Motley Fool: Start Saving With Just A Quid!

First the good news: according to a new survey from Sainsbury’s Bank, there are 39 instant-access, easy access and notice savings accounts which pay annual interest of 5% or more before tax. Now the bad news: the majority of these accounts are aimed at serious savers, because only twelve pay 5% gross AER on balances of £1 or more (including Sainsbury’s own Internet Saver Account). One problem with these high-paying accounts is that many rely on introductory bonuses to boost their interest rates, which then disappear after, say, six to twelve months. In addition, a number impose restrictions or penalties on withdrawals. For instance, several table-topping accounts pay no interest in any month during which a withdrawal is made. So, take out just £20 and you lose one month’s interest on your entire balance, even if you have thousands of pounds sitting there. Ouch!

Motley Fool: Give Credit Card Cheques The Chop

This morning my new credit card provider kindly sent me a couple of credit card cheques ‘in case they’ll come in handy’. At least this lot didn’t come with the usual earnest attempt to persuade me to ‘treat’ myself, which is what my last card provider always urged me to do. I fed so many of the damn things through my shredder that it almost went into overdrive!