Weave your own safety net

With so little help available from the state, all self-employed workers should consider taking out one of two types of insurance, says David Prosser.

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Chris Martin: striking a chord with the self-employed
(Image credit: 2017 Getty Images)

Pop star Chris Martin wants the government to do more to support self-employed workers who become parents. The Coldplay lead singer told the i newspaper that he is backing a campaign to extend shared parental leave rules to the self-employed after watching a string of crew members forced to give up their jobs because the current system of maternity and paternity benefits doesn't suit them.

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David Prosser
Business Columnist

David Prosser is a regular MoneyWeek columnist, writing on small business and entrepreneurship, as well as pensions and other forms of tax-efficient savings and investments. David has been a financial journalist for almost 30 years, specialising initially in personal finance, and then in broader business coverage. He has worked for national newspaper groups including The Financial Times, The Guardian and Observer, Express Newspapers and, most recently, The Independent, where he served for more than three years as business editor.