The Social Market Foundation has criticised the Winter Fuel Payment and the issue of free bus passes for older citizens, saying it serves no economic purpose. For a left-leaning think tank this is strong stuff. Both the Winter Fuel Payment and free travel for all over 60s were crowd pleasing measures brought in by Labour administrations - not short of buying votes.

The campaign this winter for wealthier pensioners to donate their WFP to charity indicates the stupidity of giving a ...

Tags: bus pass, free travel, pension, winter fuel payment

Categories

General , Pensions , Silver Saving

Thank goodness the Government has seen sense and has removed the threat of early repayment penalties for those seeking to clear their student loans early.

When the Government devised the new student loans scheme that starts this autumn it did two things: it greatly increased the fees students would have to pay to receive a university education, and it changed the repayment system to create a sort of "graduate tax". The more a student earns after graduation, the higher the ...

Tags: graduate, loans, student debt

Categories

General , Loans , Student Finance

My already raised blood presuure is sky high this week, thanks to the Post Office. Having tried unsuccessfully all day over a week ago to transfer all my savings over to my 'nominated current account' so I could pay for my new roof, I had in the end to phone. The call centre is in Northern Ireland - oddly comforting, or so I thought. First, over the phone only £15,000 can be transferred, so I have to write to them requesting the rest. A week and many phone calls later no money has appeared ...

Tags: bacs, bank of ireland, isa, post office

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Savings

The Office of Fair Trading looks to have - at least for the time being - reached a compromise with retailers over the vexed issue of extended warranties.

These insurance products, typically sold alongside electrical goods and promising "peace of mind" if the goods break down when the manufacturers' guarantee expires, are notoriously bad value. They are expensive, riddled with get-out clauses, often give the same cover that the law supplies free of charge when goods turn ...

Tags: extended warranties, insurance, oft, ppi

Categories

General , Insurance , If things go wrong

The removal of Fred Goodwin's knighthood has been greeted in equal parts with outrage and glee.

The outrage comes mainly from the captains of industry wondering whether their own honours, or chance of winning one, might be at risk, and the sophists who point out that Goodwin has never been convicted of a criminal offence or offically censured - the grounds on which similarly dis-honoured former knights, Lester Piggott, Anthony Blunt et al, lost their titles.

The glee ...

Tags: fred goodwin, james crosby, knighthood, tom mckillop

Categories

General , Banking