Published: 8/7/2010
The Bank of Scotland has a fantastic opportunity for first time buyers saving a deposit for their first home – doubled up savings.
The way this works is that savers who regularly deposit money into a Bank of Scotland savings account, up to a maximum amount saved of GBP5,000, will have the balance matched by the home builder Persimmon. The one proviso is that this only happens if the savings are used as a deposit on a new house.
A spokesman from the housebuilder saw it as making a real difference for first time buyers, though they would still need a considerable amount saved elsewhere in order to make the 25 percent minimum deposit most mortgage providers require. The Bank of Scotland are also in favour of the scheme as they want to help home buyers as much as they can.
A new Legal and General Portfolio bond will be available from 21 July, ideal for financial advisors to use when putting together an investment portfolio for their clients. Three different charging options are available, a wide choice of funds as well there being no charge to swap between different funds. Legal and General have listened to the needs of financial advisors and come up with a portfolio bond that seems to deliver what they have asked for. The different options provided by Legal and General also cater for different risk profiles along with the option to take regular withdrawals. All in all investors will find all their bases covered with this new bond offering.
The latest Tesco Finance report on green activity shows that 53 percent of homeowners were driven by the chance to save money when it came to assessing energy efficient improvements in their homes. Rising fuel costs have also driven around 54 percent of respondents to change aspects of their home to make them more eco friendly said Tesco Finance. Money is not the only driver though as some 56 percent of people said their concerns regarding the environment had influenced their decisions to some extent. With so many demands on consumers pockets now and seemingly getting worse by the day it is no surprise to see people seeking ways to save money said a Tesco Finance spokesperson. The fact that these changes can also help the environment is an additional benefit for everyone.
Although we are always told that saving should be one of the first things we do the latest survey results from the Nationwide Building Society show that only a quarter of us are ranking it highly. The main reason for this at the moment has to be the cost of living, which is changing the focus of the population towards covering the rising costs of bills rather than saving. This is supported by an aspect of the Nationwide Building Society study that showed how over 60 percent of people felt they were not saving enough. In real terms this is the time when people should save even harder than usual. Looking at an uncertain future consumers really need to be building up a resource they can call upon should they face unexpected costs. The Nationwide Building Society, along with most other financial institutions, suggests having enough cash to manage for around three months.
