Britain’s ground-breaking ‘social lending‘ exchange is enjoying a boom in business thanks to the credit crunch. So is buying unsecured consumer debt worth the risk? asks Simon Wilson. Looking for a decent rate of return …
How safe is social lending?
Category: Personal Finance
Don’t worry about falling returns on child trust funds
Since child trust funds (CTFs) were launched in 2005, they have been lauded as an excellent way to save for your child’s future. The government gives you a £250 voucher which you can invest in …
Good news for those with student loans
At last, some good news on debt this month. Specifically, some great news for anyone with a student loan taken out after 1998. Thanks to a little-known clause in the small print of the loan …
Tax dodge of the week: turn your losses to profit
Investors sitting on large paper losses may not be feeling happy, but crystallising those losses could turn them into a “tax advantage”, says Jennifer Hill in The Sunday Times. If the value of an investment …
Why switch your mortgage?
Last week the Bank of England slashed its base rate to the lowest level in its 315-year history – 1.5% – and gave some homeowners reason to celebrate – those, for example, on a Standard …
Seven tips for cheaper rail travel
With the New Year came another bout of train fare rises as the rail companies pleaded poverty once again. The fare hikes – 6% on average – are apparently needed to help pay for improvements to …
Tax advice of the week: Make sure you hit the deadline
Many taxpayers could face two problems filing self-assessment tax returns by the 31 January deadline, says Neasa MacErlean in The Observer. Some will struggle to finish on time. It must now be done online (you …
The best deals for your savings
In his bid to “save the world”, as he let slip recently, Gordon Brown (assisted by the Bank of England) has been happily sacrificing savers to bail out borrowers. Inflation may be falling, but the …
Turn up the central heating
Given the recent arctic conditions, you’re probably wondering how you can make your home warmer. Last year’s headlines about rising energy prices may have left you inclined to shiver under a blanket rather than turn …
How to pay off your credit-card debt
It’s set to be a record-breaking year for the economy – but not in a good way. House prices have collapsed, unemployment is rising, and even though interest rates are at their lowest in more …