POUND NOTES
FINANCIAL FACT
THE average two-year fixed mortgage rate on the market has fallen for the first time in a year, according to Moneyfacts.co.uk. It says the average two-year fixed rate on the market fell to 2.49% in October, from 2.53% in September – the first fall in 12 months.
MORE PENSION SAVERS ARE WANTING ETHICAL SCHEMES
ETHICAL investing could help build people’s confidence in pensions, a survey of members of workplace pension scheme Nest has found. Nearly three-quarters (73%) think it’s important their pension scheme considers the environment, society and corporate behaviour when investing their money, according to the report.
Nest also carried out a separate survey of working people eligible for automatic enrolment into workplace pensions, which found that a quarter (25%) say they do not trust pension companies.
UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE STAR CHAMPIONS EDUCATION SCHEME
A FIFTH of parents with children aged six-16 avoid their child’s maths homework as working with numbers scares them.
Some 20% of mums and dads feel this way about numeracy, according to the Open University Business School (OUBS)’S dedicated research centre and the True Potential Centre for the Public Understanding of Finance.
OUBS has joined forces with University Challenge star Bobby Seagull to champion a financial education course designed for the needs of young people. The Managing My Money for Young Adults course is funded by the Chartered Accountants’ Livery Company.
NEW BOND OFFERS SAVERS A SOLUTION FOR THEIR CASH
LEEDS Building Society has launched a new bond offering savers unsure whether they want to tie up their money for one or two years a ‘compromise’ solution.
The 16-month bond has a fixed rate of 1.8%. Jaedon Green, Leeds Building Society’s director of product and distribution, says: “Our 16-month bond is a good compromise between one and two-year fixes.”