Featured stories

Summer hols culled as debt worries grow
8 May 2008
Over half of Britons will cut back on spending on their summer holidays this year as debt problems continue to mount, a new study has found.... >>

Protecting yourself against a recession
29 April 2008
It is a good time to batten down the hatches, pay off debt, make savings and prepare for the worst if you`re of a nervous disposition.... >>

Best way to budget? Cash beats plastic
29 April 2008
When money’s tight, people often find that using cash helps them keep a close eye on their household budget – and in today’s economic climate, budgeting skills are more important than ever. On April 21, new figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) revealed that cash is now used for 60% of all transactions, up from 54% one year ago. ... >>

Banking on debt problems: what if my bank goes bust?
22 April 2008
The expression ‘money in the bank’ has always referred to cash that’s 100% secure. But it seems banks might not be quite as safe as we thought – like individuals, they can have their own problems with debt. Although the government stepped in to save Northern Rock, the nation was still shocked by the reminder that it is possible for banks to collapse. ... >>

Debt problems - debt, taxes & the Budget
11 April 2008
On a low income, dealing with debt problems is never easy - but for some people, this year`s Budget may have made it even harder. Although the Basic rate of income tax dropped from 22% to 20%, the Starting rate disappeared. ... >>

Retiring in debt: spare time but no spare cash
4 April 2008
For some, retirement is a long-awaited opportunity to sit back and enjoy the things they’ve spent their whole lives working for. For others, it’s an unwelcome change: why should they retire when they feel they could go on working for years? ... >>

Mortgages, banks and interest rates
28 March 2008
Once you’ve decided that home ownership is the way to go, you’re faced with another big decision: selecting the mortgage deal that’s right for you. ... >>

Young people count
20 March 2008
It’s good to be optimistic, but hope is no substitute for understanding, especially when it comes to money. So it’s great to see teachers and businesses working together to prepare children for the financial realities of life, from banking and budgeting to debt and money management.... >>

Saving for a rainy day
14 March 2008
No-one knows what the future will bring, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare for it. Whatever you earn and spend, experts recommend you set aside at least three months’ salary for a rainy day. ... >>

Making money or saving money - why do we buy?
10 March 2008
After more than a decade of rapid price rises, buying a home is still cheaper than renting. So says the latest annual UK Rent versus Buy Index from Abbey. ... >>

Wealth, Debt, Age – and a Decade of Change
29 February 2008
According to the Office for National Statistics, the average income rose by 92% during the 10 years following 1995 – but the average house price rose by 204%. ... >>

Counting the cost of Christmas
14 February 2008
Every year, retailers everywhere look forward to Christmas as the time of year when shoppers really splash out, spending money on things they normally wouldn’t even consider. ... >>

United in debt - United Kingdom and United States
7 February 2008
A snapshot of debt in the US and the UK at the start of 2008.... >>

It pays to talk about debt
14 January 2008
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." ... >>

Interest rate strife for loan rangers
18 October 2007
The last few months have been testing times for all concerned within the financial sector. The industry has lurched from crisis to turmoil and back again. However, now the dust is beginning to settle, it looks like the losers out of it all are the customers.... >>

Stuck between a Northern Rock and a hard place
28 September 2007
They say a week is a long time in politics. A fortnight in the financial industry feels like a lifetime. The much-publicised events at Northern Rock have left the market in a state of shock.... >>

`Be wary` of store cards at the till
28 August 2007
An Alliance and Leicester study indicated that half of UK consumers sometimes chose to use store cards - which are offered by particular retailers instead of a traditional provider - because of convenience. ... >>

Budgeting `is a skill with long-term benefits`
2 August 2007
Recent research from moneysupermarket.com found that 2.1 million Britons are permanently overdrawn, while a separate study from Experian indicated that 80 per cent of the UK population regularly overspends. ... >>