Marchin' into April without CashISA

I prefer to do my banking over the internet. I check my accounts very often - at least once a day. Every year around this time, I get a shock from my internet banking aggregator. The money in my tax-free savings accounts disappears. That's always my wake-up call. It means it's that time of year to plan ahead. It means it's that time to look at cash-efficient savings vehicles and plan an allotment strategy.

Even though this "disappearance" of funds happens annually whilst interest is calculated and paid, I get a jolt everytime and quickly make a mental note to research my options. I'm not saving so much annually now that I go over the tax-free limit so my consideration doesn't include savings that aren't tax sheltered.

Like most people, my tax-free saving vehicle of choice is an ISA. The government recently overhauled ISAs. The new limit is £7200 in cash, stocks and shares. The maximum cash ISA holding is £3600 per year. Last year I had both a cash ISA and a stocks and shares ISA. The interest rate on my cash ISA was okay, but it wasn't as good as past years. This year, I'm ditching the cash ISA. Why? Well, because the interest rate is piss poor. It can't even preserve my money's buying power. The best cash ISA interest rate for 2011/2012 is 2.50%*. Inflation currently sits at 3.6%. The SkyNews finance segment says money must grow at at least 4.4% whilst invested. So, no I'm not willing to watch inflation kick my money's ass.

* This is based on the amount I am able to put away and a maximum investment term of 12 months with no early withdrawals.

Dorks Rule!

i was never one of the cool kids at school. I hung out with them, but I was always the geeky dorky one who loved gadgets and taking stuff apart. For that reason, the senitments in this hilarious parody of Alicia Keys and Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" resonate.

Happy Hump Day people!

Morningstar is Awesome

I don't work for Morningstar. I don't know anyone who does. They just provide me with a great place to look at how my stocks and shares have performed since I acquired them and to monitor stocks I intend to buy.

Since I started making grown up decisions investing, I have been okay about asset allocation. I have been not-so-great on portfolio diversification. Somehow, I thought holding different asset classes did that sufficiently - newbie mistake or just plain dumb - I'm still not sure.

Now, I'm actively looking to offset my risk and exposure in markets against others. So, this is when my affair with Morningstar began. I'm a fan of the Free Portfolio Analysis tools and particularly like the Instant X-ray. Above all, I adore the fact that this is all free.

Check it out if you need a one-stop shop for objective stock/ETF/fund advice and good tools for analysis. More coming soon on my attempts to play the market like a grown-up

To The One Who Nurtures Me

I’m not full of answers, though I pretend that I am. If it were not for your sweetness, I would not know who I am.

Happy Mother's Day Cherie!

Happy Mother's Day( to all who celebrate this Mother's Day) people. Know that your efforts are not in vain, that your children are enriched by their experiences with you and that everyone recognises motherhood isn't an easy job.

C.V. Writing: Google Maps is the new Microsoft Word

In a world where we are all struggling to stand out from the pack, how you come across on your C.V. is of the utmost importance.

That's why, when I saw Ed Hamilton's C.V., I had to applaud him. Top marks for ingenuity and humour.

source

Are You Paying Too Much (Council) Tax?

I sure was, and I had been for two years.

Can you imagine that? For two years, the wonderful Council that I reside in continuously overcharged me and nobody realized this. They acted like they had no clue I lived alone and thus was very eligible for the single person discount. Yet they were happy to hound me every single time money was due. Shame on me though - I didn't even realise I was overpaying. I mean, I always complained about how expensive living in this borough was, but I bore it as an unavoidable evil.

So, earlier this week, I was thinking about the two main ways to attain financial freedom i.e.:

• Earn more.
  
• Spend less.

I began looking at all my bills to see if I could cut back in any areas. Now, I feel like I run a pretty tight ship so I wasn't expecting a whole lot of wiggle room, but freeing up money is always worth the once-over.As usual, I was struck by how high my Council tax bill is, so I called the Council to see if I could get something for nothing ask a few questions. Fifteen minutes into the conversation, I realize I'm not getting the single person discount and I kick off.

Long story short, I should be receiving a nice check with two zeros on the end and a number above 6 preceding those zeros soon. The sensible part of me wants to say, "just apply it to my 2010 bill and I'll pay a lower rate each month". I'm sure that part won't win.