surge in deceptive correspondence that closely resembles legitimate letters from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). While these fraudulent letters may initially seem genuine, it is crucial to remain vigilant and identify warning signs that could indicate a scam. Here are a few areas to consider that raise concerns when receiving such letters: Suspicious Telephone Number The letter may display a telephone number that closely resembles HMRC’s official contact numbers.
Shednesday: Mk1 Honda HR-V
Merry Shednesday. I have never really been one for motorsports, apart from a brief interest in D1 and Formula Drift (blame a former obsession with the Initial D anime). I even went on a drifting trackday - I was terrible. Anyway, I recently started watching Extreme E, so in honour of that I thought I would see what cheap futuristic SUVs I could find.
Shednesday: Fiat Croma Comfort Wagon
Club PetrolBlog member Ben Carter is a fan of the mundane, the misunderstood and a certain social media marketplace. Here, in his PetrolBlog debut, he introduces Shednesday, by trying to tempt you into buying a Fiat Croma. Wednesday is no longer the day for surfing or the humpday; it’s now the day you put on your waders to go deep-diving into the murky waters of cheap cars advertised on social media. Merry Shednesday.
Client News Update - May 2023 - Old Mill
Online VAT filing portal to close in May HMRC has reminded businesses that file VAT returns annually that the online VAT filing portal will close from 15 May 2023. The VAT portal closed to standard quarterly filers on 7 November 2022, but was kept open for a longer period for those who file annual returns.
Old Mill Fund reaches £50,000 milestone
The Old Mill Fund – the home of financial experts Old Mill’s charitable giving – has reached the impressive milestone of awarding £50,000 in grants to grassroot good causes across Somerset, Devon and Wiltshire since the Fund was first launched just over three years ago.
Client News Update - April 2023 - Old Mill
Capital allowances reformed in 'Budget for growth' A £27 billion transformation of capital allowances from April was announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt as he delivered a ‘Budget for growth‘. The Spring Budget followed an improved forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR said it expects the UK to avoid a technical recession this year, with a stronger-than-expected performance from the economy as inflation continues to fall.
Webinar - Spring Budget 2023 Expert Analysis
Catch up on our Expert Reaction Webinar. Spring Budget 2023 – What the announcements mean for you. Our expert panel will discuss the impact of the key announcements for both individuals and businesses from the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt’s first Budget. 0:00 Introduction 4:04 Pensions 20:26 Personal Taxation 32:56 Corporate Taxation 53:48 Research & Development 100:50 Profit extraction for companies VIDEO
Spring Budget 2023
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered a ‘Budget for Growth’ after the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast a stronger than expected performance from the UK economy this year with inflation continuing to fall. For full details, download our publication here:
Are you ahead of the game? Pre-Year End Planning
Corporation Tax rates are increasing from 1 April 2023 to 19% for the first £50,000 of profits, 26.5% for profits between £50,000 and £250,000 and 25% for profits over £250,000 (Corporation Tax is currently 19%) ‘Super Deduction’ of 130% for brand new plant and equipment is coming to an end for companies on 31 March 2023. Dividend allowances are decreasing, and rates are increasing – so your usual remuneration strategy may no longer be the most tax efficient.
Client News Update - March 2023 - Old Mill
HMRC sounds warning on new VAT penalties HMRC is reminding VAT-registered businesses to file their VAT returns and pay on time ahead of new penalties being applied. The tax authority says that the new penalties will be ‘fairer and more proportionate’ for businesses who submit their VAT returns or pay their VAT late. The first monthly returns and payments affected by the penalties are due by 7 March 2023.
Annual return for Employment-Related Securities (ERS) - 6 July 2023
Any award of shares or other securities (including loan stock and debentures) made to an employee or officer of a company by reason of their employment are known as ‘Employment Related Securities’ or ERS. Companies are required to report ERS transactions and schemes annually to HMRC, regardless of whether a tax charge arises or not.
International Women's Day 2023: Embracing Equity - John Boyd Textiles
Press enter to begin your search Insights ‘Equity can be defined as giving everyone what they need to be successful. In other words, it’s not giving everyone the exact same thing. If we give everyone the exact same thing, expecting that will make people equal, it assumes that everyone started out in the same place – and this can be vastly inaccurate because everyone isn’t the same.
Where Would You Put An MLB Expansion Franchise?
Skip to content Ah yes, the age-old question. It has been 25 years since the latest expansion in Major League Baseball, the longest stretch of stability since 1952 – when the Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee to kick off a crazy decade of franchise movement and addition. Given the recent changes to the postseason format – plus the brand new rule amendments for this season – it seems likely that MLB won’t make any major changes to their 30-team structure in the next few years.
Year End Tax Planning Guide 2023
Content In this Briefing, we use the rates and allowances for 2022/23. Please note that throughout this publication, the term spouse includes a registered civil partner.
Client News Update - February 2023 - Old Mill
Energy bill support for firms to be reduced from April Businesses will receive reduced support for their energy bills from April as the UK government attempts to cut the cost of compensating for soaring gas and electricity prices, the Treasury has confirmed. The Treasury said that the government will cap support at £5.5 billion for businesses over 12 months from 1 April 2023.
Getting your business through tough times
Think Tank They say every business hits a crisis sooner or later. Add together a combination of inflation, the pandemic, tax rises, post-Brexit changes and supply chain issues, and the waters look very choppy indeed. One recent survey, for example, showed that a cash flow shortfall has become the new normal for many small businesses for four months out of 12. This Briefing offers practical help to weather the storm.
Meet David Gage, our new Partner and Head of VAT
David has been brought on board to support Old Mill’s growth ambitions by expanding our services both to existing clients and the wider market. David was a management consultant before moving into tax in 2012, says he believes his commercial background combined with his tax expertise can help raise Old Mill’s profile across a wider range of client firms. David says: “VAT is a complicated area of tax, and the compliance requirements are becoming more and more stringent.
Louisville sits on $38 million in rent assistance while residents are evicted
This story is by the Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. More of Kentucky Lantern’s work can be found atkentuckylantern.com. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Louisville sits on $38 million in rent assistance while residents are evicted
This week — like last week and the week before that — some of the 2.394 renters in Louisville who have applied for emergency rental assistance will go to eviction court and get evicted after the city recently received $38 million of emergency rental assistance. More will be evicted without the opportunity to apply for rental assistance. If the Rev.
Deepbridge Appoints New Senior Investment Director
Venture capital investment specialists, Deepbridge Capital, today announces the appointment of Dr Andy Round as Senior Investment Director. As an experienced life sciences investment specialist, most recently as Director and Head of Healthcare at Praetura Ventures and previously at both Maven Capital Partners and MSIF, Dr Round will be working within Deepbridge’s Life Sciences Investment Team which manages the Deepbridge Life Sciences EIS fund.
Client News Update - January 2023 - Old Mill
MTD for ITSA delayed for two more years The Treasury has announced that Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD for ITSA) will be delayed for two more years until April 2026. MTD for ITSA was due to take effect from April 2024 and would have required all self-employed individuals and landlords with income over £10,000 to report earnings quarterly through the MTD for ITSA system.
Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), commercial property and tax savings
Press enter to begin your search Pensions Owning UK commercial property within a SIPP could be a great way to reach your retirement goals. Here, we outline why and answer the most common questions asked around SIPPs and commercial property investment. Firstly, what is a SIPP? A SIPP is a type of pension fund that provides its members with more control and flexibility re the type of investments you can choose than most other pensions. What types of property are permitted?
Tax considerations for a small business
Press enter to begin your search Owner-Managed Businesses As a small business owner you have a lot to think about, and tax is just one part of that. We have highlighted below some of the key taxes that you will come across during the lifetime of your business to give you an overview of what to expect. At Old Mill we can help you with tax compliance and planning at all stages of your business journey – just give us a call.
Things to look out for in tax returns as 100,000 people issued with penalties
Every year millions must complete a self-assessment return for HM Revenue & Customs. More than 12.2 million taxpayers were expected to file a tax return last year and of those 10.2 million did so by the 31 January deadline. Anyone who needs to complete a tax return for 2021-22 tax year must file by 31 January 2023 to avoid incurring late penalties. As well as penalties for late filing there are also penalties for mistakes.
New considerations for Stamp Duty Land Tax
Press enter to begin your search Stamp Duty Land Tax The recent First Tier Tribunal (FTT) case of Withers v HMRC [2022] concluded that the taxpayer was right to treat their purchase of Lake Farm, comprising a main house, separate annexe and 39 acres of gardens, woodlands and fields, as mixed-use. The Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) at stake was £98,000 and Mr Withers represented himself very successfully, as the vast majority of these cases turn in HMRC’s favour.
Rural Client Update - Winter 2022
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax Self-Assessment (ITSA) From the 6 April 2026 self-employed businesses and landlords with income above £50,000 per annum, will need to follow the new rules for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. Those with income between £30,000 and £50,000 will be mandated from April 2027. This has been extended twice now, once from the original April 2023 roll out and now from a roll out of April 2024.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Ben
Contact Ben, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack