Saving money news
Celebrity savers and spenders
12 February, 2007
Ex-Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney is the UK’s most trustworthy celebrity when it comes to money, as voted for by more then six out of ten people.
Troubled Babyshambles star Pete Doherty, the sometime beau of model Kate Moss, on the other hand is considered the least trustworthy, recording zero votes in a new poll.
However, when it comes to being a credit risk, 20 per cent think that Doherty is either excellent or good, according to research by The Credit Show. But Doherty’s credit rating pales compared to Sir Paul, with 95 per cent of people rating his credit risk as either excellent or good.
Fellow pop star Sir Elton John rates slightly lower with 82 per cent, whilst WAG Colleen McLaughlin, girlfriend of footballer Wayne Rooney, is seen as a credit risk by 69 per cent of voters.
Find a best-buy savings account
Kelly Stanley, spokesperson for The Credit Show, says that a credit risk does not reflect how much money a person has in the bank.
She said: “Rich people can always go bankrupt and Sir Elton is notorious for his big spending, which is probably why he got a lower credit rating than Sir Paul. However, Sir Paul’s divorce battle with Heather Mills could also see a large chunk of his future income being snaffled up in the settlement, although this is unlikely to make much difference to his credit risk rating.
Get a free copy of your credit report here
“But sometimes people who have a good steady income are seen as a better credit risk than those with lots of wealth on paper. Colleen McLaughlin, for example, is now a model and fast becoming a celebrity in her own right, so her earnings are likely to increase, making her a good credit risk.”
In fact, Colleen is only 6 per cent behind Sir Elton when it comes to being trustworthy with money, perhaps reflecting the singer’s penchant for spending thousands of pounds on flowers compared to Colleen ordinary working-class roots and perceived carefulness with money.
Stanley said: “It seems some voters think that Pete Doherty is a good long-term credit risk as those who gave him a good credit rating obviously believe that his future earnings will cover any borrowing he makes now. But the lack of trustworthiness means there is some concern over whether he would use that income to pay off his debts!”
Bookmark with:
