Martin Lewis: Should I move my Help to Buy ISA into a Lifetime ISA?
Which is better, the Help to Buy ISA (H2B ISA) or the Lifetime ISA (LISA)? I'm asked this all the time. No wonder, as they both offer an unbeatable, no-brainer 25% bonus for first-time buyers saving in them – yet there are some big differences, so I've bashed out an answer...
Martin Lewis: A warning for all wannabe first-time buyers or even those years away from buying
Never owned a home? Open a Help to Buy ISA – even if you've no savings, just put £1 in. This special ISA – that gives first-time buyers up to £3,000 free towards their first mortgage – closes to new applicants on 30 November 2019, so there's now less than six months left. Yet open one before then and you bag the facility in case you ever need it later.
Martin Lewis: A warning to first time buyers – you’ve less than a week to decide if your Help to Buy ISA should become a Lifetime ISA (LISA) – some could gain £1,000s
For those saving for a first-time residential property, Help to Buy ISAs and Lifetime ISAs are no-brainers, as an unbeatable 25% bonus is added as well as interest. In other words you get an extra £250 per £1,000 saved towards any mortgage. Yet as you can only get the home-buying bonus on one of them, you need to pick which is...
Should you switch your Help to Buy ISA into a Lifetime ISA?
On 6 April 2017 the new Lifetime ISA launches, allowing first-time buyers aged under 40 to save up to £4,000 a year, with the state adding 25% on top towards a deposit for a home. Yet there’s already a very similar product called the Help to Buy ISA many first-time buyers already have. So the big question is, should you...
First-time buyers’ trick: Max LISA and Help to Buy ISA gains by timing it right
The new Lifetime ISA (LISA) launches next April. It allows eligible savers to put away up to £4,000 a year. Then if it’s used for a first-time home purchase or retirement, the state adds a 25% bonus on top – a possible £1,000 a year bonus for up to 30 years. While the already up-and-running Help to Buy...
Can you rent out a home bought with a Help to Buy ISA/Lifetime ISA?
The Help to Buy ISA is a huge boon for first-time buyers. It means when you save in it for a mortgage deposit, you’ll get up to £3,000 added on top. The new Lifetime ISA is going to dwarf even that when it launches in 2017 – adding up to £1,000 a year, for up to 32 years,...
The Help to Buy ISA vs Lifetime ISA – which should first-time buyers get?
Update Note August 2016: While reviewing this blog I’ve noticed that in bashing it out, I used the term house deposit as shorthand – but that is ambiguous. So to clarify I am talking about the deposit you need to get a mortgage for a house, not the deposit you must give a seller at exchange. This...
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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...
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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'
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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.
