The AnswerBank Articles

Home Insurance Firms Warn That Flood Cover Guarantee Dependent On Investment

A few years on from the Carlisle floods, the worst in the UK for over 100 years, home insurance companies are warning that the country is still vulnerable to rising waters. Over two million homes in the UK are still at risk of flooding, and with the effects of climate change this number is expected to increase to 3.5 ...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Check The Small Print For Winter Sports Travel Insurance

Although for many of us a hot summer sun holiday is the ideal there are plenty of people out there for whom the cold slopes are the best way to relax. Many resorts now do all year glacier skiing and so we can get our fill of the piste at any time. However, whenever and wherever we go to swoosh down the slopes it is vi...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Number Of Pension Age Employees Set To Increase

Many of us who are currently working are looking forward to the time when we can sit back and relax with our feet up when we retire. However, more and more people who are reaching retirement age are not retiring. It could be that for economical reasons they want to carry on working or simply that they feel they have mo...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Homeowners Warned On Home Insurance Content Cover

Many years ago Christmas was all about family; and presents, although required, were a small affair. In most households the most expensive present was likely to be a bike or train set. Nowadays, however, the scene is different. Although family is still important in these modern times the presents have changed dramatic...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Claim Your Child’s ‘Free Money’

For those of us who are blessed with children we could always do with a bit of financial help. If your child was born on or after the first of September 2002 the government has £250 to give you to invest on their behalf. The fund is to be held in trust for the child and cannot be accessed until they are 18 years ...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Metrosexual Types Underinsured

It used to be that only women carried around large quantities of ‘stuff’ in their handbags, nowadays however, increasing numbers of men are taking to the country’s streets with more gadgets than an electrical retailer. And what a lot of choice of gadgets there are out there. Starting with your simple...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Millions Planning Equity Relief To Avoid Inheritance Tax

Despite being persistently portrayed in the popular press as the generation that loves to 'Ski' and ‘Spend the Kids Inheritance’ two million retired people are finding other ways to avoid inheritance tax. One in five say they plan to avoid heavy death duties from eating into their property and savings by d...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

UK Throwing Away Billions On Tax

The UK is gifting the chancellor a collective £7.6 billion in tax revenue that they could be squirreling away in duty-free saving products, a company specialising in independent financial advice has claimed. Four fifths of adults are throwing away money that could be theirs to keep if they picked the right savin...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Store Cards Overcharging By 20%

Britons who choose to put spending onto store cards are routinely paying 20 per cent too much in interest, the Competition Commission has said. The finding is part of a major survey that the watchdog has carried out into the cards, concluding that by choosing store cards over low interest credit cards consumers are col...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

UK Embraces Online Banking Says Survey

With more and more of us becoming computer savvy we are doing more than check our email online. More than half of the UK (59 per cent) now regularly takes advantage of online banking, says new research. Almost two thirds of people in the UK now say that they use online banking "much more" than they did two y...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Employees In The Dark About Company Pension Changes

Many of us work for companies that have their own pension scheme. Usually both the employer and the employee contribute to the fund on a monthly basis. The alternative is that you have your own private pension. There is now, however, a new set of rules which will allow you to be a member of a company pension and also s...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Basic Bank Accounts Provide Financial Confidence

With many of us feeling the pinch and struggling to make ends meet it may be good news that we can now get a simpler bank account to help with our finances. The Basic Bank Account is easy to use and is designed for people who want to ensure that they cannot overdraw their account or who might not meet the banks' criter...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Same-Sex Couples Affected By New Tax Rules

Before December 2005 same sex couples were categorised as individuals for benefit purposes. After this date, however, with the introduction of the Civil Partnership Act those living together as a couple would be seen as such for tax credits and benefits. Despite this being a victory for homophiles it could make them wo...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Students 'Conned' By Free Gifts From Banks

Every year thousands of fresh faced young people arrive at university with a sense of achievement, nerves and excitement. For many it is often the first time they have been away from home for more than a couple of weeks and it can be daunting to think you are now your own keeper. The years of preparation to get here ha...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Home Insurance Vital To Home-Workers

For some of us it is the ideal situation, working from home. It can help save money on travelling costs and childcare. Working from home can give benefits as simple as being able to take deliveries during the day without having to slog down to the post office after work. Or being able to take the dog out for a walk in ...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Soft Commodity Costs 'Have Gone Up'

Most of us have noticed that the cost of our shopping has been steadily rising over the last few years. This is due to the price of so called ‘Soft Commodities’. These are everyday things such as wheat, sugar or even orange juice. According to recent research over the past few years the prices of these com...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Firms 'Turning Blind Eye To Sickness'

Many finance companies are not putting in place procedures to cut down on staff sickness, it has been reported. According to a leading health plan provider, nearly 50 per cent of firms in the industry have not taken measures to put in place a strategy in order to reduce employee absence. It added that this comes as c...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Children Given Financial Education

The reality as of the early 21st century is that in the UK (and probably elsewhere) the current young generation risks being in the unenviable position of growing up poorer than the previous generation. This is a bitter pill to swallow and could mean relying on parents for support for longer and a bleak retirement. Pa...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

One In Three Worried About Debt

We are all feeling the strain of the credit crunch and keeping a close eye on the purse strings. However, it seems that a third of us are seriously worried. Debt is said to be a concern for one in three people in the UK, new research reveals. According to a well known online financial services company, 33 per cent of...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Quit Smoking And Start Saving.

Despite the government’s ban on smoking indoors many of us are still lighting up, even in the coldest of weather. However, not a few people took the ban as an opportunity to give up. We have all heard the stories of chronic health failure for those who smoke. Smoking related diseases range from lung cancer, hear...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010