Martin Lewis' Blog… https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com Blog of Martin Lewis - MoneySavingExpert Fri, 20 Apr 2018 14:21:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.1 Martin Lewis to sue Facebook for defamation in groundbreaking campaigning lawsuit https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/04/20/martin-lewis-to-sue-facebook/ Fri, 20 Apr 2018 14:21:01 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=27121 Today (Monday 24 April), I will issue High Court proceedings against Facebook, to try and stop all the disgusting repeated fake adverts from scammers it refuses to stop publishing with my picture, name and reputation. To explain it, below is the official press release announcing the action. For clarity, while this blog is published on MSE, this...

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]]> Martin Lewis: 3 tips to succeed if you want to start your own business, from an accidental entrepreneur https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/04/18/martin-lewis-advice-budding-entrepreneurs-good-idea-can-nightmare/ Wed, 18 Apr 2018 11:17:09 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=27076 I consider myself an accidental entrepreneur. A true entrepreneur is someone whose aim is to set up a business or even multiple businesses to make money – a Peter Jones of Dragons’ Den type. Instead, in my head, I’m a campaigning journalist, who built a very successful (and hopefully ethical) enterprise as a lucky by-product of spreading the...

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]]> Martin Lewis: Big student loan shake-up means millions (but not everyone) will pay £1,000s less https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/03/28/martin-lewis-big-student-loan-shake-means-millions-not-everyone-will-pay-1000s-less/ Wed, 28 Mar 2018 13:17:37 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26951 On 6 April, we’ll see the biggest change to hit student finance since the new system launched in 2012. It’ll mean millions of university leavers will repay less, not just each month, but many (not all) will see the amount they repay in total reduced by £1,000s. While it affects almost all uni leavers to an extent,...

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]]> Martin Lewis: A warning to every UK worker aged 22+, you’re likely about to get a pay rise, but it may cost you… https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/03/21/martin-lewis-warning-every-uk-worker-aged-22-youre-likely-get-pay-rise-may-cost/ Wed, 21 Mar 2018 17:12:13 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26866 On 6 April, most UK workers aged 22 or over are due a hidden pay rise – but your employer doesn’t need to tell you. This is all about the ‘auto-enrolment’ scheme – where your employer has to contribute towards your pension, and now it’s going to have to give you even more. So I wanted to...

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]]> Martin Lewis: Spread the word – don’t believe scam Bitcoin Code or Bitcoin trading ads https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/03/13/martin-lewis-spread-word-dont-believe-scam-bitcoin-code-bitcoin-trading-ads/ Tue, 13 Mar 2018 09:35:38 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26824 I don’t do adverts. If you ever see one with my face or name on it, it is without my permission, and usually a scam. Admittedly some are supposedly legit firms bending the rules to imply a link (though do you really trust firms that’d do that anyway?). The latest Facebook ad plague with me in is...

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]]> Martin Lewis: To those who sent me messages about the interview on losing my mum when I was 11… https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/03/12/martin-lewis-sent-messages-interview-losing-mum-11/ Mon, 12 Mar 2018 14:23:32 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26813 Last Wednesday, for the first time, I spoke publicly about losing my mother when I was a child. I wanted to write a brief note today, primarily to express thanks for the huge volume of support, shared grief, emotional outpourings and condolence messages I’ve had. I’ve been overwhelmed in every way. Doing the Radio 5 Live interview...

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]]> Martin Lewis: An urgent warning for parents paying for childcare… https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/03/06/martin-lewis-urgent-warning-parents-paying-childcare/ Tue, 06 Mar 2018 14:17:01 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26763 Update Wed 14 Mar – childcare voucher deadline extended. Parliament has just voted to extend the deadline for joining the Childcare Vouchers scheme by around six months (no final end date is confirmed). It’s still worth following the logic of the original info below to decide which scheme is best for you though (but I haven’t updated it...

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]]> British Gas customers’ new £225 a year discount https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/02/27/british-gas-customers-new-225-year-discount/ Tue, 27 Feb 2018 16:53:30 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26715 British Gas is the UK’s biggest energy firm, and millions of customers stick with it through thick and thin, even if they know they can get much cheaper deals elsewhere (as I constantly nag about). Yet right now there’s a route that enables existing British Gas direct debit customers, who use dual fuel (ie, gas & electricity)...

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]]> Martin Lewis: If 83% are predicted not to repay student loans, who pays it? It doesn’t work like you think… https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/02/27/83-predicted-not-repay-student-loans-pays-doesnt-work-like-think/ Tue, 27 Feb 2018 09:55:24 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26695 Student loans are a political hot potato and widely misunderstood. I recently blogged on why, bizarrely, cutting tuition fees risks hurting not helping most graduates and within the logic of that I explained it is predicted that 83% of university leavers under the newest English system won’t repay their loans in full within the 30 years before they wipe....

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]]> Martin Lewis: A warning to first time buyers – you’ve less than a week to decide if your Help to Buy ISA should become a Lifetime ISA (LISA) – some could gain £1,000s https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/02/21/martin-lewis-warning-first-time-buyers-youve-less-week-decide-help-buy-isa-become-lifetime-isa-lisa-gain-1000s/ Wed, 21 Feb 2018 09:49:14 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26663 For those saving for a first-time residential property, Help to Buy ISAs and Lifetime ISAs are no-brainers, as an unbeatable 25% bonus is added as well as interest. In other words you get an extra £250 per £1,000 saved towards any mortgage. Yet as you can only get the home-buying bonus on one of them, you need to pick which is...

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]]> Martin Lewis: Why cutting tuition fees bizarrely risks hurting not helping most students https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/02/19/martin-lewis-cutting-tuition-fees-bizarrely-risks-hurting-not-helping-students/ Mon, 19 Feb 2018 08:54:44 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26593 The news again has been full of talk about cutting English tuition fees from £9,250 to, say, £6,000. While psychologically attractive – as it reduces the perceived ‘debt’ – the practical impact is to take money off universities, risking the quality of education, and handing it to very high-earning graduates. I bashed out this explanation on my...

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]]> I averaged 25,420 steps per day (burning 3,880 calories) in 2017 – here’s how… https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/01/05/averaged-25420-steps-per-day-burning-3880-calories-2017-heres/ Fri, 05 Jan 2018 16:07:12 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26529 I’m obsessed with fitness tracking statistics. I’ve just checked and I did 9,278,393 steps in 2017 – a ridiculous amount. So much so that this year one of my resolutions is to do a little fewer, as getting these steps has taken over my life to an extent. So I thought it worth bashing out the stats,...

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]]> An important warning to every worker and 9 other need-to-knows from 2017 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2018/01/04/important-warning-every-worker-9-need-knows-2017/ Thu, 04 Jan 2018 17:05:44 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26521 So what piqued your interest most in 2017? I asked the MSE data team to let me know what my top 10 most read blogs were for the year. Now, of course, these aren’t the most read things on MSE – just the bits of my musings you most picked up on. At a vain attempt to...

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]]> Martin Lewis video: How to teach your kids about debt and why financial education matters https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2017/12/11/martin-lewis-video-teach-kids-debt-financial-education-matters/ Mon, 11 Dec 2017 11:34:25 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26502 We live in one of the world’s most competitive consumer economies. Companies spend billions of pounds on advertising, marketing and teaching their staff to sell. Yet consumers don’t get buyers’ training. Financial education is crucial to address this misbalance. I was delighted to be part of the campaign that put financial education on the English national curriculum...

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]]> Should you invest in Bitcoin? Four things you need to know https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2017/11/30/invest-bitcoin-four-things-need-know/ Thu, 30 Nov 2017 16:30:46 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26459 Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency, continues to smash through price barriers, with one Bitcoin this week breaking through the $11,000 mark (then back to $9,000, then who knows what by the time you read this). Some early adopters have made millions and Facebook is now full of adverts to tempt the public to invest their hard-squirrelled cash in it. So...

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]]> Premium Bond rate boosted from 1.15% to 1.4% – should you pile in? https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2017/11/20/premium-bond-rate-boosted-1-15-1-4-pile/ Mon, 20 Nov 2017 12:57:12 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26423 They’re Britain’s favourite savings product. The 21 million people with just over £70 billion saved in Premium Bonds will be delighted to hear that in under a fortnight’s time, the prize fund will increase from 1.15% to 1.4% – so your chance of winning per £1 bond will improve from 1 in 30,000 to 1 in 24,000....

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]]> British Gas customers – there’s a hidden way to cut £130+ off your bill… https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2017/11/07/british-gas-customers-theres-hidden-way-cut-130-off-bill/ Tue, 07 Nov 2017 20:14:27 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26387 British (and Scottish) Gas is the UK’s biggest energy supplier, serving over 10m homes. And no surprise for a provider still benefitting from its past monopoly advantage, it ain’t cheap! After all, why should it be – many of its customers stick with it, price hike after price hike, bill after bill. Currently though, there is a...

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]]> Is cash dead? 4 reasons you shouldn’t use it… https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2017/11/06/4-reasons-cash-dead-shouldnt-use/ Mon, 06 Nov 2017 12:39:10 +0000 https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26301 Cash is dead! Long live plastic (and I’m not talking about new fivers and tenners). I always try to pay on a card – as it’s like wearing a piece of invisible financial armour – and I want to urge you to consider the same. While cash feels real, and convenient, it’s risky. A woman once sent me...

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]]> A year ago Santander 123 halved its interest to 1.5% – now most should consider ditching it https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2017/10/30/year-ago-santander-123-halved-interest-1-5-now-consider-ditching/ Mon, 30 Oct 2017 15:08:23 +0000 http://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26268 Update Note: 12/12/2017. I wrote this blog just before November’s base rate rise, predicting then UK rates would rise and Santander 123 wouldn’t follow. Well UK rates did rise, and Santander’s confirmed it won’t follow. So everything below still stands. Some of the alternative accounts and rates have shifted slightly, but most are pretty similar – just click...

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]]> Warning: Parents with 2+ children who’ll go to uni, SAVE NOW, the system’s biased against you https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2017/10/11/warning-parents-2-children-wholl-go-uni-save-now-systems-biased/ Wed, 11 Oct 2017 13:19:05 +0000 http://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/?p=26188 The entire premise of our current student finance system is supposed to be “you don’t need cash to pay upfront to go to university!” Yet these days that’s simply not true.  Many parents, especially those with more than one child, will need a war chest of possibly £10,000s. This isn’t about tuition fees. University fees are automatically...

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