Don't pay for stuff: the secrets to winning competitions
Filed under: Competitions, Freebies and Bargains
Why work for a living when you can just win everything you need? Pretty much all the things you will ever need in life - and some you won't - are being given away by someone, somewhere. You can win houses, cars, holidays, money, lawnmowers or even a year's supply of chocolate hob-nobs, so long as you know how to go about it. What's more, even if you don't want the prizes, you can always sell them for cold, hard cash on Ebay.
Smokers and the overweight benefit from special pensions
Filed under: Retirement
If you smoke or are overweight, it's worth knowing that your unhealthy habits could help you net a much bigger retirement income. Smokers and people with weight problems - shocked into action by plummeting pension annuity rates - are rushing to buy into specialist pension schemes designed for their requirements because they offer much better payouts. And you need to do the same to avoid missing out.
Open top grannies hit the highways
Filed under: Insurance, Weird and Wonderful
While convertible cars might generally be associated with younger drivers, new figures reveal that women over the age of 50 are in fact most likely to be behind the wheel of a cabriolet.
Research conducted by AA Insurance indicates that women are a third more likely to drive 'topless' than men and it is those in their fifties who are most likely to choose a convertible car.
Improve your credit score in five easy steps
Filed under: Credit Cards, Loans
If you are having trouble being approved for credit cards and other financial products, it's almost certainly because you have a poor credit score. Happily, however, there are plenty of easy ways to improve your chances of being accepted for credit cards, loans and mortgages. So we've come up with five top tips for upping your credit score.
Kylie Minogue forced to slash sale price of London flat
Filed under: Property, Entertainment
Despite their fame and enormous wealth, even A-list celebrities are not immune to the effects of the housing market slowdown.
And pop princess Kylie Minogue knows this only too well after having to slash the asking price of her luxury, four-bedroom London flat by more than £500,000.
Women bearing brunt of budget cuts
Filed under: Taxes, Families, Budgeting & Planning
Women in London are paying twice as much as men for the Government's cuts in public spending, a new report claimed.Research for London mayoral hopeful Ken Livingstone showed that women are more heavily affected by cuts in housing benefit and pension changes.
Social lending - better for borrowers and savers
The concept of social lending is not especially new, yet it's not something many of us know much about. So if you've lost faith in the banks and their underhand ways then you need to sit up and pay attention. Online 'financial exchanges' like Zopa and Yes-Secure offer a real alternative for both borrowers and savers. What's more the rates of interest on these sites are consistently better than those offered by the banks.
All cash machines to start stocking fivers
You will soon be able to withdraw just £5 from cash machines across the UK, thanks to plans for all banks and building societies to start dispensing the notes again.
Various consumer surveys have suggested that the ability to withdraw just a fiver, or amounts of say £25 or £45, would be popular with Britons keen to keep a lid on their post-recession spending.
Beat the autumn blues with five fantastic end-of-summer bargains
Filed under: Freebies and Bargains
Depressing, isn't it? But don't despair! We've found five amazing bargains and freebies that will help you to forget all about that and put a summery smile back on your face.
Student loan rates jump to 4.4% - should you pay back now or not?
Filed under: Loans
For those who took out a loan after 1998, the interest rate is now 1.5%. And if you still have a loan taken out before 1998, your interest rate is now 4.4%. So should you be pulling out all the stops to pay your student loan back now?
