As we reported last week, most savers in Icelandic banks have been rescued by the government, but for UK depositors in Guernsey and Jersey there’s no compensation scheme if a bank fails. Since then, the …
Are your savings safe?
Category: Personal Finance
How not to save for Christmas
With house prices tumbling, a recession almost certainly already here, and fears over job security growing, the last thing that many people can afford this Christmas is a massive blow-out. Unfortunately, as well as being …
How to boost your credit score
Borrowers should keep their champagne on ice. Sure, the government is pumping billions into the banking system, but the Libor rate – the one that actually dictates the cost of personal loans and mortgages and …
Give away more before you die
One misconception about inheritance tax (IHT) planning is the belief that the £3,000 IHT annual exemption is the most you can give away in one year. In fact, there’s no limit, says The Schmidt Report. …
How to cut your energy bills
As the nights grow chillier, those energy price rises will begin to hit home. So how can you minimise your bills this winter? Aside from obvious insulation measures, there is now a burgeoning range of …
Is your offshore nest egg in danger?
Here are chilling words for anyone with a bank account in the Channel Islands. “The Administrator will be working towards an orderly repayment to depositors…(but) we cannot say how much or when.” This particular statement …
Why your mortgage won’t get any cheaper
Look at the stock markets and you’d think that the financial crisis is pretty much at an end. But is it? In a sense, the answer is yes. We now know that come what may, …
Get in early for cheap holiday deals
Every year holiday firms advise people to book their summer holidays early. Yet in the past few years those who ignored this advice and booked at the last minute still managed to bag a bargain …
Are your savings safe?
Confused about the safety of your savings? It’s hardly surprising. On Tuesday morning the Icelandic internet bank Icesave froze the accounts of its 300,000 UK savers, trapping £5bn of deposits following the bankruptcy of Landsbanki, …
Steer clear of empty property
If you are a commercial property owner or hold property as an investment, possibly in a self-invested personal pension, be aware of the tax on empty retail, office and industrial space, says Nathaniel Litmann in …