How video game age ratings work: PEGI explained
PEGI 12, 16 and 18 ratings carry criminal penalties for shops that sell to underage buyers, yet the law covers only boxed copies in a…
Rachel Stone
Rachel Stone
Personal Finance Editor
Rachel Stone writes about borrowing, budgeting, credit and consumer rights, with a focus on clear, practical guidance and pointing readers to trustworthy help.
What a record deal actually signs away
A standard record deal treats the advance as a recoupable loan, assigns the master recordings to the label for decades, and, in its 360…
Rachel Stone
How VAR decisions are actually made
VAR operates under an IFAB protocol that limits intervention to four match-changing categories and a clear-and-obvious threshold, and that…
Rachel Stone
How reality TV casting actually works
Reality casting teams assemble a cast like a writers' room builds an ensemble, using archetypes, chemistry tests and psychological…
Rachel Stone
What Financial Fair Play actually polices
Financial Fair Play and the Premier League's profitability rules cap losses rather than spending, which explains long-contract…
Rachel Stone
Why cinema popcorn costs so much: the economics of the multiplex
Studios claim the largest share of ticket revenue during a film's opening weeks, so multiplexes survive on concessions, where a tub of…
Rachel Stone
The quiet cost of late payment culture to British small business
Small suppliers in the UK are collectively owed billions at any moment, and the tools that exist to fight late payment are used far less…
Rachel Stone
How film classification works: what the BBFC actually does
The BBFC is an industry-funded body whose examiners apply published guidelines rebuilt every few years from public consultation, and whose…
Rachel Stone
How football transfers actually work: fees, agents and add-ons
The headline transfer fee hides the real deal: staged instalments, performance add-ons, sell-on clauses, agent commissions and accounting…
Rachel Stone