Banking

Bullshit: a 'savings' account that pays next to no interest, hence bullshit.

Which accounts give 5% for 1yr?

http://www.nationwide.co.uk/products/current-accounts/flexdirect/features-and-benefits

http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/savings-accounts/regular-savings-accounts

Both Nationwide and HSBC do, if you already bank with them. I've got a Nationwide regular saver maxed out to get the 5% after a year.

They should take up cycling it will soon disappear but make them happy,

Nationwide - "You must pay in at least £1,000 per calendar month"
HSBC - Must be an Advance customer (which if I recall was about £12 per month)

So, neither of these work for 5%.

Premium bonds? My winnings have worked out a little over 5% so far...

I do HSBC Advance and get the regular saver. I determinded that if you take advantage of the bundled travel insurance and roadside assistance and the regular saver (max £250 per month), it's worth the £12/month.

Congratulations, you are beating the odds.

martinggale - a strap or set of straps running from the noseband or reins to the girth of a horse, used to prevent the horse from raising its head too high.

isn't it obvious hippy, martinggale the lot

Ah yeah, you're right, I've actually got the "Flexclusive" account. No minimum requirement. http://www.nationwide.co.uk/products/savings/flexclusive-regular-saver/features-and-benefits

My other half has the HSBC account and is getting 5%, she's an Advance customer but she's not paying a fee. Not sure how that works.

Point is there are accounts out there which'll give you 5% interest on savings. Usually that's caveated by "you must save at least X / not more than X" or "you can't access it until the year is up" or something, but the accounts do exist.

Most regular savings are shite returns though. It's like anything, you have to shop and swap around and do that on a regular basis to get the good deals.

1st direct give you something like £100 to switch to their current account which is easy. That then unlocks a 5% for 1yr - max £300pm IIRC.

There's a website call money saving expert that has lots of useful info. I would start there.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/savings/savings-accounts-best-interest

I had 0% success with First direct, and I spent £30 on the phone to them.

Congratulations, you are beating the odds.

I know, a little mental. But I anticipate no further winnings for the rest of my life :/

I'm not familiar with these.

Where do you get them?

I used to have it but it wasn't worth it because I have better insurance already and when they dropped the interest rates it was no longer 'paying for itself'.

Lottery interest??!

Out.

Now it's obvious. Coke and midgets and horses... fun party :)

Flexclusive rate is exclusive for Nationwide current account holders, so that's out.

I can't remember exactly by I think my Advance account was free for 12 months, but then last year or the year before they packaged their insurance stuff in with it and jacked the price. I opted out.

That's great that 5% accounts exist but not much use if they can't use any of them.

That's more like it.

lolz.

@hippy Martingale strategy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martingale_(betting_system)

No midgets then? :(

Stocks and shares market tracking ISA, assuming they'll invest for the medium-long term and buy in to it each month.

Nothing else worth doing really if they don't have any debts and can't make further contributions to their pension (or don't trust it)

They could invest it in themselves...training and whatnot.

Switch your bank account. That's how you get the best deals.

What other criteria do you have for an investment solution?

Bung it in Nutmeg? https://www.nutmeg.com/fully-managed-portfolios#managed-performance

Your investment may go down as well as up...

What's this Safeguard shit? 30min to complete and seems to be prying?
https://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/contact-and-support/security-centre/hsbcsafeguard

"Why do you need information about my income and outgoings?:

We need to understand where funds are coming from and going to as part of our on-going efforts to protect you and HSBC from fraud and financial crime.

Why do you need to see my utility bills?:
Utility bills are considered one of the safest ways to confirm address details. Online statements can be manipulated, so while we appreciate it can be inconvenient to produce original documents (or certified copies) we need these documents to protect your account from potential misuse.

Why do you need to see my passport/ID card?:
It's important we can verify your identity. A passport or national identity card is often one of the simplest and most readily available documents you can provide. Please note that we will require a certified copy (not the original)."