The Money Pages

Only one in three confident in pension income

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 00:00:00 UTC

Only a third (34%) of working people believe that their pension will give them enough money in retirement according to new research from the National Association of Pension Funds. This research on the views of employees was carried out by populus among 1,248 GB full and part time employees aged 18-64 between 17th February and 24th February 2010.

Britons Save themselves £4.92 Billion by unpacking the package holiday

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 UTC

Nearly half of holidaymakers cut out the middle man last year, resulting in an average saving of £423
Many Britons no longer afraid to haggle, with six million asking for an upgrade

The average British household would run out of money in less than 14 days if a wage earner fell critically ill or died

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 UTC

New research from Aviva has shown that the average British household may only have enough cash to cover bills for 14 days if they or their partner fell critically ill or died. One in four (24%) of British households say they could only access £100 without further borrowing.

The research shows that without further borrowing, the average British household could get their hands on only £914 of disposable cash.

The cost of raising a child tops £200,000

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 UTC

Cost of a child up 4 per cent since last survey, up 43 per cent over last seven years
Family budgets stretched as three in four parents forced to cut back on spending due to ongoing economic crisis
Whole family feels the pinch - one in eight parents say their children have asked for less pocket money

Britons not yet planning for new ISA limits

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 UTC

People across Britain are not yet planning for the changes to ISA entitlements from April this year and risk missing out on tax-free returns, according to new research from NS&I's Savings Survey.

Just 15% of Britons surveyed say they understand the new limits, which enables individuals to save up to £10,200 per year tax-free.

Vouchers still available under Government's boiler scrappage scheme

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 UTC

54,758 vouchers have been snapped up under the Government's Boiler Scrappage scheme leaving around 70,000 vouchers worth a total of £28 million still up for grabs.

Four in ten savers set to turn their back on ISAs this year

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 UTC

A recent poll of over 1,200 moneysupermarket.com users has revealed antipathy towards ISAs with almost four out of ten respondents (37 per cent) planning not to use their ISA allowance for 2009/2010. Just over half (51 per cent) of the respondents who won't be investing said they simply couldn't afford to save, but a further 24 per cent said they didn't understand ISAs so they avoid them. The remaining 26 per cent said they couldn't be bothered to save at all.

UK adults most likely in EU to buy online

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 UTC

In 2009, a higher percentage of UK adults bought or ordered goods and services over the Internet in the previous 12 months than in any other EU country, according to Eurostat figures highlighted in a chapter of Social Trends published today by the Office for National Statistics.

Drop in UK unemployment rate pushes up the pound

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:00:00 UTC

Data this morning revealed that the UK unemployment rate dipped back down to 7.8% in November, further evidence that the UK economic recovery is firming.

Tax return deadline is looming

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:00:00 UTC

The 31 January Self Assessment tax return deadline isn't far away, so if you haven't yet sent your return to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), you need to act quickly to avoid a £100 penalty.