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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. |
Even with the continuing uncertainty around the outcome of Brexit, some positive news is coming through. For one, record numbers of people in the UK are now in work and even average earnings are on the rise, increasing by 3.4% in the year up to November - apparently the highest increase in 10 years.
The pound also seems to have rallied, but of course this can change overnight and for savers best buy rates just keep on rising.
This week, the 'Marcus effect' has brought more providers to the fore, competing with Marcus by Goldman Sachs - with market leading and best buy easy access accounts.
As our article explains, more providers are pipping Marcus to the top spot in this most popular area of the market - with over 80% of our cash savings held in easy access accounts.
🔖 Read: Easy access competition hots up again as two more providers step up to the plate
Are you missing out on valuable interest on your cash ISA? When are the best rates are not always the best option? If you’re not regularly switching your cash ISA, maybe a simple ISA would be better for you. We’ve looked at how much interest you could be losing by choosing the wrong account.
🔖 Read: Inactive savers missing out on £hundreds of valuable tax-free interest!
Probate is back in the news but this time for a slightly more positive reason – Grant of Probate can now be applied for online. Don’t forget that you have until the end of the tax year to apply for probate before the new fee structure comes in, which could mean paying up to £6,000 in fees compared to just £215 today (as one of our older articles explains).
🔖 Read: Application for probate now online
Along with our popular regular feature, the Rates Rundown, which gives you details of all the latest deals to come out this week, there’s also news that the Government is continuing its attempt to get everyone saving, with a new app available for those eligible for the Help to Save scheme.
🔖 Read: HMRC Help to Save scheme app is launched
If you haven’t already downloaded our latest Guide on Savings Platforms, it is well worth a read, as we believe this new and exciting area of the market could finally make a difference to savers’ inertia.
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