BUSINESS ENGLISH
17
Listen to the three people talking about their personal finance.
PERSONAL FINANCE
GLOSSARY
brick-and-mortar bank building society high-street bank roughly substantially a bank serving consumers in a physical facility a business that lends you money if you want to buy a house, or pays you interest on money you invest there a big and well-known bank approximately, more or less considerably
EXERCISE 1
Choose the correct answers to complete the sentences: 1. Speaker 1 shares a ............ with her husband. a. savings account b. current account 2. Speaker 1 and her husband earn ............ amount. a. roughly the same b. substantially different 3. Operational and transactional costs at online banks are ............ than in traditional banks. a. more expensive b. lower 4. A building society is a mutual organization, which is owned by ............ . a. outside shareholders b. its members 5. Closing an account at a building society often results in paying ............ . a. a penalty b. an interest 6. Speaker 3 pays regular amounts into his ............ by direct debit. a. savings account b. current account
EXERCISE 2
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F): T 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Speaker 1 shares deposit and withdrawal privileges with her husband. Speaker 2 finds online banking a very convenient way to manage his finances. Speaker 2 considers online accounts easy to get used to. Speaker 2 can apply for a loan only at daytime. Speaker 2 can easily transfer funds between his accounts from home. Speaker 3 can withdraw money from his savings account at any time. F
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7. FINANCE AND ACCOUNTANCY
EXERCISE 3
Complete the sentences with the words from the box: mind bill balance interest percentage click
We are equally responsible for paying the .......................... on the account. You can contribute on a .............................. basis. It is possible to earn extra .............................. by having all the money held as a single amount. Thanks to the Internet, I can easily perform all routine transactions, such as account transfers or ............................. payments. 5. I can transfer funds between my accounts with the ......................... of a mouse. 6. I can enjoy peace of ....................... knowing that small savings will soon add up. 1. 2. 3. 4.
EXERCISE 4
Match the words to form collocations: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. high-street household joint balance stop-payment direct a. b. c. d. e. f. budget account inquiry request debit bank
EXERCISE 5
Listen to the speakers again and complete the text with the missing words and expressions: Speaker 1 I have a current account at one of the big high-street banks. Actually, it’s a joint account with my husband. In this way we share (1) ........................ and withdrawal privileges, and we’re equally responsible for paying the balance on the account. It works for us, perhaps it’s because we both earn (2) ............................ the same amount. I think that if one of us earned (3) ......................... more than the other, we would still contribute on a percentage basis. A joint account makes it easier for us to manage our household budget. Besides, we earn extra interest by having all the money held as a single amount in a joint account. Speaker 2 As I travel a lot, (4) ............................... is ideal for me. Thanks to the Internet, I can easily perform all routine transactions, such as account (5) ................................., balance inquiries, bill payments and stop-payment requests. I can also apply for a loan anytime, day or night, from anywhere. It took me some time to get used to an online account, but now I see it, it’s great. Operational and (6) ............................................. are lower than in traditional brick-and-mortar banks. And I can transfer funds between my accounts with the click of a mouse. Speaker 3 I have a savings account at a building society. It’s a (7) ....................... organization, which means that it’s owned by its members and not outside shareholders. I pay regular amounts by direct debit, which is a great way to (8) ............................. myself to save money. It gives me peace of mind that the savings will soon (9) ..............................., and if I suddenly need extra cash, it’s there. I’m afraid I will have to pay a penalty if I want to close my account though.
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www.jezykiobce.pl
BUSINESS ENGLISH
Writing
INVOICE
BIANCO 13842 East Evans Avenue Aurora, Colorado 80019-4543 Tel: 303 3211 Fax: 303 3212 www.aerobusiness.com Sold to: Toro Plaza Puerta del Sol, 14 - 4ľ Madrid, Spain Tel: 34 622 889 432 Payment term: Product Description Article no 12 Article no 14 open account Qty 10 1 Unit Price 120.00 1000.00 Total before discount 0% Discount 2.75 % Total Tax TOTAL Amount 1200.00 1000.00 2200.00 0.00 60.50 $ 2260.50 Invoice 1277-55212 Date: Apr / 12 / 08 Transaction type: Sale of goods Shipped per: air Ship to: Toro Plaza Puerta del Sol, 14 - 4ľ Madrid, Spain Tel: 34 622 889 432
Payment date: Apr / 26 / 08
Tips for writing an invoice: Remember that a business invoice, or a bill, serves as a record of goods or services sold to the customer or client. It indicates to the customer how much is due or how much has been paid by the customer. You typically send it together with the delivery of the goods or on completion of services you rendered. The invoice header should include your business name, address, telephone, and e-mail and web address if available. The header should also contain a serial number and date of issue. In some countries you need to include your business registration number. The body of your invoice should include a description of the goods you are supplying, quantity, unit of measure, price per unit and total amount for individual items. The footer should state total amount of all individual items and, if applicable, a tax amount and total after tax. You may also include delivery instructions, goods return policy or overdue payment policy.
GLOSSARY
owed and payable immediately or on demand a bill issued by a seller of goods or services and submitted to a purchaser for payment, indicating the products, quantities and agreed prices for products or services overdue past the expected time, late qty quantity to render to supply, to offer due invoice
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