Savings News

Boost your wealth as well as your health by quitting smoking

From 1 July 2007, nearly all enclosed public places and workplaces in England will become smoke free as new laws are introduced to protect employees and the public from the effects of second-hand smoke.

Friends Provident extends Premier Plan special offer

Friends Provident International (FPI) announced today the extension of the current special offer on two of its regular premium savings plans.

moneysupermarket.com: Savings market ahead of July MPC meeting

Commenting on the savings market ahead of the July MPC meeting, Kevin Mountford, head of savings at price comparison website moneysupermarket.com, said: “Savers continue to reap the rewards of a rising interest rate environment.

Engage Mutual Assurance launches tax-exempt Easy Save

Engage Mutual has launched its tax-exempt friendly society savings plan, Easy Save.

Benefit from FTSE 100 growth tax free and capital guaranteed

Leeds Building Society has launched a new product offering customers the security of a 100% capital guarantee, combined with the potential to benefit from any growth in the FTSE 100 index, tax free.

Britons step on the savings brake

UK consumers borrowed 41 pence for every pound they saved in the first quarter of 2007, according to Unbiased.co.uk’s latest Savings Brake figures, which reveal the ratio of how much we are borrowing, not including mortgage debt, contrasted with how much we are saving.

Interest rate rises linked to increase in mood to save

Legal & General’s MoneyMood Survey shows 62 per cent of adults in the UK were in the mood to save at the end of May compared to only 57 per cent for the same month in 2005.

NS&I interest rate changes

National Savings and Investments (NS& I) is increasing the interest rates on a range of its fixed rate savings offers by up to 0.35% per annum. All new rates come into effect on 20 June.

Brits stung by unexpected bills

Brits forked-out a massive £48.7 billion on unexpected bills over the last 12 months, according to research from Abbey Savings. Nearly four in five (79 per cent) were hit by an expense that they had not budgeted for, at an average cost of £1,375 each time.

Brits are 'financial fantasists' who fail to plan for the future

A third of Brits (33%) are financial fantastists, gambling with their security by expecting to earn higher salaries in the future, borrowing money or expecting to receive a windfall or inheritance, instead of making a detailed financial plan for the years ahead, according to the latest NS&I Quarterly Savings Survey.

Base Rate held but savers still to benefit from previous rate rises

As the Bank of England base rate stays at 5.5 per cent today, the Post Office reveals it is the only major high-street savings provider in the UK to have passed on every interest rate rise in full to all of its variable rate customers in the last year.