💬 Anna's two pence worth (#16): The new year begins in earnest...

Anna Bowes is a regular contributor to the BBC’s Money Box, Breakfast and News programs, as well as the national press, providing expert analysis and commentary on the UK savings market. Anna has worked in the financial services industry for more than 20 years and for most of that time has been helping people to make the most of their savings.

Now we are well and truly into the new year and the festive season is behind us, it’s time to get serious about money.

This week we’ve looked at one of the most popular types of savings accounts on the market, the easy access account. With so many to choose from and a whole raft of different terms and conditions, although rates are on the rise, not all easy access accounts are the same. So, what do you need to watch out for and where are the best places to save if you just want a simple savings account?

🔖 Read: Find the best home for your simple savings – how easy to access are easy access accounts?

Monday the 7th January was dubbed divorce day, as sadly the first Monday of January is one of the busiest times for divorce lawyers - who typically see a spike in enquiries from couples considering the end of their marriage.

Often the stress of Christmas, along with the money troubles that the festivities can bring are the main reasons for this increase. Dealing with the financial aspects of a divorce can be incredibly complicated, so working with a specialist before the divorce is final, to agree your financial settlement, is vital. In the article, written by our sister company The Private Office, they’ve looked at how you can achieve a fair settlement.

🔖 Read: Achieve a fair financial divorce settlement

You have until the end of January to file your tax return, so are you ready? We have some handy tips on how to make the most of your tax bill cash, which may be a bit late for this year - but we can help with the best places to save for next year’s bill.

🔖 Read: Tax return time is looming

Our regular features include the Rates Rundown, giving you details of all the very latest best buy savings to hit the market this week and we’ve also got the latest Economic Overview, which looks at how economic factors are influencing the pound. This can be especially important if you need to exchange currency of course.

🔖 Read: Economic Overview from moneycorp - new year, same Brexit

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