http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/santander-takes-pole-position-in-charges-battle-1824609.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/santander-takes-pole-position-in-charges-battle-1824609.html ]]> <p> Current accounts are set to get much more competitive. Santander – owner of Abbey and Alliance & Leicester – this week announced plans to launch a fee-free account in January. Meanwhile the Supreme Court will announce its decision on the long-running bank charges case next Wednesday and is expected to support the Office of Fair Trading's right to challenge expensive charges.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/make-the-most-of-your-gift-to-charity-1824610.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/make-the-most-of-your-gift-to-charity-1824610.html ]]> <p> Charity cards are as much a part of Christmas as turkey and presents, but not all retailers extend the festive spirit to good causes. The worst hand over a miserly 6 per cent of their sale price, according to research from Which?</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/money-insider-rising-inflation-hits-savers-1824612.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/money-insider-rising-inflation-hits-savers-1824612.html ]]> <p>The sharp rise in the rate of inflation announced this week spells potentially bad news for millions of savers.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simon-read-everyone-should-be-able-to-keep-warm-1824611.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simon-read-everyone-should-be-able-to-keep-warm-1824611.html <p>Fuel povery is not a condition that anyone should face. Yet some 6.6 million households in the UK simply won't be able to afford to turn up the heating this winter. The rest of us probably take for granted that we can keep our homes as warm as we need, but millions will be forced to wear extra jumpers or blankets simply to keep the worst of the chill off. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consuming-issuse-the-phoney-supermarket-price-war-1824615.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consuming-issuse-the-phoney-supermarket-price-war-1824615.html <p>Tesco and Asda are said to be locked in a festive price war, handing hard-up customers some festive cheer in the recession. Before cracking open the bubbly, it's worth remembering that Father Christmas visits only once a year and the last time he descended my chimney he wasn't wearing the liveried uniform of a supermarket chain.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-im-not-getting-anywhere-with-my-carphone-warehouse-complaint-1824617.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-im-not-getting-anywhere-with-my-carphone-warehouse-complaint-1824617.html <p><b>Q. I have been in contact with Carphone Warehouse (CW) since July regarding problems with my new mobile phone. I raised this as an official complain on 9 September, but I have hit a brick wall. CW says it can't resolve my complaint because of the Data Protection Act. It has asked for personal information from me that I am not willing to divulge as I do not believe its email system is secure. To make matters worse, emails to CW are either returned as undelivered, or go into a long queue. I have been without a phone for six weeks while the company tries to repair it, during which time I have paid for a phone that I do not have and which has not been in proper working order for four months. I purchased a Samsung I8510 on an 18-month contract in December 2008. NS, Edinburgh.</b> </p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-i-try-to-avoid-shops-at-this-time-of-year-1824616.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-i-try-to-avoid-shops-at-this-time-of-year-1824616.html <p>You know how I said I'd developed immunity from premature Christmas rage? And how I doubted it would last? Well, I was wrong. And right. Wrong in that I hadn't, in fact, succeeded in ignoring the horrifying eagerness with which shops deck themselves out in the run-up to Christmas. And right in assuming that it wouldn't last.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-printingcom-is-riding-out-the-recession-in-style-1824614.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-printingcom-is-riding-out-the-recession-in-style-1824614.html <p> In these days of exceptionally low interest rates, the shares of Printing. com must look enticingly attractive to any income-seeking investor. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/ben-yearsley-mitons-spot-on-for-the-riskaverse-1824613.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/ben-yearsley-mitons-spot-on-for-the-riskaverse-1824613.html ]]> <p>When selecting funds, investors have several clear choices to make. Index-tracking or active management? Developed or emerging markets? What often gets overlooked is the choice between a fund that will stay fully invested and one that is more proactive with asset allocation.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/ready-for-a-rainy-day-time-to-get-a-financial-umbrella-1820830.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/ready-for-a-rainy-day-time-to-get-a-financial-umbrella-1820830.html <p> More than a quarter of British families have no savings or investments to fall back on in times of emergency, according to new research from Abbey. With unemployment nearing 2.5 million and set to go higher, being one wage packet away from the breadline is a sobering thought. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:52 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/a-lost-legacy-lucky-you-ndash-but-watch-out-for-greedy-heirhunters-fees-1820829.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/a-lost-legacy-lucky-you-ndash-but-watch-out-for-greedy-heirhunters-fees-1820829.html ]]> <p> A knock at the door announcing a welcome inheritance from a distant relative may sound like the stuff of dreams, but in reality this process can be far more sinister than you might expect. Some heir locators charged with tracking down missing beneficiaries and reuniting them with their lost inheritances are using hard-sell techniques to grab a large proportion, sometimes nearly a third, of the estates. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:24 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/mark-dampier-your-best-defence-against-inflation-1820493.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/mark-dampier-your-best-defence-against-inflation-1820493.html <p>While the controversy around bankers' bonuses is dominating the financial news, a far more important question is in danger of being overlooked. Should we be worried about inflation or deflation?</p> Spend & Save Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consuming-issues-booking-fees--a-sly-topup-to-prices-1820494.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consuming-issues-booking-fees--a-sly-topup-to-prices-1820494.html <p>OK, I admit it, when I wrote last week that I would boycott the Odeon because of its booking fee, I was being hasty. There are plenty of films I want to see in the next few weeks and I don't want to cut off my nose to spite my face.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/beginners-guide-to-gift-aid-1820496.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/beginners-guide-to-gift-aid-1820496.html <p>If you've made a charitable donation in the last nine years, the chances are you've been invited to tick a box that says "Gift Aid". The organisation receiving your contribution will probably explain that this can boost your donation by an impressive 28 per cent, but do you know why?</p> Spend & Save Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/wealth-of-young-talent-upandcoming-managers-are-catching-the-eye-of-investment-houses-1820499.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/wealth-of-young-talent-upandcoming-managers-are-catching-the-eye-of-investment-houses-1820499.html ]]> <p> Investment houses are grooming the next generation of fund managers that they hope will deliver bumper double-digit returns over the next few years and help to restore the public's faith in the industry. Succession planning has always been seen as the key to success in a ferociously competitive environment, and this is growing in importance, with a number of current star managers now approaching their mid-fifties.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-ive-noticed-a-sudden-need-to-switch-things-on-at-every-opportunity-1820498.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-ive-noticed-a-sudden-need-to-switch-things-on-at-every-opportunity-1820498.html <p>Have you noticed it yet? No, not the sudden drop in temperature – though that too – I mean the sudden rise in your fuel bill. Actually, I have to say I haven't – though that may have to do less to do with a sudden conservation drive, and more to do with the fact that it's not yet time for my quarterly energy breakdown to pop through the letterbox. What I have noticed is my sudden need to switch things on at every opportunity: the stove (goodbye salad, hello soup), the kettle, the hot water and, of course, the heating. It's that time of year again. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/money-insider-fixed-rate-bonds-on-the-up-but-young-savers-are-getting-raw-deal-1820497.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/money-insider-fixed-rate-bonds-on-the-up-but-young-savers-are-getting-raw-deal-1820497.html <p>The mutual sector kept up the pressure on the fixed rate savings market this week with improved two- and three-year fixed rates courtesy of Principality Building Society and Yorkshire Building Society's Barnsley brand respectively.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-aim-faces-a-hard-slog-to-recapture-past-glories-1820500.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-aim-faces-a-hard-slog-to-recapture-past-glories-1820500.html <p>The upper echelons of the London Stock Exchange may be enjoying a surprisingly rewarding time, but the junior end of the investment site continues to look rather desolate.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simon-read-do-so-many-people-need-to-lose-homes-1820503.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simon-read-do-so-many-people-need-to-lose-homes-1820503.html <p>The number of people facing the misery of repossession is falling, which is great news. The Council of Mortgage Lenders this week slashed its repossession predictions for the year to 48,000. Earlier in the year, it predicted some 75,000 people could lose their homes in 2009. Is this a sign that the recession really is over for home owners and the good times are back?</p> Spend & Save Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/wealth-check-i-want-my-theatre-company-to-prosper-1820505.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/wealth-check-i-want-my-theatre-company-to-prosper-1820505.html ]]> <p>Ellie Simpson, 21, from Oxford, graduated this summer from Queen Mary in London with a First in English and Drama. She is currently living back at home and has a job supervising a bar at her local theatre with the view to pay off her overdraft.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-minimum-payments-may-not-cut-credit-card-balance-1820502.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-minimum-payments-may-not-cut-credit-card-balance-1820502.html <p> <b>Q. I've not used my Barclaycard for over a year and paid the minimum repayment monthly by direct debit. Yet I am regularly charged £12 for being "Over Credit Limit" and had to pay £100 in July to put my account on an "even keel". Even then, I was charged £12 in August for being over my credit limit. Barclaycard is now recommending that I pay £39.04 in addition to the minimum payment. HA, London.</b> </p> Spend & Save Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/going-ethical-may-salve-your-conscience--ndash-but-will-it-help-you-to-turn-a-profit-1816795.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/going-ethical-may-salve-your-conscience--ndash-but-will-it-help-you-to-turn-a-profit-1816795.html <p>Public attitudes to ethical investment are changing. These days, many investors are as concerned about investments that sit comfortably with their environmental and social principles as they are about securing healthy returns. As a result, ethical investment has come a long way from the launch of the first, the F&C Stewardship Income Fund, back in 1987. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simple-steps-to-beat-the-card-fraud-menace-1816798.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simple-steps-to-beat-the-card-fraud-menace-1816798.html ]]> <p>With Christmas next month, consumers will be hitting the plastic hard getting presents and enjoying the festivities. This may be the season to be jolly, but it is also a time to be cautious as card fraudsters see easy pickings.</p> Spend & Save Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/note-to-savers-beat-the-banks-at-their-own-game-as-rates-tumble-1816799.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/note-to-savers-beat-the-banks-at-their-own-game-as-rates-tumble-1816799.html <p>Bank of England base rates were left on hold again on Thursday and it's likely there will be no change this year. But when it comes to savings rates, the situation is more in flux. Banks are throwing attractive bonus-rate accounts at savers to draw in their business and are reaping free advertising from best-buy tables, but for every account that has its rate bumped up, two have their rates reduced. With one in 10 accounts cutting its return, savers need to keep on their toes to ensure their cash is working hard. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consumer-rights-holiday-insurers-small-print-left-my-sister-out-of-pocket-1816800.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consumer-rights-holiday-insurers-small-print-left-my-sister-out-of-pocket-1816800.html <p>Q. My sister paid £74.79 for travel insurance for a trip around Europe. After leaving Budapest, all her travel documents (InterRail ticket, passport, health card etc), as well as cards, money, and photo cards were stolen and she was stranded. Her travelling companion lent her money to get back to Budapest to get a report from the police and to go to the consulate about her passport. She stayed there until a new passport was issued. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/dont-let-your-heat-waft-your-money-away-via-windows-and-walls-1816801.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/dont-let-your-heat-waft-your-money-away-via-windows-and-walls-1816801.html <p>Oil prices are rising; natural gas is becoming harder and more expensive to transport and our already hefty energy bills are only going to get more expensive. The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) says one in four households in the UK are facing fuel poverty, where more than 10 per cent of their annual income is spent heating their homes. Yet homes across the country are inadequately insulated, meaning many of us are paying to heat the streets. Getting the proper insulation installed may seem like a costly hassle, but shelling out now will lead to savings in the future. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/kids-will-get-cash-boost-from-lessons-1816634.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/kids-will-get-cash-boost-from-lessons-1816634.html <p> Ed Balls' announcement on Thursday that personal finance lessons will become compulsory for kids from 2011 should raise a cheer in homes across the country. The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families said personal finance will be taught as part of the PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) programme in secondary schools, currently optional. "All young people should learn about financial education," Balls said. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consuming-issues-how-safe-are-fairground-rides-1816635.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consuming-issues-how-safe-are-fairground-rides-1816635.html <p>Fairground rides are designed to thrill, twisting, twirling, thrusting and gyrating paying passengers in a sensory whirl enhanced by flashing lights and booming music. This weekend, two days after Bonfire Night, millions of Britons will enjoy the range of rides found in theme parks and funfairs, from a sedate trip on an antique merry-go-round to the full-throttle thrill of the 80mph Stealth at Thorpe Park, Surrey.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/mark-dampier-a-fund-manager-for-tough-times-1816636.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/mark-dampier-a-fund-manager-for-tough-times-1816636.html <p>As I write this, stock markets have recently fallen back by around 6 per cent. Is this just a brief correction and the chance to buy cheaply that many people have been waiting for? Or the start of a more prolonged slump?</p> Spend & Save Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-i-suffer-from-a-new-disorder-now-i-need-some-self-control-1816642.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-i-suffer-from-a-new-disorder-now-i-need-some-self-control-1816642.html <p>In reaching my conclusion last week that I needn't bother with packed lunches because my favourite Marks & Spencer prawn cocktail salad costs only 2.20 I may, I admit, have been a little hasty. Not because I'd be better off bringing into work my own home-made sandwiches (more on those later) but because I had failed to take into account my own habit of Always Finding Something Else To Buy. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-why-is-it-still-possible-to-use-a-cloned-bank-card-1816648.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-why-is-it-still-possible-to-use-a-cloned-bank-card-1816648.html <p> <b>Q. In 'Questions of Cash' on 24 October, you reported that it is possible for a bank to tell from its records whether an original card or a cloned card has been used to make a withdrawal from a cash machine. If this is true, why is the payment allowed to proceed in the first place? Refusing to authorise payment from a cloned card would immediately reduce the amount of credit card fraud. PH, by email.</b> </p> Spend & Save Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-creditors-and-shareholders-still-out-in-cold-1816646.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-creditors-and-shareholders-still-out-in-cold-1816646.html <p>It may be just my imagination but companies, many of them well known, seem to be falling like ninepins these days. Failure statistics do not look too bad but when the likes of Regent Inns and Threshers crash within a few days of each other it highlights the difficulties many groups are experiencing.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/do-morals-or-money-rule-investments-1816643.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/do-morals-or-money-rule-investments-1816643.html ]]> <p>Two-thirds of investors are unknowingly ethical, the Co-operative claims. Its new survey of investors, published today, reveals that that there is much more interest in the concept of saving the planet while investing than current evidence suggests. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/money-insider-the-banking-sector-needs-some-fresh-blood-1816641.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/money-insider-the-banking-sector-needs-some-fresh-blood-1816641.html <p>New banks, a breath of fresh air or more of the same? Financial news has this week been dominated by the EU-enforced break-up of Lloyds TSB and Royal Bank of Scotland, which sees these banking heavyweights having to dispose of hundreds of branches.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simon-read-no-more-chances-for-dodgy-debt-advisers-1816649.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simon-read-no-more-chances-for-dodgy-debt-advisers-1816649.html <p>Debt management firms are facing a new crackdown by the Office of Fair Trading. Explaining the review which will examine the advertising and business practices of the firms Ray Watson, OFT director of consumer credit, said: "A recent increase in formal OFT enforcement action, rising complaints and new problems emerging in the market suggest that some businesses are still not meeting minimum standards."</p> Spend & Save Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/wealth-check-i-want-to-buy-a-home-and-take-a-year-out-1816652.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/wealth-check-i-want-to-buy-a-home-and-take-a-year-out-1816652.html <p> Fiona Fulton, 22, from South London, is already on the property ladder having invested in a house with her sister using money from an inheritance. She wants to buy a house of her own in the next few years, but is worried that the pressures of repaying a mortgage will make her ambition of taking a year out to go travelling impossible. Fiona says "as my goal is to invest in property I am not sure if it is viable to take time out to go travelling." </p> Spend & Save Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/if-you-want-to-dip-into-your-pension-be-quick-1812616.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/if-you-want-to-dip-into-your-pension-be-quick-1812616.html ]]> <p>Early retirement is a dream close to the hearts of millions of Britons. But a key way to reach this dream – through collecting personal and company pension benefits early – is about to get more difficult. From 6 April 2010 the age at which people will be allowed to collect their pension will rise to 50 from 55. Any saver wanting to take their pension benefits early will have to act fast.</p> Spend & Save Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/city-watchdog-bares-teeth-to-fine-gmac-and-swinton-1812640.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/city-watchdog-bares-teeth-to-fine-gmac-and-swinton-1812640.html <p>Tens of thousands of mortgage and insurance customers will be entitled to compensation after the City regulator's investigations regarding unfair practices. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/julian-knight-lets-recognise-the-specialness-of-the-livein-partner-1812643.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/julian-knight-lets-recognise-the-specialness-of-the-livein-partner-1812643.html <p>It's a difficult one Should people who are cohabiting have the right to claim the estates of their loved ones when they die in the same way bereaved spouses or civil partners do? The UK Law Commission says yes. But others say that if the cohabitees had meant their partners to have a share of their wealth they would have either got married or written a will. Dig deeper and the argument becomes one about protecting the "specialness" of marriage. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/are-fund-managers-serving-a-dogs-dinner-1812641.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/are-fund-managers-serving-a-dogs-dinner-1812641.html <p>The reputation of the fund-management industry has been at a low ebb for the past few years. Stock-market turbulence combined with chronic underperformance and the widely reported problems at some management groups, such as New Star, have led many investors to simply give up on the cult of the big-name fund manager.</p> Spend & Save Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/wealth-check-help-me-break-from-bank-of-mum-and-dad-1812645.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/wealth-check-help-me-break-from-bank-of-mum-and-dad-1812645.html <p> <b>The patient</b> </p> <p> Full-time student Ed Gibbs, 19, looks forward to supporting himself once he starts an apprenticeship in the new year. But with little cash now, and a quiet winter on the cards, he is concerned that his hopes of self-sufficiency may be out of reach. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/solicitors-offer-bargain-wills-in-charity-drive-1812644.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/solicitors-offer-bargain-wills-in-charity-drive-1812644.html <p>As part of Will Aid month, starting today, solicitors all over the country are offering to draw up basic wills in exchange for charitable donations. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/mark-dampier-insynergys-at-the-top-of-its-league-1812407.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/mark-dampier-insynergys-at-the-top-of-its-league-1812407.html <p>One theme I return to time and time again in my column is the quality of fund managers. Whilst there are thousands of funds available to investors, I'm afraid many are average, and simply make up the numbers. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/are-your-savings-suffering-in-a-dog-fund-1812409.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/are-your-savings-suffering-in-a-dog-fund-1812409.html <p>If you don't check your investments regularly, you're in danger of losing thousands. That's the warning spelled out in a report published last week that highlights the worst-performing funds in the UK.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-what-to-eat-for-lunch--a-marmite-sandwich-or-a-salad-from-ms-1812411.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-what-to-eat-for-lunch--a-marmite-sandwich-or-a-salad-from-ms-1812411.html <p>Good news. I'm able to start running again. After one back injury and a bout of flu, I no longer have to worry about the cost of doing exercise because, once again. I can do it for free. And I no longer feel quite so concerned about my marathon training because, for now at least, I'm making progress. Now, the bad news. I've got a fresh new financial problem (surprise, surprise).</p> Spend & Save Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/money-insider-nsi-lays-down-the-gauntlet-in-best-buy-tables-1812410.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/money-insider-nsi-lays-down-the-gauntlet-in-best-buy-tables-1812410.html <p>Since the credit crunch took hold it has been fixed-rate bonds that have been the most hotly contested part of the savings market, and this week proved no exception.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-should-natwest-have-charged-me-360-for-a-5-error-1812415.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-should-natwest-have-charged-me-360-for-a-5-error-1812415.html <p> <b>Q. I had a bank account with NatWest for six years. In that time, I accidentally went overdrawn a couple of times but by no more than 5. Each time I was charged 28. On the last occasion, I complained and NatWest said it would review matters and contact me afterwards which has not happened. A year and a half ago I relocated to the US. Before moving away, I went 4 overdrawn by mistake. I paid this as soon as I noticed my error. But now I have received several threatening letters stating that I owe NatWest 332.59 in interest and charges. Can I do something against such disproportionate charges? HC, United States.</b> </p> Spend & Save Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/rent-schemes-are-leaving-people-homeless-1812417.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/rent-schemes-are-leaving-people-homeless-1812417.html <p> Unregulated firms offering sale-and-rent -back deals which exploit vulnerable homeowners are operating illegally, the housing charity Shelter has warned. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-the-stock-market-is-not-in-the-clear-yet-1812413.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-the-stock-market-is-not-in-the-clear-yet-1812413.html <p>The stock market is an intriguing creation. If it always ran true to form almost every investor in sight would be a winner. But it has a nasty habit of wrong-footing even its multitude of alleged experts.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/rejuvenated-lego-is-back-on-the-block-1812412.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/rejuvenated-lego-is-back-on-the-block-1812412.html <p>Chances are that Lego will find its way back into children's stockings this Christmas, along with other old-fashioned toys that the internet age had threatened to confine to history.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-demand-inquiry-into-great-energy-swindle-1809415.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-demand-inquiry-into-great-energy-swindle-1809415.html <p>An investigation into claims the "big six" energy suppliers are swindling millions of customers through manipulation of household fuel bills will be demanded by politicians today.</p> UK Politics Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/your-money-or-your-health-ndash-you-decide-1808842.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/your-money-or-your-health-ndash-you-decide-1808842.html ]]> <p> After a pension, private medical insurance (PMI) is the benefit most valued by employees. But PMI is offered by only a quarter of employers to all staff, and just one in 10 firms extend it to their immediate families. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/how-iphone-apps-can-help-save-and-manage-your-cash-1808845.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/how-iphone-apps-can-help-save-and-manage-your-cash-1808845.html <p>It may have its critics, but there is no denying that the iPhone has revolutionised the way we use our phones, and never more so than with the host of applications (known as apps) that are springing up. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consumer-rights-what-to-do-with-a-housesale-windfall-1808848.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consumer-rights-what-to-do-with-a-housesale-windfall-1808848.html ]]> <p> <b>We have £147,000 equity from the sale of a flat. We currently have a variable rate (2.5 per cent) mortgage with Intelligent Finance for £240,000. We intend to buy another property in about nine to 12 months. In the meantime, are we better to pay off some of our mortgage or to invest money in a bank account? </b></p> <p> <b>TB </b></p> <p> <b>Stevenage </b></p> Spend & Save Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/if-you-dont-need-your-driveway-somebody-else-will-pay-you-for-it-1808847.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/if-you-dont-need-your-driveway-somebody-else-will-pay-you-for-it-1808847.html <p>In most of Britain's big cities and near mainline railway stations elsewhere, parking is at a premium. Some central London car parks charge more than £350 a month for spaces and even outside the capital monthly fees of over £150 are common. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/sarah-beenys-guide-to-starting-at-the-bottom-1808850.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/sarah-beenys-guide-to-starting-at-the-bottom-1808850.html ]]> <p>For years, redeveloping a property for profit seemed like a one-way street. However, the credit crunch, recession and property price falls have put paid to this once sure-fire bet. But with a little stability returning to the UK housing market, developers who are careful with their calculations – and can get their hands on the right amount of cash – may be able once again to turn a healthy profit from their bricks and mortar projects.</p> Spend & Save Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/sometimes-all-it-takes-to-secure-a-deal-is-a-trustedfriend-1808849.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/sometimes-all-it-takes-to-secure-a-deal-is-a-trustedfriend-1808849.html <p>A new internet payment service, TrustedFriend, is launching, designed to better protect both buyers and sellers. </p> Spend & Save Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/beginners-guide-to-energy-bills-1808300.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/beginners-guide-to-energy-bills-1808300.html <p>How often do you open an energy bill, check the final figure and throw it away? Take the trouble to read it and it will help you watch the energy you use, making it easier to switch.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/how-to-control-your-finances-and-avoid-fees-1808301.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/how-to-control-your-finances-and-avoid-fees-1808301.html ]]> <p> Anyone going into the red without permission will be charged by their bank. But research published exclusively in The Independent today reveals that it's difficult to know how much the penalty charges will be. Even worse, it's almost impossible to compare different unauthorised charges, so you have no way of finding out whether your current account provider is ripping you off or not.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/mark-dampier-skys-the-limit-with-cloud-computing-1808302.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/mark-dampier-skys-the-limit-with-cloud-computing-1808302.html <p>If I asked you to name an industry whose companies are generally increasing their profits, have little pension liability and net cash on their balance sheets, what would spring to mind? Tobacco? Utilities? Actually, the answer is the technology sector. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/pssst-cheap-fireworks-for-sale-1808303.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/pssst-cheap-fireworks-for-sale-1808303.html <p>When soldiers found 1,800lbs of gunpowder stashed under the Houses of Parliament by Guy Fawkes in 1605, they saved hundreds of lives in an instant. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/halfterm-holiday-and-exchangerate-ripoffs-1808304.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/halfterm-holiday-and-exchangerate-ripoffs-1808304.html <p> Holiday firms have hiked the cost of travel by up to 249 per cent for the half-term holiday, greedily profiting from parents' desire to escape during breaks in the school term. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-ive-got-lots-of-hurdles-to-get-over-before-i-can-do-the-marathon-1808305.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/aliceazania-jarvis-ive-got-lots-of-hurdles-to-get-over-before-i-can-do-the-marathon-1808305.html <p>Well I'm back at work – but other than that, not much has changed. My ever-lasting cold has morphed into some kind of throat infection, for which I'm now on antibiotics. As a result, I still haven't started training for the marathon, the thought of which is beginning to absorb my entire consciousness. More to the point: I haven't started fund-raising, a fact which is giving me increasing cause for concern. As regular readers of this column will be only too aware, making money (and saving it) is not exactly my strong point. </p> Spend & Save Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-thanks-to-coffee-whitbreads-still-full-of-beans-1808306.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/derek-pain-thanks-to-coffee-whitbreads-still-full-of-beans-1808306.html <p>Whitbread has proved its detractors wrong. I believe it will continue to do so. The former brewer, now famed for its Beefeater pub/restaurants, Costa Coffee parlours and Premier Inn budget hotels, is surviving the recession in far better shape than many observers expected. In the summer of last year, the No Pain, No Gain portfolio descended on the shares at 1,105p a time. I took the view that they were a splendid hedge against a deteriorating economy.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-your-bank-card-may-have-been-cloned-1808307.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/questions-of-cash-your-bank-card-may-have-been-cloned-1808307.html <p> <b>Q. I attempted to use my Halifax cash card at Tooting rail station on 25 July and my card was swallowed. My bank told me there had been a £300 transaction, of which I had been unaware. I had my card cancelled immediately. The following week I found there had also been transactions of £306.57 and £55 from Argos in Richmond after my card had been swallowed. I gave a statement to the bank. </b> </p> Spend & Save Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simon-read-crooks-hit-more-than-premium-costs-1808308.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/simon-read-crooks-hit-more-than-premium-costs-1808308.html <p>Crashing for cash is a crime that costs each British driver around £40 a year through increased premiums on their motor insurance. Yet, as we reported earlier this month, more than a million motorists have thought about staging a motor accident in order to make a claim on their insurance. More shockingly some 340,000 say they having already successfully done so.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/how-to-get-a-better-return-on-your-savings-1808310.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/how-to-get-a-better-return-on-your-savings-1808310.html ]]> <p> Anyone relying on their savings and investments to boost their income has had a hard 2009 with savings rates, in particularly, at record lows. The prospects are not looking good either with the retail price index, which measures the rate of inflation, actually negative, and the Bank of England base rate being held for months at a historically low 0.5 per cent. So what can you do to boost your income? We survey the options.</p> Spend & Save Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100