Internet Investor

TO PARAPHRASE an old saw, charity begins at your own homepage. At least it can now, thanks to the Charities Aid Foundation's World People site, making giving to the world's poorest countries easy, flexible and interactive. World People lets donors make tax-effective gifts of pounds 100 or more to charities working on education and poverty relief projects in 80 countries.

The Government's Millennium Gift Aid scheme allowed donations of pounds 100 or more for projects working in these countries qualify for tax relief. CAF's World People initiative enables donors to pay into a World People Account, as a lump sum or by installment. Once pounds 100 is reached, CAF reclaims the basic rate of tax - currently 23 per cent - from the Inland Revenue and adds it to your account. Gifts can then be made to projects in the designated countries.

Finding the best savings deal may now be easier thanks to an addition to the Moneynet website. Launched with a mortgage finder a year ago, the site now offers other search functions allowing you to identify which bank or building society will, for example, offer the best return on your child's savings.

Moneynet has expanded the number of mortgage providers in its database and is now averaging 100,000 hits per month. It has taken the style and format of its mortgage finder and applied it to other financial products. From 5 November, it will offer three new categories: investment, including personal investment for adults from 82 providers; a best credit card, from 35 providers; and personal loan finder, reviewing personal loan schemes from 36 providers.

What Moneynet does not yet have a search option for life insurance. The Life-Search website claims to access 44 databases and thousands of different quotations - a page on pounds 100,000 life cover for 25 years for a non-smoker aged 37 in average health. Life-Search's own price is cheapest at pounds 32 per month and contrasts with more than pounds 55 from Lloyds Black Horse.

World People: www. worldpeople.org

Moneynet: www. moneynet.co.uk

Life Search: www.life-search.co.uk

Robin can be reached at RobinAmlot@aol.com