Quit everything , and start again over 50?

harz99

AC, this one:


http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-64250540.html


Bit short on pictures. I wonder why.

enthusiasticsaver

Smodlet wrote: »

Oh my, how the other half live. Please, what is a bond? I actually need to know where to put about £5k to be safe, while leaving the pathetically small rest of my pension pot where it is and I am not going on to that thread to be torn to shreds, so there.

AC, I am sorry to digress like this but as, I think, wendym said, this is the only place some of us feel safe on here. I really hope you don't mind.

A bond is a fixed term deposit. Supposedly locked away for better rate of interest so not accessible. Very few offer good rates at the moment and there are some dodgy companies out there advertising bonds so do your research first.

Not sure why you would be torn to shreds on savings and investments forum as I have always found them helpful. If you want safe and good rate of interest look at high rate current accounts. Tesco do 3% up to £3k and you can open 2.

enthusiasticsaver

lessonlearned wrote: »

Yes need to start thinking about st Petersburg how best to see as much as I can in the two short days we will have there.

My thoughts were given the time factor then organised trips are probably better than trying to go it alone.

I need to start doing some research into the Russian based trips. Any recommendations........

. I am particularly pleased that we also go to Berlin too. I realise that Berlin in a day is not the best way to see it but at least it will give me a taster.

For me the beauty of these cruises is as a newly single woman new to solo holidays is that I feel safe and confident. Once I am a little more schooled in the art of solo travel I am hoping to be able to able To pluck Up my courage and strike out on my own and be a bit more adventurous.

Not yet though, need a bit of practice first. :rotfl:

In the meantime I get to see a bit of the world and decide which bits I want to revisit in depth.

We have done that cruise and St Petersburg is lovely. We did the organised trip via P and O cruises and they organised group visa so no need to send off passports. Some passengers did their own thing but they had to sort out their own visas beforehand. Some of the taxis used were a bit rough and ready though. The great thing about cruising is you get a taste of all these countries with no hassle travelling. I am sure you will love it.

lessonlearned

harz99 wrote: »

AC, this one:


http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-64250540.html


Bit short on pictures. I wonder why.

Mmmmmm.........it would hinge on the location.......lack of photos is of course a sure sign it needs a hefty cash injection and/or a lot of work. Downstairs bathroom might be an issue, then again maybe you don't mind that.

It all depends how hands on you want to be.

lessonlearned

Wow.....thanks for all the feedback for St Petersburg, lots of helpful stuff there. I shall knuckle down and do my homework next week. :rotfl:

ES I have to admit I do like cruising, as you say no hassle. I particularly like no fly ones, not terribly keen on flying. I can do it but I prefer not to.

Harz I love train journeys so thanks for the rail links. I shall definitely take a good look at that site.

A bit restless tonight.... in fact I've not been sleeping too well these last few weeks. Hopefully that will improve once the funeral is out of the way. Can't say I'm looking forward to it but once it's done it's done.

lessonlearned

As I mentioned a few days ago I have set myself a task for February to do a financial review. Now that the new lower interest rates are kicking in I need to see if I can do better with my savings.

These low rates are great for borrowers but not much good for retirees. A bit of a double whammy for us boomers who suffered eye watering mortgage rates when we younger and who now see our hard earned savings not even keeping pace with inflation.

It doesn't exactly encourage a saving mindset.

I really need to educate myself a bit more about stocks, shares, bonds etc. But as I am 65 now I tend to be a bit conservative and rather risk averse with my savings and investments. I might not be around long enough for anything that requires me to a make a long term commitment. Lol.

Was reading today about "sugar mummies". Maybe I should "invest" in a new younger man. Ha ha.

wendym

Hi again LL. I have just made a cup of tea. I have a tray upstairs, so it doesn't take long, just long enough to realise how cold it is outside my bed.

The latest house does have the warning signs you noticed, and a downstairs bathroom could involve too many stairs in years to come. We don't grow into more efficient nighttime bladders, sadly. It's not as pretty as some in harz's original Weymouth list.

Best of luck for your difficult week.

wendym

I posted a while back about finding ourselves on the end of joke interest rates after years of eye watering mortgage rates.

I have no idea what to do with our maturing bond. Like you I am risk averse, but then who wouldn't be with the world gone mad?

harz99

Best interest rates are with bank current accounts.


As stated earlier, for a clean no strings account Tesco pay 3% on up to £3k, and you can open 2 (not at the same time) allowing £6k to be held.


Bank of Scotland also pay 3% but on up to £5k as long as you add the Vantage option to each account, but there are strings in the form of minimum payin per month (which can be overcome by cycling money to/from other external accounts) and some direct debits (which can be overcome by opening 2 Tesco savings accounts to feed the interest from the BOS account into). Up to 3 BOS accounts can be opened (again not all at the same time) allowing £15k to be held.


So £3 - 21k there with a bit of work setting up and monitoring.


Like others we are risk adverse in our old age and currently this is the way we max interest earned but in reality there are only so many options before you come down to the miserly 1% rates which hardly make saving worthwhile.

another_casualty

harz99 wrote: »

AC, this one:


http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-64250540.html


Bit short on pictures. I wonder why.

Yeas, that's the one harz. Not exactly jaw dropping, but worth a look I guess.