Your Money Marketplace

Wealth Check: Retire at 55 on £50,000 a year?

Posted on 18. May, 2010 by emilythomas.

The Independent posted this insightful article about retirement. It discusses a small-business owner, Lawrence (age 24), who wishes to retire at age 55 on £50,000 a year. Lawrence’s personal and business finances are closely linked. He also wants to his existing property to rent out through his business, which may prove to be difficult in [...]

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Money Tips You Need to Know Before Travelling to the World Cup

Posted on 13. May, 2010 by emilythomas.

For a safe and enjoyable time in South Africa, Barrons.com published 10 payment card and money tips you need to know before you go. Remember, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa accepts only Visa-branded payment cards, along with cash, in all 2010 FIFA World Cup stadiums, to pay for food and beverages, retail [...]

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Identity Theft Insurance

Posted on 20. Apr, 2010 by emilythomas.

In response to the rise of identity theft, banks, insurers and other institutions have begun offering ID theft insurance. If you take out this cover and your identity is stolen, your policy should help you deal with problems that arise and get your life back on track.
If you think you would struggle to cope without access [...]

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Pension Drawdown

Posted on 19. Apr, 2010 by emilythomas.

Also called an income drawdown or unsecured pension, a pension drawdown allows personal pension holders to opt for withdrawals from their pension fund (pension drawdown) instead of  being required to buy a pension annuity with the pension remaining invested with an insurance company. This gives the pension holder more control over their pension. However, at age [...]

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SIPPs: Self-Invested Pension Plans

Posted on 06. Apr, 2010 by emilythomas.

SIPPs are not how you drink your tea — it stands for “self-invested pension plans.” These are do-it-yourself types of pensions. With a SIPP, you have the choice of where you want your retirement savings to be invested, instead of having a pension company to make the decisions.
Today, nearly any UK resident under 75 can take [...]

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Is IVA The Right Solution For You?

Posted on 30. Mar, 2010 by emilythomas.

In the UK a lot of people who are submerged in debt often consider IVA or Individual Voluntary Arrangement as a solution to their financial crisis. It is true that IVA is indeed a better alternative than bankruptcy. However, you must understand that IVA is a quite complicated proposition. So you need to know the [...]

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Credit Card Cheques

Posted on 29. Mar, 2010 by emilythomas.

Credit card cheques are similar to cheques issued on current accounts. These slips of paper allow you to make additional purchases on credit. They are a means of paying for something when you don’t have cash and you can’t use your card, and can be made out to shops, tradesmen and anyone else you might pay [...]

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Secured Credit Cards

Posted on 24. Mar, 2010 by emilythomas.

Getting approved for a credit card can be tough for people who have poor credit history – especially during the credit crisis. But there are other options if you can’t get a traditional credit card. One option is secured cards.
Secured cards are similar too traditional credit cards, except for a deposit requirement. Secured cards are [...]

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Who’s Better at Managing Finances: Women or Men?

Posted on 16. Mar, 2010 by emilythomas.

DRUMROLL PLEASE…….
According to Moneyextra.com, women are better! Founder of Moneymagpie.com Jasmine Birtles said “female professionals tend to be better at controlling income and expenditure as they are used to managing the family home.” Her comments were in response to research conducted by lovemoney.com which found women to be better at keeping up with their [...]

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How Credit Card Companies Take More Money Out of Our Pockets

Posted on 15. Mar, 2010 by emilythomas.

I found this interesting article explaining 8 tricks credit card companies use to make more profit. According to Susan Mitchell of Cheap-Credit-Cards.org, the tricks include:

Not posting payment received immediately
Changing the due date for your credit card payment (which may cause you to pay late and incur late fees)
Charging penalty fees for not using a credit [...]

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