Sustainable Living Articles

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Protecting yourself from identity fraud. Your identity is extremely valuable. You need it to prove who you are for various purposes in your day-to-day life, such as opening a bank account, obtaining a loan, getting a credit card, purchasing goods or services, applying for a passport or driving licence. The Pros and Cons of Store Cards Why shouldn’t you take advantage of the offers if they’re there for the taking? You could save a lot of money by opening a store card (for example, discounts of up to 20% may be offered with your first purchase), as long as you are sure that you will be able to pay the bill before interest is charged. Getting to grips with ISAs The Individual Savings Account (ISA) scheme was set up by the government in 1999 to encourage people to save more money. It allows people to save up to a certain amount each year without paying tax on the interest or income from it. Pensions Guide: State Pensions The most important financial decisions you’re likely to make in your life are those concerning your retirement. To have a secure future with a comfortable standard of living after you’ve stopped working, you’ll need to plan your finances carefully. Pensions guide: private pensions It’s now unlikely that the state pension will be enough to keep you living comfortably when you retire. It provides only basic support, and the government itself is keen to encourage people to save as much as they can to supplement their state pension and give themselves a comfortable income in retirement. Budgeting for your Personal Finance Most of us find ourselves having to part with our hard-earned cash almost on a daily basis to just keep ourselves going. Have you ever thought about exactly what you’re spending though? A great deal of people never bother to budget – yet they could find themselves a lot better off by keeping an eye on their income and outgoings. Mortgages: what products are available? Basic principle of a mortgage is very simple: you borrow money to buy a house and pay back the loan with interest. However, nowadays there are so many products available that it can be mind-boggling. Here’s a guide to methods of repayment and interest rates. Bankruptcy: a concise guide Bankruptcy is one method of getting out of debt. It is a court order that transfers responsibility for dealing with creditors to the Official Receiver, who also takes control of the debtor’s money and assets and distributes them fairly to all their creditors.