Savings & investments

Hi, Just had a phone call from an Alex Jones, (from BLM New York,) asked for me by name, said it was about my shares with Centrica and a merger between Centrica and another company, they are prepared to pay between £8 and £17, he wanted to send me details in an email, I told him I don’t talk about finances over the phone,…

Hello. I have complained to a bank, because I have discovered a fairly niche pathway that leads to them misreporting customer tax interest on savings, to HMRC. I complained to the bank in question, they accepted fault (verbally), and sent me a sum of money which covers my additional (but incorrect) tax liability, so I can…

Following a messy divorce, I have 45k that i need to get into a better savings account(s), and Im not sure whether and how to split this - i dont have an ISA, I previously had a chase account which had a decent rate, but thats ended now. I own my own place, no mortgage. What do I need to think about when considering where…

Received an email from BSI to inform its free to hold investments on their platform from 31/5/26 and name is changed to Barclays Direct Investing

I appreciate no crystal ball etc., but with the way things are and assuming no need to access funds in the next 5 years, what would you be inclined to do? Leave funds invested in a 5 year ILSC term or withdraw and maybe invest into fixed rate cash ISAs every year (starting with 20k 2026-27) - with the balance in an easy…

I unfortunately bought some SMT towards its peak and have been sitting on a loss ever since. The share price has now picked up and I'm actually in profit and was thinking of selling until I saw some chat in the Citywire forum regarding SMT and the Space X IPO. Could someone explain how this IPO will likely impact the SMT…

Morningstar articles about investing tend to be informative rather than fluff pieces, many are an excellent trove of information. Below is an article that attempts to quantify the risk in US markets currently, supported by understandable metrics. (see the graphic entitled, Market Themometer). "I like this chart because it…

I'm trying to add a nominated account, but my first attempt was apparently not an online account, and so I've tried adding my Kroo account but the account details aren't recognised. Where do other Leeds Building Society account owners transfer their money to? Or do you just wait for a cheque? I am a bit bemused by this,…

Hi All I've opened an HSBC Premier and need to meet the conditions by having £100k of 'investments'. What I'd like to do is transfer £100k of my existing Vanguard S&S ISA to HSBC and invest in a similar, self-managed way. Can anyone offer any advice on how to do this? Most of the links and help guides ask me whether I'm…

hi I’m looking for some advice. I’m executor of my late Uncles will and he has left 15k to my son and 15k to my nephew when they turn 18 which is 4 years time. I am classed as trustee as executor. I’ve been trying to set up an account to put the money in which is proving difficult as only certain banks do Trust Accounts.…

Hi, I purchased 200 BG shares when they were privatised in the 1980's. I held on to them and over the years they have spun off, merged, split, etc. Now, in 2026, I hold shares in Shell, National Grid and Centrica. All of these are derived from the original 200 BG shares I purchased in the 1980's. I'm now retired and wish…

If I have £200 in a S&S ISA with Vanguard, liquidate and fund investments back to ISA cash, can I then transfer £100 of that to another ISA, or does it have to be the entire account amount?

My wife and I set up an MIP (with the then Skandia Life) back in 1998 on the recommendation of a financial adviser. The main selling point was that - provided it was maintained for 10 years or more - any withdrawals and/or eventual payout on maturity would be free of personal and capital gains tax. This seemed attractive,…

I have a number of shares in a US company. The shares are held on my behalf by UBS in New York. Recently the share price has increased significantly and I would like to sell the shares to take advantage of the price increase. If I sell the shares and have all the proceeds sent to my UK bank account, I will have to pay…

I still get paper certificates from Aberdeen shares but I'd rather hold them electronically as royal mail is useless. Do I need to find every single certificate and post to Aberdeen before this can happen? I have an Equiniti account with them which shows my balance so not sure why I'm still getting paper certificates.

I feel like a bit of a dummy but I thought I had my head around understanding ISA's it but clearly I don't hence the post! I opened an ISA in Feb 2024 and transferred £20k. For the life of me I can't remember how long I had invested this ISA. I've tried looking through the emails to try and confirm this without any luck.…

MSE currently have the Tembo HomeSaver listed as one of the top easy access accounts. I tried to open one earlier and was given a warning message saying to open it I must first opt out of the Lifetime ISA bonus, as you can't be opted into for two bonuses at once. There isn't the option of opening a HomeSaver and opting out…

Hello My Dad died in January and my mum reported this to a company that my dad had a private pension scheme with That all got sorted out but they paid out some money to my mum that she wasn’t entitled too and sent her a letter requesting she pays it back That day she sent the money in full by bank transfer via online…

I have small number of shares for which I hold a paper share certificate - ie they are not managed as part of a portfolio or held by a broker. They're worth a few hundred quid and I want to sell them and get the cash. I understand I've probably got to find a brokerage platform that supports certificated share dealing and…

Hello there I am the fortunate owner of £5 of Premium Bonds acquired within a year of my birthday circa 50 years ago! Woo hoo! I hear you cry: a whole £5. Well, yes, if adjusted for subsequent inflation (which painfully it is not) it would have been worth £33.89 in July 2025 according to the Bank of England's inflation…