Pages

Thursday, March 30, 2006

The Best Equity ISAs?

The Independent asked some leading IFAs (Independent Financial Advisers) about their fund selection earlier in the year
Here are their results.

The Investco Perpetual Fund had very impressive growth of 156.5% over the last three years.

UK Funds

  • Invesco Perpetual U.K. Aggressive
  • Liontrust First Growth
  • Artemis Alpha
  • M&G U.K. Select
  • Rensburgh U.K. Select Growth

Overseas Funds

  • Legg Mason Japan Equity
  • Legg Mason U.S. Equity
  • Morrant Wright Japan Income
  • Baillie Gifford Japan
  • Artemis European Growth

Thanks to Rob Lewis

ISA Deadline 5 April.
Use your Allowance or Lose It!

Maximising ISA Potential

You can invest up to £7 000 in a Maxi ISA.

Additionally you have the potential for much higher returns than a Cash ISA.

Normally the money is invested in a number of funds. Typically it will be a mixture of Corporate Bonds & FTSE 100 Shares.

It is something you will need advice on, an IFA should be able to help

ISA Deadline 5 April. Use your Allowance or Lose It!

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

The Best Cash ISA...?

Every bank/building society is after your money with all kinds of claims for their cash ISAs.

What is the best ISA?

Let’s lay down some basic criteria

1 Guaranteed rates, not just for the weeks leading up to the Isa deadline
2 Easy access, you can get at you money if necessary

Currently it’s Alliance & Leicester @ 5.2%

Minimum opening amount £1
Rate guarenteed 0.7% above the Bank of England Base Rate

A&L Website

Also: there is a special promotion for their Award Winning Current Account
Do it though an IFA and get a £25 cash bonus!

ISA Deadline 5 April. Use your Allowance or Lose It!

Friday, March 24, 2006

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Beer Bargain

Tesco are offering 4 cans of Extra Value Bitter for 99p.

It is nice, better than Tetley's & their “Best Bitter”. (It is not Royal Duch Post in disguise)

Drink responsibly!

Cheaper Broadband

Want to get Cheaper Broadband?

There are a few price comparison sitesThe most useful one I found was Simply Switch. You insert your postcode and your requirements.

For technical information on the different providers/ISPs go to adslguide.org.uk.

I won’t recommend any company as prices & specifications change all the time. (This site does not have sponsored click throughs & blanket recommendations!)

Although if you’ve got 2 PCs, Wanadoo’s £17.99 Wirless & Talk offer is currently good value. If readers have any suggestions or comments please click on the comments icon.

Tags: , , , ,
Related: Save £2 500 pa on your Mortgage, Slash your Fuel Bills, Lower your Credit Card Bill

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Money Saving March

Rob Lewis has a great set of ideas in his Money Saving March feature.

So far he’s looked at tax, mortgages & insurance.

Monday, March 06, 2006

What are Self Certified Mortgages?

A self certified mortgage is where you declare your income for mortgages purposes without the usual employer references.

It’s useful for self employed people or those who can not provide all the paper work initially. (they can not confirm their income until the year’s accounts are done).

Rates can be higher than standard mortgages, except for remortgages where the person has a track record of repayments

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Swindon Credit Unions

If you are unemployed, have debts or County Court Judgements (CCJs) saving & borrowing money are fraught with problems.

Often the only people willing to loan money are unscrupulous & charge exstortionate rates of interest.

In most towns, there are now credit unions who can help & advise.

In Swindon there are 2, details can be found at Credit Unions in Swindon.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

4.2m Mortgages with No Life Cover

no life cover mortgagesAn estimated 4.2 million people with mortgages do not have life insurance to cover an estimated £217 billion of debt according to Sainsbury's Bank.

They also found those with 42% of those with mortgages have not reviewed their life assurance to look for savings and could be wasting money

Both figures are quite scary

February in Numbers

3 Remortgages in the same family arranged
1 Bank Heist in Kent & Money Laundering Attempt (not involved)
1 Mortgage Scandal involving Government Minister Tessa Jowel (not involved)
0 Interest Rate Changes by the Bank of England
4 Networking Events attended
100s of business cards collected
1 Massive Google Page Ranking (Thanks!)

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

What is a Tracker Mortgage?

A Tracker Mortgage “tracks” (follows) the Bank of England Base Rate (BoEBR) usually plus a certain figure eg 0.5%.

At the moment the BoEBR is 4.5%, so you will pay 5% interest.

If the BoEBR falls to 4.0%, you pay 4.5%
If it rises to 5% you pay 5%.

How about a discounted tracker mortgage?

This is where for 2-5 years the interest rate will be a small fraction above the BoEBR.

After it will revert to a higher figure, usually the Standard Variable Rate (SVR, around 6.5% currently).

Note the caveats at the bottom of the page!

Tim Almond: DVDs & Money Off Coupons

IT Software consultant Tim Almond has suggested some really good consumer tips by email.

Find the best deal on a DVD across the world dvdpricecheck.co.uk.
Just make sure you are geared up for multiregion.


Search for coupons. Next time you are thinking of going to an online retailer.....Google for "storename +coupon". Sometimes, you can find something that can save £10 or £20 off an item.

He's also got a Swindon Dining Guide, for those of us lucky to live in the area

What is a Fixed Interest Mortgage?

A Fixed Interest Mortgage guarantees the mortgage interest rate for typically 2,3,5 years.

Currently (28/2/06) most rates are between 4.5 and 5%.

Attractions of Fixed Rate Mortgages

1 You know your mortgage repayments for 2,3,5 years
2 The rate won’t go up.
3 Good rates are available.

Disadvantages of Fixed Rate Mortgages

1 Normally pay a fee of £400-500.
2 Don’t benefit if rates go down.
3 Repayment goes up dramatically after the fixed period ends.
4 You’re caught in a constant cycle of remortgaging to get the benefits.
5 There are severe penalties for switching mortgage during the term.

Like any serious financial commitment it is recommended you take proper advice. Please note the caveats at the foot of the page.

Monday, February 27, 2006

Kent Robbery: Money Laundering

Every time there is a major bank robbery, there is speculation how the money will be laundered.

The culprits of the recent bank robbery in Kent have already tried to place some of the money in the Portman Building Society. The staff alerted the police when a large amount of cash was deposited.

What the robbers are trying to do is give the money a legitimate source. This can be done by buying investments & surrendering the money early. The money is then routed through a complicated route of other financial institutions.

When make contact with a financial institution or adviser for the first time, you have to give 2 forms of identity. The reason….Money Laundering legislation.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Has Martin Lewis Jumped the Shark?

Update

I had a full & frank discussion with Martin .
No prisoners taken.

I asked him about his relationship with certain financial organisations. He took the bait & went ballistic but we kissed & made up. A fan of his posted at 2am in the morning that I was despicable. All for being an Independent Financial Adviser who does not have any links with any financial providers!!

Strangely enough he didn't mention his book. Schoolboy error.

Thing I don't understand is how 2 very nice ladies I met recently in their late 20s said they really liked him!!

Tags:
, , , ,

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Well done Scotland. Sportsmanship

Well done to Scotland for beating England at Rugby 18-12.
I am Scottish & my mother has red hair!

England played well & were magnaminous in defeat.
The sportsmanship & comradery in Rugby put football to shame.

Note: Football is my first love.