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Category: Uncategorized
Around one in three of us in the UK can expect to be a victim of identity theft or fraud at least once in our lifetime. Two common attacks by criminals are that they either take over your identity or steal your credit/debit card identity. Either way, you can be done by the fraudster, quickly or slowly over time. Identity fraud is less likely if you take the right steps to protect yourself.
Category: Uncategorized
Your credit rating with credit reference agencies like Experian, Equifax, CallCredit or CheckMyFile can be accessed by any business or institution seeking to check on your credit worthiness. Your credit report with such an agency is an almost inevitable early checkpoint for financial institutions and lenders.
Category: Uncategorized
A bad credit rating can limit your borrowing options. If you miss credit card payments, direct debits for energy bills, or other commitments, you could find a mark placed against your name that will cause you problems. County Court Judgements (CCJs), defaulted payments and bankruptcy orders all leave a black mark against your name when you are trying to secure credit.
Category: Uncategorized
If youâre over 18 and have ever taken out credit, a credit reference agency is likely to hold a credit report on you. There are several credit reference agencies operating in the UK, of which Experian and Equifax are probably the most widely known. Your credit report is a personal history of the credit youâve had, including mortgages, credit cards and even mobile phone contracts.
Category: Reduce tax & Uncategorized
1. Pay into a pension scheme
Invest in a company or personal pension scheme and gain tax breaks on your personal pension contributions.
2. Maximise personal allowancesâŚ
Ensure that you are making the most of your tax-free personal allowance (PA). If your spouse or partner has little or no income, consider transferring income (or income-producing assets) to them to ensure that they are able to make full use of their PA. Any transfer must be an outright gift with âno strings attachedâ.
Category: savings & Uncategorized
We are all being encouraged to save for our futures, while at the same time many of us feel discouraged by low interest rates and returns on our savings. Critically, many of us see the value of our savings over time, just not keeping up with inflation â we feel that what we put away shrinks in real terms, rather than growing. Whatâs the point in saving for something that will actually turn out to cost more later on â why not buy now?
