Will killing commission kill financial advice?
There’s a worrying possibility that the FSA is about to kill off independent financial advice in the UK for all but the wealthy. I do hope I’m wrong. It’s just confirmed plans of its Retail Distribution Review which, in a nutshell, means from 2012 Independent Financial Advisers will have to charge a fee rather than simply take...
When is misselling mis-consuming? Can you be missold every month for 10 years?
This is quite a staggering story – I’d love to know where your sympathies lie! A friend texted to say he was outraged with his bank, and could I help. Normally I tend to say check the website, but he said this one was different, so I asked him to send me a brief email. His complaint....
Do the law lords declare an interest?
A bit of lawyer humour on bank charges… spotted in the New Law journal “Civil Way” column. Comment and discuss
Savings fountain HSBC… nifty idea… shame about the products
One kind MoneySaver popped me an email to suggest that HSBC was now using our Savings Fountain concept in its adverts. The fountain idea is simple: as the highest paying after-tax savings products such as cash-ISAs or regular savers allow different amounts in them, it’s all about filling up the top product then letting the rest overflow....
Why Martin Lewis’ is correct grammar!
It staggers me quite how many grammar fiends take the time to e-mail about the apostrophe in ‘Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert.com’ in the site logo, arguing it should be ‘Martin Lewis’s’. So it’s time to blog on it, so we can simply link here every time we get a complaint. While you may not agree, at least it...
How do you buy British in banking?
Following on from my last blog about Is ICICI an Indian bank?, I was interested to read the forum discussion. There Fudge 1977 was one of many to voice the following sentiment: “With the push to ‘buy British’, maybe you could just highlight British owned banks when referencing them. I’m buying british where I can do which...
The best worst shop slogan… can you beat TK Maxx?
I’ve just spotted the most terrible promise in a shop window and wonder if you can beat it… In the Money Diet, I write through a large explanation of what different shop slogans actually mean, but the following really is absolutely meaningless… In TK Maxx shop window “Always up to 60% less” Lets just examine the words:...
Is ICICI an Indian Bank… do xenophobic overtones hurt its custom
ICICI is a massive Indian bank, but on this site we’re only ever referring to its fully UK owned and regulated UK savings subsidiary that has exactly the same protection as any other UK savings institution (see savings safety). Yet this is what I wrote in this week’s e-mail… New top fixed savings. Lock-in at 4.35% for...
The new MSE weather prediction service
Having just been away in the sun for a few days, I’ve discovered MoneySavingExpert.com has a bespoke new service for nerds, which even I hadn’t been told about. Quite remarkably, the site can now predict British Weather. I first noticed the phenomena a couple of weeks ago, when between 1,200 and 1,700 people joined the email over...
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Recent Blogs
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Martin Lewis: The one thing everyone aged over 66 needs to know
17 June 2022![]()
It is a national tragedy that getting on for a million pensioners, many of whom have been paying into the system for years, are missing out on a critical boost to their income. It's called pension credit, and this year it also means you get an extra £650 to help with energy bills. -
Martin Lewis: What I asked the Chancellor to do when I spoke to him on Monday...
26 May 2022![]()
With the announcement of the Government's energy cost of living plans due out at lunchtime. I thought I'd speedily bash out a note down of what (from memory) I'd asked the Chancellor for when we spoke on Monday - and the other general suggestions I've been making. -
Martin Lewis: Got a cash ISA? You should probably ditch it
24 May 2022![]()
Press the rewind button and go way back to April 2015... Possibly on the telly in the corner of your living room, I was on-air at the time urging savers as usual to use their new tax-free cash ISA allowance – because 'money was nicer in an ISA'. But things changed in 2016. -
Martin Lewis: 'UO is just as important as UX: A tip for anyone developing their website or app'
6 May 2022![]()
I set up MoneySavingExpert.com nearly 20 years ago – when arguably the modern web was still in its infancy. With an abundance of self-belief (something I had too much of then, as I realise now) I decided not to read any books, or follow prevailing wisdom on how a site should operate – and just do it my way.
