People aged between 45 and 64 whose children are still living at home are much less likely to have made financial plans for their retirement than those in households with no children, according to new research. A study by Standard Life revealed that 49 per cent of this age group, with two or more children [...]
Brits prefer driving a nice car to having a financially sound pensions plan, according to new research published this week. A study by Standard Life found 54% of consumers care strongly about their car. This is compared to just 46% who place high value on their pension pot. Women were found to care more about [...]
Edinburgh-based insurer, Standard Life, has today posted a 30% rise in sales for the first quarter of 2010 – far exceeding analysts expectations. The insurer said global sales grew to £4.6 billion in the first three months of the year compared with £3.56 billion in the same period a year ago. Long-term UK savings sales [...]
The assumption that downsizing from the family home as old age approaches can help fund a comfortable retirement has been challenged by Standard Life. The insurer has recently conducted an “extensive analysis” of the UK property market to calculate how much retirement income downsizing can generate, and is warning those whose retirement dreams are dependent [...]
Self-employed people are failing to put enough money aside for their retirement, Standard Life claimed this week. The pensions provider said half of self-employed people aged 35-44 have saved less than £3,500 towards retirement. This is compared to an average of £73,000 in pensions savings for employed people of that age. “The recession has created [...]
British workers who fail to save for their retirement could end up working until they reach 86 if they want to be paid a decent pension. Research by Standard Life found the real retirement age of people not currently saving for retirement could be between 74 and 86 if they want to retire on two-thirds [...]
Insurance and pensions group LV= has launched a new pensions plan that can be tailored by customers to meet their individual needs. The Flexible Transitions Account (FTA) has a variety of investment options to suit the needs of different customers. Customers can combine and switch investment options throughout the life of the pension according to [...]
Royal Sun Alliance (RSA), one of the UK’s largest insurers, has confirmed plans to shed 1,200 jobs in the UK by mid-2010. The job losses comes in spite of the insurer announcing a 13% increase in pre-tax profits of £759 million for the full 2008 year. RSA, who has raised its dividend by 10%, said [...]
Standard Life Bank has cut rates and fees on certain products in its Freestyle range. From today, the rate on its three-year fixed home loan is down to 5.95% for up to 50% loan-to-value (LTV); five-year fixed residential rates are available from 5.99% (up to 75% LTV) and ten-year from 6.19% (up to 75% LTV). [...]
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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