TISA timely reminders to pregnant mothers

For parents and parents-to-be financial management can be a difficult balancing act, on the one hand juggling cash for today's immediate priorities, on the other, setting aside money to build funds for bigger commitments in the future.

TISA recommends that mothers-to-be:

First - for those with babies expected on or after 6 April 2009, to make sure they claim the £190 Health in Pregnancy Grant - (the grant is easy to claim, does not depend on household income, is intended to help all mothers stay fit and healthy in pregnancy, but can be spent or saved as they choose.)

Second - to remember to start a Child Trust Fund soon after the child is born.

Tony Vine-Lott TISA director general says: "The financial ‘squeeze' is making life difficult for many families. The Pregnancy Grant is a one-off payment that will help mothers at an expensive time, but it is also important to look ahead too."

"Increasingly parents are committing to save for their children's futures using a Child Trust Fund, but I would like to encourage even more - grandparents, aunts and uncles, family friends too - to put regular amounts into Child Trust Funds."

TISA wants to remind parents and their families that every eligible child could benefit from tax free saving of £1200 per year to build into a nest egg for them when they reach 18 years of age.

He continued: "Children need to learn early on the value of saving for the bigger commitments that lie ahead. A whole generation seems to have missed out on this message and as a result, many - far too many - have a loan or credit card debt hanging like a millstone around their necks."