06/01/2010 by bill.

Want to start afresh this year, but don’t fancy the high loan rates on the High Street? If you want to cut up the credit cards for good, invest in a new motor, or even want to give your home a fresh look, why not try Zopa? If you have a good credit rating, the lending and borrowing marketplace can offer you some of the best personal loan rates around.

More than 300,000 people have joined the UK’s only social lending website, and with rates up to 40% cheaper than the High Street banks, it’s clear why. Plus, you’re borrowing from real people, not lining the pockets of the banks.

And if your circumstances change and you want to pay off your loan early, no problem! There are no early repayment charges so you can repay as much as you want, when you like. Why be penalised for paying off your debts?

Get your free, no obligation quote (that won’t affect your credit rating) here!

See moneyjungle.net for more about managing your personal finances in 2010.

Posted in Personal loans, Finance | Print | No Comments »

12/12/2009 by bill.

Its not too late to buy Christmas gifts online. But always check whether the items you are purchasing are in stock and delivery times, as Christmas gets nearer you may need to pay extra for express delivery.

Amazon UK is offering free delivery with no minimum purchase and has daily gift ideas up to Sunday 13th December.

Amazon UK Deals of the day

Netbooks and Digital Photo Frames are popular gifts this year and PC World UK has a great range of Netbooks at just £249 and a selection of Photo Frames at up to half price.

For jewellery look at Goldsmiths or Purely Diamonds both have some great deals on Christmas gifts.

Posted in Finance | Print | No Comments »

04/05/2009 by bill.

With financial news never far from the headlines Moneywise magazine is there to help guide you through your personnel finance issues in a jargon free way. New subscribers can take advantage of the current 3 issues for £1 promotion which includes two free guides - the A-Z of investing and investing for children.

Click here for details

Posted in Savings, Investments, Finance | Print | No Comments »

15/03/2009 by bill.

Money Jungle is a melting pot for money making and saving ideas, offering clear and impartial information and expert guidance for investors, business startups and anyone looking to save or make money.

The Money Jungle business directory lists details of UK and international providers of personal finance, savings, investment, property, home finance and business development services.

Why not sign up to My Money Jungle? It’s completely free to join and benefits include a regular e-newsletter with news about savings, investment, saving and making money and about moneyjungle.net developments.

Posted in Household bills, Save money, Personal Finance, Finance | Print | No Comments »

11/03/2009 by bill.

Essentially cashback is a great way to earn a little extra, or even free money when you are doing your shopping - or organising financial products online. You can also often earn extra money on these sites by referring friends and relatives to sign up as well - up to £5 per referral. It`s well worth visiting your favourite site regularly to keep an eye on the latest special cashback offers - and of course remember to redeem your money when it comes through.


Make and save money with moneyjungle.net

Posted in On line finance, Cashback, Personal Finance, Finance | Print | No Comments »

09/01/2009 by bill.

The New Year is not just about giving up chocolate, alcohol and smoking – it is also the time for some positive changes. In the current economic climate, top of your list should be learning to look after your finances.

Plan properly and it will not be as hard as you think. Here are some dates for your diary.

January: Deal with the urgent stuff first If you’re self-assessed for tax, you must file your tax return and pay any taxes you owe by 31 January or you’ll be fined. Go to hmrc.gov.uk and the site will automatically calculate what you owe or are owed when you file online. Make a note to yourself if you’re likely to owe the taxman less than £2,000 – you can have this collected via your PAYE code if you file by 30 December.

February: Take control Take a look at the bigger picture of your finances and get ready to take control of your money. Check bank and card statements, go through your utility bills and check your credit report – online services such as CreditExpert offer a free trial. Your credit report shows what you’ve borrowed, how much you owe each lender and how well you’re managing your repayments. There’s also a useful list of all your lenders and their contact details if you’ve got unused accounts that need closing or spot anything you disagree with.

March: Deal with debt If you’ve got debts to clear, prioritise them so you get rid of the most expensive ones first. It’s also worth trying to identify a cheaper loan or taking out a credit card that offers a zero per cent balance transfer or interest-free spending for a few months, to give yourself some breathing space. You are more likely to qualify if your credit history is good, so go back to your credit report before you apply and make sure it’s up to date and accurately reflects your circumstances.

April: Start to save If you’ve got spare cash and haven’t used up your tax-free ISA allowance for 2008/9, you’ve only got until 5 April to take advantage. But before you do, get out your calculator to see whether you’d be better off paying off some of what you owe, if there are no penalties for early repayment.

May: Think ahead If you’ve got a mortgage, the chances are that you viewed and bought your house during the summer/early autumn sales peak, so now’s the time to look for a replacement for your fixed rate mortgage if it runs out this year. Ideally, give yourself three months to find a new deal. Little things can make a difference to your credit rating – even registering to vote at your current address can help. If you’ve got a good reason for any repayment problems in the past, contact the credit reference agency that holds your credit report – Experian is the UK’s largest – and they can add a note of explanation that lenders will see. For example, you may have missed a few payments because you were ill. Be prepared to provide proof.

June: Hit the sales The summer sales start this month, so take advantage of the bargains. If your family needs new summer clothes, you can pick them up for less – and you can also start filling your present drawer for Christmas, instead of panicking and paying full price nearer the time. Don’t borrow more than you can comfortably repay if you’re contemplating putting everything on your credit card, or the interest could eat into what you save.

See your free Experian credit report online with a free trial of CreditExpert

July: We’re all going on a summer holiday Organise your holiday money in advance – buying foreign currency at the airport or changing cash at the hotel can be expensive. Payment cards can offer the best deals but do your research carefully and make sure you’re not over-stretched already, or you may be turned down when you ask for a new one.

August: Amuse the kids for free Outings to amusement parks, trips to the cinema, ice-creams and treats are expensive, so cut your costs without depriving the kids of a good time. Look out for money off and two-for-one vouchers in the papers and online, buy snacks from the supermarket and bring them with you and have some good, old-fashioned fun for free. Take them for a walk in the country, enjoy a home-made picnic, visit friends in other parts of the country – and send them to stay with the grandparents, so you get some time off too.

September: Christmas is coming It may sounds crazy but you need to start planning for Christmas, or you’ll end up in a last-minute panic, buying expensive food, drink and presents just to get things done. Fill the freezer and drinks cupboard with special offers, snap up presents when you see them and put a little money aside every week towards the festive season, so you don’t have to put it all on your credit card or overdraft – a survey by CreditExpert found that more than a quarter of us resorted to this in 2008.

October: Protect your identity National Identity Fraud Prevention Week takes place this month but don’t let that stop you protecting your ID all year round. Tips from stop-idfraud.co.uk include never revealing personal information to people claiming to be from an official organisation, such as a bank or the police, without double-checking. They also advise shredding all documents containing personal or financial information before throwing them out and keeping your credit or debit card in sight when paying. Last but not least, check your credit report regularly, as it will show you if someone is trying to borrow in your name. PS: if you want to file a paper tax return, it has to be in by the 31st.

November: Check your utility bills The clocks have gone back, the nights have drawn in and we’re heading to the coldest months of the year. All energy suppliers have put up their prices over the last year but there are still differences between them and you could save a tidy sum by changing supplier. Visit Energy Helpline to compare tariffs. Setting up direct debits is likely to cut your bills and don’t assume that dual-fuel options will always be cheapest – sometimes they’re not.

December: Go house-hunting The bottom of the housing market might well have been hit by now but December is always an unpopular month for house hunters, with Christmas, bad weather and holidaying solicitors combining to slow down sales. If you’ve been saving and waiting, it’s time to forget the wrapping and the turkey and get looking. By early 2010, you could be in your new home – and in good financial shape.

Manage your finances with moneyjungle.net

Posted in Credit report, Credit and Debt, Personal Finance, Finance | Print | No Comments »

25/11/2008 by bill.

As expected, the pre-budget report yesterday turned out to be a full blown mini-budget. It included a cut in the main rate of VAT to 15%, help for the elderly and low paid and some help for small businesses. All these measures are designed to boost the UK economy and address the domestic and international economic crisis. The cost of the measures is some £18 billion and, taken together with falling tax revenues as the economy goes into recession, will result in significant increases in public borrowing which will have to be repaid through future increases in tax.

In the short term it seems we can expect further interest rate cuts making savings accounts less attractive at a time when the uncertainty in financial markets makes investors very nervous. Few investors are likely to invest in property until they see signs that property values have stabilised.

It is more important than ever that anyone looking to invest undertakes proper research and seeks independent financial advice.

moneyjungle.net is a good place to start with comprehensive guidance on what types investment are available in our Investing section. The moneyjungle.net Saving and Home Finance Section includes advice on savings accounts but also on finding a mortgage or personal loan, credit, charge and debit cards, managing personal credit and debt and how to save money on household bills.

For anyone looking to start or develop their own business see the moneyjungle.net Business Start Up section.

Anyone looking to change careers will find useful information in the moneyjungle.net Training and Personal Development Section.

Keep up to date at moneyjungle.net

Posted in The budget, Personal Finance, Savings, Investments, Finance | Print | No Comments »

08/10/2008 by bill.

Together with several other central banks the Bank of England today announced a 0.5% cut in the lending rate.

This is good news for anyone with an index linked mortgage and Halifax and Lloyds TSB haaaaave announced that they will cut their standard variable rate by 0.5% in response.

The announcement was brought forward having been expected after the Bankof England Monetary Policy Committee meets tomorrow and follows a package of measures announced by Alistair Darling earlier today aimed at supporting UK banks and ensuring money is made available for lending between the banks.

In summary the proposals announced today are intended to:

Provide sufficient liquidity in the short term
Make available new capital to UK banks and building societies to strengthen their resources permitting them to restructure their finances, while maintaining their support for the real economy
Ensure that the banking system has the funds necessary to maintain lending in the medium term.

Following discussions convened by HM Treasury, the following major UK banks and the largest building society have confirmed their participation in a Government-supported recapitalisation scheme. These institutions comprise:

Abbey
Barclays
HBOS
HSBC Bank plc
Lloyds TSB
Nationwide Building Society
Royal Bank of Scotland
Standard Chartered

For more see The Treasury website

If you are looking for a mortgage see moneyjungle.net

Posted in Banks, Finance | Print | No Comments »

22/09/2008 by bill.

After the turmoil of last week now is the time to take stock about what it all means to you.

The dramatic swings in the value of stocks and shares highlights the risks involved in investing in stocks markets and the need to undertake proper research and seek independent financial advice, and avoid putting all your investments in one basket, look for a balanced portfolio. Collective investments may be a safer bet than individual shares.

Savings accounts and bonds are a safer haven for your money than stock markets and there are high variable and fixed interest rates available if you shop around. Up to £35,000 of savings with a bank or building society are protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. But watch out for group licences, many banks trade under different names and the compensation limit may apply to all accounts in the group. Despite the merger announcement, savings with HBOS and Lloyds TSB are protected under different licences, whether this willl continue after the merger is completed is not yet known. Check with the FSA website

Recently mortgage interest rates have been falling, many experts now predict increases unless the Bank of England lending rate falls. There is pressure on both the government and Bank of England to cut rates to boost the economy despite inflation continuing to increase.

Keep in touch with financial and business news at moneyjungle.net

Posted in Interest rates, Savings, Investments, Finance | Print | No Comments »

04/09/2008 by bill.

Try using the Money Jungle money tools including up to date exchange rates and stock market information, our handy currency converter, interactive gold chart, cash flow calculator, pension calculator, starting costs calculator and mortgage calculator.

Click here for these and more money tools!

Posted in Money Tools, Finance | Print | No Comments »