Statistics from the Department of Energy and Climate Change have revealed that fuel poverty has more than doubled in the last five years amid rising energy prices. Anyone spending over 10% of their household income on heating their homes are said to be in fuel poverty. The figures show that an increasing amount of people [...]
Interest rates paid by banks on passbook accounts are “derisory”, a financial expert has claimed. Pierre Williams, head of research at MoneyExpert.com, said more than half of passbook accounts pay gross returns of under 1%. Passbook accounts pay an average interest rate of just 0.99%, 0.24 percentage points lower than the average paid on all [...]
As the Labour Government’s general election campaign continues, its latest pledge is to increase the basic state pension in accordance with earnings from 2012 – provided the party is re-elected. The pensions-earnings link was scrapped by Margaret Thatcher thirty years ago and replaced with the retail price inflation index (RPI). However, with pensions being linked [...]
A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed that around 1.5 million pensioners have made overpayments in income tax due to processing errors. Furthermore, the NAO revealed that around 3.2 million were neglecting to take up their allowance entitlements. The watchdog also estimated that half a million pensions have underpaid tax, by an [...]
Brits approaching retirement should do their utmost to pay off debts before they leave employment, a consumer advice charity warned this week. Anyone aged over-50 should strive to pay off debts as soon as possible to ensure they have a comfortable retirement, the Money Advice Trust (MAT) said. The MAT made the remarks following reports [...]
Leeds Building Society has launched a new savings account to help older people pay for their winter heating bill. The Winter Fuel Saver account is available only to customers aged over 60 and pays interest at 5.12% through the winter months. When winter is over on 28 February the account’s interest rate drops to 0.25%. [...]
Inflation continues to hit pensioners the hardest despite falling in the last month. Over 75s face inflation rates of 3.6%, the Alliance Trust revealed this week, 64% above the national average of 2.2%. Brits aged 65-74 also face higher than average inflation at 3.0%. Inflation is higher for the elderly because they spend a larger [...]
A survey conducted by Help the Aged and Age Concern charity revealed that over half of workers over 50 may need to postpone their retirement since their savings and pensions have been hit by the economic downturn. While mortgage borrowers have benefited due to record low interest rates, savers have been hit, while pension funds [...]
Government plans to help elderly savers by increasing the limit on tax-free savings will have little effect, a financial expert has warned. Kevin Mountford, savings expert at Moneysupermarket.com, said the increased limit on cash ISAs – from £3,600 to £5,100 – is worth a paltry £1.89 in tax savings on interest payments. The £1,500 increase [...]
Pensioners have seen their monthly income slashed by almost a quarter in the last year, research by SHIP has discovered. SHIP (Safe Home Income Plans) revealed that the 8 million British pensioners are suffering from the drop in income, caused by the collapse in the Bank of England’s base rate. Income from savings has plummeted [...]
Pensioners face inflation rates 80% higher than for the average consumer because their budget only stretches to buy essentials, new research has discovered. Inflation dropped in January to 3% for the average consumer. Over 75s, meanwhile, faced inflation rates of 5.4%, according to research by the Alliance Trust. Younger generations spend more money on consumer [...]
Middle aged Britons who intended upping their retirement income by releasing equity from their homes will already be reworking their sums as a result of the property market downturn. However, according to research from Impartial.co.uk, the website that provides details of the UK’s independent mortgage advisers, one in three over 55s could be heading into [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
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