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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.

Other News

The triple lock remains after Tory-DUP deal… but for how long?

Open padlockConcerns that the triple lock system is on its last legs are not new. But while the triple lock’s future has looked tenuous for a while, it has managed to survive the deal between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Union Party.

The Tories had previously planned to get rid of the triple lock – a mechanism to ensure the state pension rises either by the rate of inflation, wage growth, or by 2.5% (whichever is highest) every year – in 2020, replacing it with a double lock (which would remove the 2.5% element). But losing a parliamentary majority has caused the party to make a U-turn (probably because the DUP were strong supporters of the system staying put), and there was no mention of the triple-lock’s abolition in the Queen’s Speech.

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Private Pension – Options Explained by Keith Littlewood, International Financial Adviser Costa Blanca

Many people have pension pots just sitting, not really doing anything, but at every stage in life it is very important that you should keep track of your retirement provision.

If you are in your 30s or 40s look closely to what provision you have and what you might need in the future. State Benefits are not going to kick in for you until you are 67.

If you are in your 50s then this is a very critical period. One bad investment year can affect the income you receive for the rest of your life, so make sure you are looking at setting your investments up in a balanced way so that no unforeseen disasters can hurt you – this is called ‘Life Styling your Pension Pot’.

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