Why the High Street banks have no interest in savers

It is harder than ever before to achieve any significant returns from your cash ISAs – but that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to watch the value of your savings diminish year after year.

The Government’s controversial Funding for Lending Scheme, which launched in August 2012, is aimed at helping more people borrow – but it has meant banks have less need to compete with each other for your cash.

That, along with a record-low base rate of interest of 0.5%, has left interest rates for savings at rock-bottom levels, which, in all but a few cases, are beaten by inflation – so locking your money in a Cash ISA will only see it gradually lose its spending power.

On the contrary, the FTSE 100 has performed very well in the past three years, and Stocks and Shares ISAs currently represent a far better chance of securing decent returns on your investment. What’s more, you can invest twice as much, tax-free, each year in a Stocks and Shares ISA than you can in a Cash ISA.

The high street banks have no interest in savers – they want to encourage borrowers to borrow more. It’s up to you, the customer, to ensure you direct your hard-earned savings into an investment that will see the money deliver some returns.

Read our report, “Thoughts. Actions. Results.” brochure for more information and speak to a wealth management professional before the 5^th April 2013 deadline.

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