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Savings & investments

Archives for January 2006

How to not pay tax when not working
How do you register to pay no tax on your bank accounts when your not working due to a baby?
Zopa
Hi I joined Zopa ages ago in order to get my credit rating (not bad :) ) I just received a phone call from them offering a "free £30" to lend on the Zopa exchange, to which I agreed. He said there is no catch, I don't need to put any of my own money in and it's just to get used to Zopa. I don't want to play with this if…
Nationwide Smart/Smart2Save account- keep it or move money somewhere else
We have had a Smart2Save account (which I think is now called the Smart) at Nationwide since 2001 for our daughter. There is about £1500 in there. I was wondering if we should keep this going or move the money somewhere else where it will get more interest. We pay in around £20-£40 a month and occasionally bolster it with…
Question for Martin - Piggy Banks
Martin I wondered what your true feelings about Piggy Banks are. I have just emptied my childrens piggy banks and put the money into Save4it accounts. However, I have a pot with a funny name, think its something like a Turin, originate in Italy I believe, the idea is you save in it till its full then you have to smash it…
What is the best mini ISA account.
Hello there, I was hoping someone could offer me a bit of advice, I currently have a mini ISA with HSBC which i opened in store around 2 years ago. I have £4100 in it at the moment and am getting around £13 a month in interest. Is this a good deal and if not where and how should i move money to. Any comments would be…
? Term Investment of £11k
Hello Everyone, I'm throwing this open to all you experts out there in the hope of great advice ! I have £11k savings after leaving the military ( saved it since 1991 )which I'm desperate to gain on. I've had it sat in my Egg account for 6 months without touching it, making about £30 per month. I now want to just put it…
Halifax Childrens savings at 10% Gross!!
As my Isa's are full for this tax year and the next I need to invest some money elsewhere and as I have a child under the age of 16 it looks like the best way could be through the Halifax as there offering 10% gross interest for the first year (of a saving between 10 - £100). I'm looking to save £250 per month so if I read…
New Barclays regular saver.
I was in my local Barclays branch today,finalising my new A/C to get the £100(Thanks Martin). The lady who was confirming my details,was also doing a sales patter. She mentioned that they were bringing out a new regular savings A/C about the 15 Feb that would pay around 8-10%. It would require that you funded your regular…
Halifax ISA interest
Hi My Halifax ISA is paying 3.85% (according to my account details) yet on this site it says it is paying 5%. Do the rates change after a number of years? Does anyone know if halifax charge a transfer fee? Thanks, Aunty I
Thinking of becoming an IFA
Not sure if this was the best board to use but I thought a lot of IFAs go on here so it was worth a try. Anyways, I am thinking of jacking my career in IT and working towards becoming an IFA. This isn't a spontaneous, whirlwind decision. I have been thinking of it for some time and I do read finance websites, magazines and…
Newbie in need of money savings advice!....
Hi, Please excuse if the answer to this question is an obvious one! Basically, I have just come into £4,000 and would like to know what best to do with it savings wise. I dont want to risk it on anything like stocks and shares etc, but dont want it sitting in a poor interest giving current account either! From reading this…
Saving for a baby
Ok so it's about 2-3 years before me and my boyfriend want to try for a baby but we would like to start putting by abit of money now. Say between £2-£5 a week to help with buying everything that we will need, and any money left over we will use to invest for the future of our little one. I was thinking of opening a…
transfereing a maki isa to a mini isa
!!!! You !!!!
FAO Deemy - Inv. Trust Query......
Deemy You are a hard person to contact - unable to PM you due to your profile settings. Anyway, as you are a big fan of IT's I thought I would ask your opinion. Have made the decision to move my long-term UT / OIEC investments into comparable IT's. Principle reason behind this is for ease of trading into / out of. Like you…
will Qinetiq be a good investment ?
Qinetiq shares are being floated soon but the general public will not be able to take part. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether this company which is valued at over a billion pounds will be a good investment for the institutions that will end up buying all the shares.
ISA for instant access?
I want to start saving now for a holiday in Oct 06. I will be saving at least £300 per month. Obviously I will need to get it out when the hols need paying for and without losing any bonuses? Presumably if I don't leave it in for a whole year I will lose out? Would I be better off going for an instant access savings. Thanks
about shares
just two questions, 1) why are UK shares in pence and not in £ unlike in other countries? (Deutsch Borse in €, NYSE in $ and so on) 2) why cant we bid for shares instead of only being able to buy at the prices offered by the broker? Thanks.
Best place for £100k - short term
Hello, I would welcome some suggestions for the best place to deposit £100,000 approx for up to 6 months. It has to be safe and no risk. Thanks in advance.
Unit Trust
recently received 3k to do what i want with. Didnt know i was going to get it so im happy to put it away for 5 years and am considering a unit trust. I am aware that it is risky because of market fluctuations, but am happy to take the risk. Does anyone have any advice on what sort of unit trust i should look at and what…
savings a/c that allows standing orders?
hi all which is the best savings a/c that will allow me to set up standing orders into my other regular saver a/c's, and current a/c's? all the saving a/c's i have looked at so far don't allow standing orders or direct debits.... or do you have to drip feed money into a regular saver manually each month? art

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MSE News

Ofgem proposes new 'no standing charge' Price Cap – but Martin Lewis warns vulnerable customers need to be opted in or it won't work
Ofgem has today launched detailed proposals for a major shake up to its Energy Price Cap that dictates the price over 80% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay for their energy bills.
Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to cut overdraft rates for millions but hike them for others – here's what's happening and full help
If you're a Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland current account holder, the interest rate you're charged for using your overdraft could change soon as part of a fees shake-up. The Lloyds Banking Group, which owns all three brands, says millions of its customers will pay less after the changes – but a "few" will pay more.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more low-income households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Martin Lewis: At last a chance to fix Council Tax flaws impacting millions – debt collection, difficulty challenging your band, discounts and more
Major flaws in the Council Tax system in England could finally be fixed in future, as the Government has launched a wide-ranging consultation to review hideous debt collection practices, the difficulty of challenging your band, the overly complex and horribly-named Severe Mental Impairment discount and more. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who has long campaigned on these issues, shares his response and analysis.
Energy complaints to be dealt with more quickly and Energy Ombudsman to get new powers under Government plans
If you have a complaint about your energy firm, it may be resolved more quickly in future, as the Government has announced a raft of proposals to strengthen consumer protections in the energy market. The planned changes include giving the Energy Ombudsman new powers to force firms to comply with its decisions – but it's still very early days. Here's what we know so far.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Base rate held at 4.25% – here's what it means and when it might be cut next
The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4.25%. Below we explain why, when it might be cut, plus what it means for your mortgage and savings.
Applied for South West Trains 'boundary fares' compensation? Act now to claim it
If you applied for compensation from South West Trains before the deadline in January 2025, you now need to provide your bank details to the claim administrator so it can be paid to you. Here's what you need to know.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.

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