New scheme set to make bank switching easier September 10, 2013 Liam Ward-Proud looks at the accounts offered by the bigger challenger banks FROM Monday, the Payments Council’s new seven-day switch guarantee scheme is set to make moving your bank account easier. It will ensure that bank account changes are completed smoothly and within a week, with transferring direct debits and incoming payments now the responsibility [...]
Driving down costs of car insurance August 27, 2013 Annabel Palmer on how customers could cut down their hefty London insurance premiums THE AA recently announced that comprehensive car insurance premiums saw their biggest fall since the motoring organisation’s records began in 1994. The average annual quote declined to £594.86 by the second quarter of this year, a 9.8 per cent drop from July [...]
Two innovative ideas to cut your premiums August 27, 2013 THE INSURANCE market is not always seen as the most innovative sector, but this reputation may be undeserved. Major institutions, as well as new market entrants, increasingly provide inventive ways of helping you bring down your premiums. The rise of wearable technology – including fitness gadgets that track activities such as steps taken, calories burned [...]
Euro investors must remain cautious August 20, 2013 But the region could offer good returns THE CASE for investing in the Eurozone appears to be getting stronger. Many analysts still warn that the region is not out of the woods just yet, but some aspects of the macro-economic picture – the second quarter GDP release for the region showed growth (of 0.3 per [...]
The funds that may ride the Eurozone’s recovery August 20, 2013 EVER since Mario Draghi promised to do “whatever it takes” to save the Eurozone, investor sentiment towards the region has improved slightly. With growth returning in some countries, albeit at a modest 0.3 per cent overall in the second quarter, and the MSCI Europe (excluding the UK) index rising from around 1,600 to over 1,770 since [...]
Investment Comment: Investing in a low interest climate August 13, 2013 THE BANK of England’s decision to link interest rates to unemployment was widely expected. Accordingly, interest rates could remain at all-time lows until at least the middle of 2016. So what does this mean for investors? WINNERS AND LOSERS Savers will be the worst hit by the pledge of three more years of low interest [...]
What forward guidance means for mortgages August 13, 2013 LAST week, the Bank of England pledged to keep interest rates at 0.5 per cent at least until unemployment falls below 7 per cent – a threshold it expects to be met in mid-2016. Assuming the Bank sticks to the promise, and there a host of caveats in the announcement, this is good news for [...]
Investment Comment: Taking Aim with your Isa investments August 6, 2013 AT THE beginning of this week, the government removed an unpopular restriction on Individual Savings Accounts (Isas). Now, for the first time, investors with the confidence to select individual shares for their stocks and shares Isa are able to invest in companies listed on the junior Alternative Investment Market (Aim). Preventing investors from putting Aim [...]
New reforms highlight pressing need to plan for childcare August 6, 2013 Saving early can help parents prepare for the pitter patter of tiny feet, says Liam Ward-Proud THE CHANCELLOR’S proposed reforms to the childcare voucher system this week are welcome news for families with both parents working. Parents earning less than £150,000 a year each will effectively be able to claim up to £1,200 back on [...]
How to best invest for your child’s future July 23, 2013 Make sure you maximise tax-free saving for your newest addition THE Royal parents may have few financial woes, but the cost of raising a child for most extends far beyond nappies or baby food. The current average cost of a wedding is £18,244, the average first-time buyer deposit is £26,956, and student debt for 2013 [...]