Should there be a MoneySavingExpert.com Charitable Trust? Blog Discussion 13 July 2006 at 4:54PM in Martin's blogs & appearances & MoneySavingExpert in the news 47 replies 5.3K views

MSE_Jenny

This is the discussion to link on the back of Martin's The MoneySavingExpert.com Charitable Trust' blog. Please read the blog first, as the discussion folows it.


Read Martin's "The MoneySavingExpert.com Charitable Trust" Blog

max2002ad

I have read the blog and i fully support this idea. I think it will be great to not only support charities as you do at present but also to encourage and reward organisations and individuals that help to raise the publics awareness of financial issues.
I would definitly contribute to the fund as this site has saved me so much money i feel it's the right thing to do to at least help contribute to helping other people to get the awakening that i have done.

freeloader

great idea! can I suggest using some of the funds to promote or assist moneysaving through resource saving?.... like addressing the unnecessary use of energy in the home and on the road, or the perceived 'need' for the latest gadget, the flashest car, the most exotic food ... could be unpopular though!

lil_ferret

I think it is a fantastic idea. If I'd had a better education about money and debt as a teenager I wouldn't be in the situation I am now. This site has helped me put my debts into perspective and I am tackling them slowly but surely.

martinp79

Martin, this is an excellent idea! Increased financial savvy would stop a lot of the problems with finance and children (and a lot of older memebers of the community) should be made aware. Perhaps the charity could develop (or fund the development) of a short course that community groups/churches could run for their community. It is often the people who need this advice most that don't get access to it.

moneymaniac_2

What a wonderful idea. I am a Trust Fundraiser and am currently working for a Youth Charity.

We are curently running training from our charity for young people to help them to budget/try and avoid bad debt/ where to go if it happens for support.

More charitable trusts to support this kind of work will be hugely beneficial :j , especially in the future as we may see more and more people in debt and with financial worries.

Make sure you keep the application process open and simple too!

Keep up the excellent work.

kaffin77

I think it's a great idea. It's fantastic that you have been proactive in providing a web-community which helps fight the power imbalance between consumers and companies. I think your charity is the next step towards making an even bigger difference and I suspect it will turn out to be as successful as your site.

Iriahm

Hi!

I would support the idea of a trust to educate folks in all things money related, even more so if it went into the grass roots and taught kids about budgeting, credit etc. most of my problems started at uni when credit was thrown at me and I accepted it and spent it all very quickly.

once i'm debt free I would financially support such a trust regularly to help others.

keep up the good work!

TARA_2-2

A great idea. Some citizen Advice Bureaus have staff trained to give financial advice but not all bureaux. Perhaps they could be considered. Northern Ireland folk often rank as the biggest donators to Charity per capita but the rules there for setting up Charity accounts are slightly different from England & Wales--please take that into account also. It will be hard work but good luck.

Socrates_3

Your idea for a consumer education charity is valuable - we all need help with this one. However, it is important to think about the wider context in which money-saving is promoted. In some cases, other people pay the price of money saving activities. These people tend to be the poor and marginalised in the international division of labour upon whom we depend not only for cheap products but the economic growth that drives our savings plans and investment trusts. Should money-saving activities be promoted within an ethical context of global fairness and environmental sustainability?

deap

I also applaud your decision to put so much of the site's revenue towards education and other good causes. Given the incredible amounts involved, it seems only right to set up your own charitable trust and keep a strategic eye on the best use of the funds.

Could we soon be applying for moneysavingexpert charitable trust 0% credit cards (possibly overprinted with a Martin mugshot and the Money Mantras) I wonder?