Moneyblog

I’m really tired of being ripped off. Whether it’s council tax hikes, parking charges or bus tickets (a ten minute journey to the nearest town costs more than £4 where I live), I’ve had enough. And don’t get me started on the size of chocolate bars. So it’s with a weary sigh that I read of another rise in energy bills for EDF customers. It’s proof, if proof were needed, that big companies feel they can do exactly what they want, and sod their customers. Under the changes, people on EDF’s dual-fuel tariff will pay £1,160 a year, substantially more than the cheapest deal on the market. This is a whopping difference, and

My name is Helen Nugent and I am a pavement parker. This is not a hobby or something I set out to do on a daily basis but, in many instances, it’s that or block the road to traffic and put cyclists’ lives at risk. Britain’s roads weren’t built for this many vehicles. There are more than 25 million cars on UK roads, and that’s the licensed ones. Cities, towns and villages struggle to cope with available parking spaces. I can think of multiple places in my immediate vicinity where traffic is limited to single file because of vehicles parked on either side. And that’s often where people park on

This week’s Best Buys, provided by Moneyfacts, are 0 per cent Introductory Purchase Credit Cards.

Poor LISA. She’s all dolled up, ready to make her entrance onto the national stage and nobody wants her. She’s the girl at the dance who sits on her own, unloved and ignored. Today marks the launch of the Lifetime ISA, the government’s flagship savings programme. The LISA is a version of the Individual Savings Account, intended to help first-time buyers and those saving for retirement. It works like this: for every £1,000 saved, the government provides a £250 top-up. People can make annual contributions up to £4,000. Anyone aged between 18 and 39 is eligible, with a cut-off age for contributions of 50. The maximum government bonus is £32,000 and

Chippy tea. Just writing those words makes me yearn for fish and chips, lathered in vinegar and dosed with salt. Perhaps some mushy peas on the side and a bottle of ketchup to hand. While a world without fish suppers would be a cold, cold place (for me, at least), new research shows that people are turning their backs on this most traditional of British meals. According to The NPD Group, younger customers are shunning the local chippy, putting the future of fish and chip shops at risk. Can this really be true? Who doesn’t like a chip butty? And what’s wrong with pea wet and scraps? But the study

I have always had a soft spot for building societies. Maybe it’s because I worked for one in the 1980s as an economist. Bristol & West it was called, and long since gone to the cemetery for building societies (not many plots left). Lovely departmental boss, no work pressure and little economic analysis required. But it is more than a former work bond that draws me to these financial mutuals. More than 20 years of personal finance reporting have made me realise that most building societies strive to do more good than harm. They try and look after their customers – be they savers or borrowers. Some such as Nationwide, the

There’s no panacea for the nation’s credit card debt – but the Financial Conduct Authority is having a go at helping people languishing in continual debt. So-called ‘persistent’ debt is a serious problem. Under the FCA’s definition, credit card customers are in persistent debt if they have paid more in interest and charges than they have repaid of their borrowing, over an 18-month period. While it’s no fun for the individual, credit card firms love these people and, surprise surprise, ‘do not routinely intervene to help them’ according to the city watchdog. The FCA estimates that around 3.3 million people are in persistent debt, with more than half (1.8 million) for two

Another day, another slew of house price data. But with Article 50 now triggered, recent Bank of England data showing record levels of household debt, and the prospect of an interest rate rise later this year thanks to rising inflation, property statistics are throwing up a few surprises. Lowest growth in two years There’s further evidence of a slowdown in the UK housing market this morning. According to Nationwide, house prices are increasing at their lowest pace in nearly two years. Britain’s biggest building society says that the average price of a home fell 0.3 per cent to £207,308 following a 0.6 per cent rise in prices in February. It

The Bank of England is concerned that banks and building societies may have made it too easy to borrow money – and with good reason. Figures released by the Bank today show that household debt is at record levels, with credit card debt increasing at its fastest rate in more than a decade. It’s not difficult to see how this happened. Lenders deluge households with offers of new credit cards, and regularly raise the borrowing levels on existing plastic. There’s a plethora of deals on cards to entice people to switch their debt to new providers and the minimum monthly repayments are often so minuscule that many customers only ever

As I edge up my 40s, I’m fast becoming aware that getting older isn’t much fun. Whether it’s squinting at the small print in books or complaining about my gammy knee, I’m all about the pity party these days. Which is why I do not relish the prospect of my 50s and 60s. What’s in store, artificial hips and bifocals? What I do know is this: financial companies are likely to give me the cold shoulder. New research out today reveals that one in five over 50s are refused finance and insurance because of their age. As part of its Welcome to Life After 50 campaign, SunLife has conducted The Big