Guides

  • 100% mortgages

    A 100% mortgage is, quite simply, a loan for 100 per cent of a property's value.

  • 10 ways to get it right when credit's tight

    The credit situation is worsening for borrowers – but there are steps you can take to help you through the credit crisis

  • Adverse or Bad Credit Mortgages

    One of the main requirements a person must have before taking out a mortgage is a good credit history.

  • Annuities

    An annuity is a product which provides an income for life. In fact, it guarantees an income for life. When you buy an annuity you are essentially paying for a sum of cash to be paid to you at regular intervals after you retire and until you die.

  • Boat Insurance: Safe on the water

    There are many types of boat insurance available covering a diverse range of pleasure craft. There are policies for dingys, small crafts, speedboats, narrowboats, cruisers, houseboats, rowing boats, and yachts.

  • Buildings Insurance cover

    Home insurance provides people with cover in case their property suffers damage or is destroyed. In return for payment – or premiums – the insurance company will provide the necessary amount of cash to cover any loss that occurs to the home, provided that it is covered in the policy.

  • Buy-to-let Mortgage

    Buy-to-let mortgages are home loans for people who want to buy a property to then rent to tenants.

  • Caravan Insurance: Protection on the road

    Caravans are highly susceptible to theft, weather damage and accidents (especially when in transit) therefore insurance for motor homes is big business.

  • Car Breakdown Cover

    Car breakdown cover allows drivers to access emergency repairs or recovery if their vehicle breaks down away from home.

  • Card Protection Insurance

    Card protection insurance allows credit cardholders to continue making payments if they are forced to stop work – either through accident, sickness or unemployment.

  • Car insurance policies

    Everyone who drives a car – or indeed any vehicle on the public highways – must, by law, have car insurance. This means, if a driver has an accident while behind the wheel the costs caused by that incident will be covered.

  • Cash Back Mortgages

    Cash Back mortgages provide borrowers with a lump sum of money when they take out a mortgage.

  • Cash ISA

    A cash Individual Savings Account (ISA) is a savings account where you earn interest but don't pay tax.

  • Commercial Mortgages

    Commercial mortgages are loans for the purchase of a property which is to be used for business purposes.

  • Contents Insurance Guide

    Home insurance provides people with cover in case their property or its contents are damaged or destroyed. When someone buys a policy they pay premiums in return for protection which means, if something happens to their home, they can claim money to pay for the cost of repairs. Home insurance is split into two categories – buildings and contents insurance.

  • Critical Illness Cover

    Critical illness cover is an insurance policy which pays out if you become seriously ill and are unable to work and therefore earn money to support yourself or your family.

  • Different People, Different Policies

    Once you have chosen the type of car insurance protection you want, you can start searching for your policy.

  • Discount Mortgages

    Every mortgage lender has a standard variable rate (SVR) – this is its very own interest rate which it sets itself.

  • Equity Release

    Equity release allows people to turn the money that is invested in their home into real cash which can be used as a regular income or as a cash lump sum.

  • First-Time Buyer Mortgages

    Another way of describing a first-time buyer mortgage is simply as a mortgage for house purchase. This is often how it is descbribed by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and other trade associations in order to distinguish it from a remortgage.

  • Fixed-Rate Mortgage

    Fixed-rate mortgages are mortgages that are offered at a "fixed-rate" of interest for a given period of time by the lender.

  • Graduating your finances: Graduate current account guide

    The students of 2008 graduate throwing their mortar boards in the air, are warned they will be landing in a tough financial landscape.

  • Health Insurance

    There are many different kinds of health insurance but essentially they cover the need to pay for medical treatment, surgery or check-ups.

  • How to buy home insurance

    Looking round the market there are lots of options for buying home insurance with brokers, comparison sites, insurers and banks lining up to offer the best deals.

  • How to buy Life Insurance

    It's easy to buy life insurance – there are hundreds of firms out there eager to sell you a policy. Banks, building societies, insurance brokers, financial advisers, mortgage brokers, websites and even your local supermarket will have range of deals.

  • How to buy travel insurance

    After booking a holiday, make sure you get your travel insurance – and not leave to the last moment. There are plenty of travel insurances options around and places to get quotes, so shop around for the best cover.

  • How to get your mortgage right first time

    The range of mortgages on offer can be bewildering.These simple tips will help you find the one that's right for you

  • Instant Access Savings Accounts

    Instant access savings accounts provide a place for you to store your money, earn some interest on it and also access this cash whenever you wish.

  • Investment ISA

    A investment or Maxi Individual Savings Account (ISA) is a bit like a savings account where you invest your money into various stocks and shares.

  • Islamic Mortgages

    Shariah law prohibits paying or receiving interest, which means taking out a mortgage is difficult for many Muslims living in the UK. There are, however, a range of mortgages which have been created to enable Muslims to pay back a loan without compromising Islamic principles.

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