£1bn will be handed out by banks and building societies today in the form of mortgages
Source: Credit Action January 2008 (www.creditaction.org.uk)
The April 5th ISA deadline is fast approaching.
Child SIPPs can provide comfort in retirement.
With inflation still biting, savings are becoming more important.
An ISA (Individual Savings Account) is a tax free method of saving. Money earned from a bank, in the form of interest, is seen as income and is liable to be taxed. However, with an ISA, the interest you earn is not taxed. Read more...>
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Virgin Climate Change ISAInvests in environmentally aware companies |
0% | Instant Access |
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ING Direct Cash ISACompetitive AER and interest is paid monthly |
3% | Instant Access |
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Barclays Loyalty Reward ISAAvailable for Barclays customers who either have a Barclays current account or over £500 saved with Barclays |
3.05% | Instant |
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There are two different types of ISAs; 'cash' and 'stocks and shares'. Because they are tax free there are government restrictions surrounding them. There is a limit to how much you can save; a total of £10,680 during the 2011/12 tax year, which started on 6th April 2011, of which only £5,340 can be cash, you can only open one ISA each financial year plus, you are only allowed to add funds to one ISA during each finanical year.
With all savings accounts the interest rate is important and just because the ISA is tax free doesn't mean that you shouldn't compare available rates from different providers.
ISAs can appear complex because of the way that they are constructed which again comes down to government requirements.
A cash ISA will allow up to £5,340 cash to be invested.
A stocks and shares ISA also allows you to invest EITHER up to £5,340 in cash and up to £5,340 in stocks and shares OR anything up to the full £10,680 solely in stocks and shares.
Many investors choose simply to take advantage of the cash component of an ISA and take the £5,340 a year tax-free basis for their savings earnings.