Savings Champion

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.

Another week, another Savings Platform to review and this week we’re pleased to bring you our review of Flagstone. If you haven’t heard of a savings platform before (you may have missed our newsletters), then these new innovative savings services are rising in popularity effectively offering a supermarket shelf of savings products to choose from. With one application and one log-in, it’s easy to see why savers are tempted especially if you have larger sums of money and you want to spread your cash between providers. Take a look to see how it works and if it might be right for you.

🔖 Read: Flagstone Savings Platform Review

The countdown is on, it’s almost that time of year. No, not Christmas, but our annual savings awards. Judging is currently taking place, but we need your help. We’re introducing a brand new 'Savers' Choice' Award which will be decided by you. The providers are nothing without their customers, so tell us about the good, the bad and the ugly. Everyone who submits a review will be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a Festive Hamper. Find out more about all the terms and conditions and how to submit your entry.

Last week was 'Good Money Week', which raises awareness of sustainable, responsible and ethical finance. So, we’ve looked at how you might be able to opt for a more ethical savings provider, while not necessarily giving up on earning a decent return.

🔖 Read: Ethics and banking – do you know where your money goes?

Latest figures out from the Office for National Statistics highlight the price we’re potentially paying for not saving enough. Although there has been a very slight increase in the amount we saved in the second quarter of this year, by historical standards this is still at a dangerously low level, which is a worrying trend that at least the younger generation should be concerned about but why?

🔖 Read: Saving more but still savings are less - a ticking time bomb

As well as our regular canter through last week’s movers and shakers of the savings market in our Rates Rundown, our Ask Anna refers to the unusual pricing of one provider’s best buy accounts. We were asked if our tables are correct, as Charter Savings Bank is paying a higher rate on its easy access account than it is on its 35 day notice account. Of course, our tables are correct, but we’ve offered our musings as to why this might be the case.

🔖 Read: Ask Anna: Why is a provider offering a better rate of interest on its easy access account than its notice account?

And of course, our Financial Press review looks at the recent news about the savings and investment markets.

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