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Comparison website ‘misleading’ savers into buying low rates

They compared four major comparison websites, as part of the investigation and found its rivals offered far more choices. Savers who took these inferior “best buys” could lose up to £500 a year in lost interest, according to the programme. 

This figure comprises interest that savers would forgo if they put £1,000 into an easy-access account, £10,000 into an Isa, £8,000 into a 3-year bond and £7,000 into a notice account according to the sites recommendations, compared with the best deals for each product. The savings section has now been removed from the website 

The first comparison site started in 2002, introducing the model whereby firms pay for their products to be included in online best-buy tables. These sites have since become household names, and are widely used to compare financial products such as car insurance and energy suppliers. 

Comparison websites typically have a commercial link with the products they advertises, for example the comparison website may receive a commission every time a user clicks through to a bank or building society’s product website. 

Investors are lulled into a false sense of security by expecting impartial information to be supplied for them to get the best deal.  Whilst quite often people are satisfied with the outcome, there is no ongoing support and advice after. This is where Blacktower can help you.

This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice, investment recommendations or investment research. You should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained in this communication is correct, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.

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Bull, Bear – who is pulling the strings?

Blacktower Financial Management - Bull or BearFor those of you who have been invested in equities and commodities, the recent few weeks will have been a stressful time. As always we are bombarded with comment after comment; opinion after opinion and ultimately who is to blame for what?

One minute it is down to Interest Rates in the US the next its China and lower growth expectations. Oil has continued to fall and Gold doesn’t seem to be doing a great deal – the normal sign of a ‘Bear’ market is a rush to Gold….which has not happened.

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Planning for a Long Retirement in Spain

PaellaPeople across Europe and the Western world are living longer than ever before. This is likely to be the result of a combination of many factors – for example, good diet, technological and medical advances. and increased access to healthcare.

However, simply moving to a country with high longevity is, in itself, not enough to confer any benefit.

For example, if you move to Spain but eat a ‘Full English’ breakfast every day, followed by fish and chips for lunch and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding for dinner, while all the while smoking 20 cigarettes a day and downing several pints of beer every evening, the Spanish climate and great healthcare is probably not going to help increase your lifespan by a particularly significant amount.

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