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...
Latest MoneySaving Tips
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Martin's Mortgage Alert'Rates have dropped below 1% – check NOW'
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First Direct boosts free cash to £125It's top for service too
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'Don't over worry about credit scores'Martin's new blog
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New. 12 Spotify tips to pay lessAnd play more
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TWO prescription sunnies £22 all-inCheapest we've seen this deal
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£40 cashback for investing £400If you plan to 'robo-invest'
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Amazon 'Prime Day' predictionsIncl up to 50% off Alexa
Recent Blogs
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Martin Lewis: Why you shouldn't worry too much about your credit score – it’s not actually a real thing
14 June 2021![]()
When it comes to finances, numbers are key – whether it's what you earn, your credit card balance or the interest rate on your mortgage, small changes can add up to a big difference. Yet there's one number you shouldn't pay too much attention to – your credit score. -
Martin Lewis VIDEO: Should you pay off your Plan 1 student loan?
18 May 2021![]()
If you started university between 1998 and 2012, or since then in Scotland and Northern Ireland, you'll have a Plan 1 student loan. While much is written about whether those with savings should overpay the current English Plan 2 student loans, there's little out there about Plan 1. I wanted to change that, so here's a video explaining how to decide...
