Living Life Abundantly

There is a common trend in the banks at the moment which has to do with savings accounts and savings interest rates. If you keep your savings with the same bank in the same account for a number of years, you would expect your bank to look after you. But they do not and actually take advantage of this.

The banks release a savings account. They advertise it, use it to attract new customers or convince existing customers to transfer their savings to them. The customers, being quite happy with the rates and the terms, forget about their savings interest rates knowing that they have the return that they expected.

Then after 6 months to a year the bank get bored of that savings account and decide on the next big marketing push and release another type of savings account. The terms maybe a little different. The savings interest rates is usually different. And the same thing happens again, attracting new customers etc.

Initially the interest rates will remain pretty much the same. Gradually over the next year or so the rates will begin to fall. Over a bit of time the interest rates may decrease considerably. Sometimes down to near zero. If the customer is not monitoring their statements they will never know they are not making any interest on the money in their savings account. You can be sure the bank will not send you a letter telling you that fact.

As a banker I let my customers know when their interest savings accounts are faltering. I let them know if they can do better. I refuse to let a customer watch their interest rate dip to zero. Many times I will upgrade them to a better savings account, with better interest rates.

I can tell you though, that not all of my collegues do the same, nor are they encouraged to do so by their superiors. Upon the release of a recent new Cash ISA savings account, we were actually instructed not to upgrade customers from the old Cash ISA accounts, to the new one unless the customer actually asked us.

Why would your bank treat you like this? Banks are in the business of making a profit. The less they have to pay you the more profit they make. The bank leverages your money to make money, then they short the money made from your money to keep more for their interests. You make less return for loyalty and the bank makes more.

The answer is clear, review your savings interest rate and the terms of your savings account annually. Get the latest information on the newest savings account releases. Look at what their competition is offering. Then go to your banker and negotiate a better deal for yourself, or go to the competition. Your goal is to get the best returns on your money.

Martin likes to talk to customers about the best interest rates on savings during his day at work at a high street bank. At http://savings-interest-rates.org he points out the ways to make sure you are getting the best you can from your bank.

Think it’s too early for you to start planning your retirement? Think again. It’s never too early to start saving, and oftentimes people can wait too long to have a healthy nest egg. Although there are several different ways to being saving, there are a few easy investment strategies for everyone to follow.

Contribute to your work’s 401K. Chances are your company has a 401K that can be taken out of your paycheck before tax. A lot of workplaces will even match portions of your savings. That means you are getting free money. Everyone should save in their 401K up to the maximum that their workplace matches. This will allow you to take full advantage of the benefit.

Open a savings account. In addition to your 401K, you should have a savings account that you regularly deposit money into. As little as $10 a week adds up to over $500 a year. The more you can save a week, the better.

Own your own home. The number one thing you can do to invest in your future is to own your own home. You will not be tossing aside money each month on rent, instead you will be building value in your home. When things change and it’s time to move, when you sell your home you will walk away with more money than you started.

Have an “in case of emergency” fund. One savings account is not enough. You should have enough money to pay for a few months of expenses should something unfortunate happen.

Be frugal. Do not go out to eat all the time. Special occasions and to treat yourself are ok, however going out to eat more than once a week is excessive. If you do not bring your own lunch to work then start bringing meals – even if it is one or two times a week. Any little thing you can do to change your spending habits means that you will have more money in your pocket to put into your savings account.

Start saving now. Time is your ally, and the longer you save, the more you will have for your retirement.

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If you are stuck in a horrible debt you have to change your lifestyle and learn how to manage your money better. Here are just 7 debt free tips to get you started:

1)Learn to spend a lot less than what you learn. I know it can be hard not to splurge all the time but it must be done. Make your own coffee, pack your food from home and don?t buy useless stuff. You will amass a fortune in a couple of years just by doing this.

2)Make sure that both you and your life partner have the same money goals. This means that both of you have to desire to get out of debt and never get in it again. If you want to pay your debts and your spouse wants a new car you have problems. Work them out fast.

3)Add up all the money you owe and create a schedule for paying off each and every debt that you are currently having. Map it all out and then get to work on doing everything in your power to make the plan become reality.

4)Find other ways of entertainment instead of an expensive night out drinking lots of booze. Your body and your wallet will thank you. You could start visiting your relatives or you friends instead of spending a wild night out. As long as you owe money you should stop spending money on entertaining. There are lots of ways to amuse yourself without spending money.

5)You should always have some extra cash stashed away regardless of how many creditors you have and how much you owe. You should have that extra money for your peace of mind. Knowing that you have some money in case something unexpected happens is soothing for your mind.

6)You have to be realistic when it comes to your get out of debt plan. You can?t count on winning at the lotto or in a casino as a way of getting out of debt. If it took you years to get into the mess you are in currently you should realize that probably it will take you the same amount of time to get out of it and become financially independent.

7)Pay the smallest amount of money you can to your lenders. If needed use the service of a good credit counseling service to help you negotiate and come to an agreement with your lenders.

Get the best consumer credit counseling services at CCSOnline.co.uk There you can read a lot of debt free tips.

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Getting into debt is always a lot easier than getting out of it. Being into debt can be a very hard life experience. As long as you must endure it you should also learn how to manage your personal finances better in the future. Here are just 7 get out of debt tips to get you going on the right path:

1)Stop spending money on junk you don?t need. You have to desire this with all your heart if you want to succeed. You don?t need a new flat screen TV if the old one still works. This goes for the personal computer too. We live in a gadget crazed world and it can be very easy to buy a lot of stuff that you really don?t need. Ladies think twice if you really need an extra pair of shoes. I know they match the new blouse you have just bought but maybe you would be a lot better off by not buying either.

2)Make sure that both you and your life partner have the same money goals. This means that both of you have to desire to get out of debt and never get in it again. If you want to pay your debts and your spouse wants a new car you have problems. Work them out fast.

3)Start developing good money habits. You yourself and your whole family should start spending money much more wisely. Each dollar saved is a dollar towards getting out of debt. You should establish rules and place limits on how much money you will spend on different stuff.

4)You should reward yourself each end every time that you achieve one of your get out of debt goals. But don?t reward yourself by spending a lot of money. If you can don?t spend any money at all. Use your imagination to find cheap rewards that will please you.

5)Always be on the lookout for new and better ways to make or save even more money. Seek better ways to manage and invest your money and you will become a money master in no time. That way you will be able to get out of debt super fast.

6)You have to be realistic when it comes to your get out of debt plan. You can?t count on winning at the lotto or in a casino as a way of getting out of debt. If it took you years to get into the mess you are in currently you should realize that probably it will take you the same amount of time to get out of it and become financially independent.

7)Go to a credit counseling service to get a solid get out of debt plan. There are a lot of credit counseling services out there but you have to be very careful. Some of them are only looking to trick you and take advantage of your weak negotiating position. Don?t be intimidated and tell them exactly what is on your mind and what you would like to do to get out of debt.