A recent Legal and General survey has shown that the Welsh are the most likely to have money left at the end of the month after covering bills and essential payments.
Two thirds of people in Wales had money left over, compared with a national average of 53 percent and a surprising 43 percent in London. These findings really turn the general understanding of where the money is on its head. Although the cost of living in London is high it has always been thought that wages covered this difference with some to spare, but perhaps not.
A Legal and General spokesman felt the findings should prompt consumers to start putting some money aside into a savings account or something similar. Having disposable income does not mean it has to be spent straight away, saving some can make a massive difference to the future.
Marks and Spencer have announced their new Ethical Investment Fund which will invest in UK based organisations that make a positive contribution both to the environment and the communities in which they have an effect.
Investors are driven by more than just money now, wishing to consider where their money is invested as well as how much it earns. The M&S Ethical Investment Fund is perfect then for this type of conscientious investor and is also expecting to generate good returns too. In fact an ethical fund topped the charts of all investment funds only last week, so there is clearly plenty of growth potential.
The fund will be managed jointly by Jupiter Asset Management and Sinopia Asset Mgt, two organisations with good track records in the ethical investment arena. For those wishing to learn more about the new fund there is information available via the Marks and Spencer website.
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.