Home

June 2009

2 comments
Your rating: None (1 vote)

Are mortgage payment protection insurers being fair?

 

A little while ago we mentioned that whilst payment protection insurance in general had acquired a bit a tainted reputation, things had been done to rein in the worst bits and make sure that what gets sold is needed and is at least reasonable value.

 

Before the recession the mortgage payment protection market hadn't had the same problems, so it was a little surprising that Lord Turner, the chairman of the Financial Services Authority, laid into the UK's insurers on this when he recently addressed their trade body at its annual conference. Read more »

3 comments
Your rating: None (1 vote)

How the changing face of being able to get advice will affect you

In the days before advice got regulated there wasn't any real clear distinction between the advice you would get from an insurance salesman and those who gave so-called independent advice. Twenty one years after regulation first came in, the regulator - the Financial Services Authority - is still making its mind up as to what's the best way ahead. Today it issued its latest paper, a tree pulping 165 pages worth, which creates their blue-print for how you can buy products in the future.

  Read more »

1 comment
Your rating: None (1 vote)

How good’s your travel insurance if your airline goes bust?

Over the last 10 years or so we've seen an enormous explosion in the number people making their own holiday arrangements by buying their flight, accommodation, and even transfers, separately. Despite the greater number of people who'll be having a "staycation" or buying a packaged holiday this year, making your own holiday package remains a popular way of saving money.

 

But how financially risky is it?

  Read more »

6 comments
Your rating: None (3 votes)

Year on Year Student Saving Tips

With the current economic situation it's harder than ever for "poor students" to be able to afford the basic necessities. But by following some basic guidelines year-to-year, you can avoid crushing debt that will haunt you all your life.

 

Secondary School Read more »

0 comments
Your rating: None (4 votes)

Off to University this Autumn?

With all your exams out of the way, you might be sitting back a bit waiting for final offers to flood in and having a good time. Thinking about how you're going to pay your way as a student is a job for tomorrow, isn't it? Maybe, but don't leave it too long - when you get your UCAS offer there suddenly seems to be an awful lot to do. Why not use a bit of down time to sort out your personal finances and check out how to save money in the future.

  Read more »

2 comments
Your rating: None (1 vote)

House prices and mortgages - the update

It's only about six weeks - but feel s a lot longer -  since we last had a look at where house prices and mortgages were going; down and up, respectively. In that time some key indicators have crept in to the picture which suggest that we might have got to the point where confidence at least is coming back into the market.  It'll take a longer period of applying hindsight than we're using right now to tell if the housing market is actually on the way back up again or not, but let's have a look at some of the indicators.

  Read more »

3 comments
Your rating: None (1 vote)

Keep on top of your Savings Account

In the UK you have an amazing number of choices on where you can put your savings. At the moment over 1,500 accounts are trying to grab your attention. Virtually each savings account will have its own slightly different point which makes it attractive to you when you take the account out. The most important thing to keep firmly in mind is that the old saying of there's no such thing as a free lunch applies just as much to savings accounts as it does to anything else.

  Read more »

0 comments
Your rating: None (1 vote)

How much life insurance cover do you need to protect your family?

The first thing we'd better admit isn't that we don't know either.

 

But, it doesn't mean that you can't take out some of the guess work. There are some simple steps you can take to make a reasonable estimate of how much cover you need. We'll keep these in separate groups, so that you can work through this bit by bit. Read more »

2 comments
Your rating: None (2 votes)

Life’s Little (unpleasant) Surprises

We're almost certain that when The Burning Sensations recorded Life's Little Surprises back in 2002 they didn't have life insurance in mind. But they're right; life is full of little surprises, and sadly some really unpleasant shocks.It's quite natural that most of us don't want to think too hard and too often about what would happen if we died young. But, if you've got people who rely on you to feed and clothe them it's not smart to ignore completely what happens to them if you're no longer around.

  Read more »