Personal finance news

All that glitters... is gold

Precious metals were the top performing investment for the second consecutive year during 2010 with their value soaring by 42 per cent.

Last updated 8 April 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

Life is not a beach... but most of us still hope it’s going to be

Only one in three people aged between 18 and 29 are saving anything towards retirement according to new research.

Last updated 8 April 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

Men don’t seek debt help

Shock new figures show a huge surge in the number of Cumbrians struggling with debt. And it seems it is men who are the worst at failing to come to terms with their money problems.

Last updated 1 April 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

retirement14 A new front in the battle for equal pay and rights for women opened up this week. It seems a strange thing to write in 2011, But as Cumbria County Council staff and officials grapple with working out the best way of introducing the new single status system of fair pay, the Government finds itself caught up in a different, but linked fight.

Last updated 1 April 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

Crushed by debt burden

sm debt Job losses and falling incomes could leave thousands of households unable to repay their debts, a charity has warned.

Last updated 25 March 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

D-day looms on childcare

sm childcare Working parents who pay higher rate income tax have until April 5 to register for childcare vouchers before new rules come into force.

Last updated 25 March 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

UK rich in billionaires

mbdukey4 The number of billionaires in the UK has increased to 32, according to the latest Forbes global rich list.

Last updated 18 March 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

Fraud losses on cards drop

mbcredit Fraud losses on UK cards fell to their lowest level for a decade during 2010. Losses on credit and debit cards dropped by 17 per cent during the year to £365.4m, the lowest level since 2000, according to industry body the UK Cards Association.

Last updated 18 March 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

First-time buyers’ long wait

youngcouple112 Four out of 10 first-time buyers think they will be at least 40 before they can get on to the property ladder.

Last updated 11 March 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

UK's £40bn silver lining

mbretired1 Over-65s made a net contribution of £40bn to UK economy in 2010, even allowing for the costs of pensions, welfare and health services, according to a new study.

Last updated 11 March 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

Land price’s record high

farmland43 The cost of farmland soared to a record high in Cumbria and the north west during the second half of 2010 as commercial farmers looked to cash in on rising commodity prices.

Last updated 4 March 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

Inflation outstrips wages

Families’ disposable income dived by a record £9 a week during January as inflation continued to outstrip wage growth.

Last updated 4 March 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

Even one child is pricey...

Parents are putting plans to have more children on hold as the average cost of raising a child reaches more than £270,000, research has suggested.

Last updated 25 February 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

Frontline housing crisis

The number of new homes completed in England fell to its lowest level in nearly a century last year, Government figures have shown.

Last updated 25 February 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

Even more debts to pay

The number of people contacting a debt advice charity for help online doubled during January as growing numbers of people struggled to keep up with their borrowings.

Last updated 18 February 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

Pressed into charity action

Women are more likely to give to charity disaster appeals as a result of news stories than men.

Last updated 18 February 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

Poverty looms in old age

mbpoverty1 Half of British people face a long retirement in poverty because they are not saving enough for old age.

Last updated 11 February 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

North-south house divide

cumbhouse281 House price growth in the north has outperformed gains seen in southern regions of the UK by more than 25 per cent during the past decade.