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Martin's Quick Briefing
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Right now, most UK savings accounts are really 'losings'. With RPI inflation (prices rising) at 4.7%/yr, unless your after-tax interest beats this, your cash will buy you less when you take it out than when you put it in. To mitigate this you must MAX-THE-RATE.
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New inflation beating savings: Lock your cash away for 5 years and Birmingham Midshire's new Inflation Rate Bond pays you the RPI rate of inflation plus 0.25% (min. £500). 
Yet don't think: "Wow, that's 4.95%!" as basic rate tax takes it down to 4% (3% for higher rate). Plus over 5 years inflation could drop and interest rates rise leaving it looking poor. Yet if you want to ensure some of your savings at least track inflation, it's the only option. FULL info: Top Savings.
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Top 2.9% easy access accounts.
For speedy access, the top payer's the Post Office* Online Saver at 2.9% AER. If you're willing to give 30 day's notice to withdraw, Coventry BS eNotice savings pays 3.05% (min £1,000). Both inc. year-long interest bonuses, so diarise the end to ditch & switch.
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New top fixed savings: Lock cash away to get a guaranteed rate.
3.25% 1 yr deal: FirstSave of Nigeria pays 3.25% AER (min. £1,000),
Sainsbury's new offer's 3.2% (min. £5,000).
3.75% 2 yr deal: Close Brothers has a new 3.75% AER two-year fix (min. £10k), Post Office's 3.65% (min. £500).
4.15% 3 yr deal: Yorkshire BS pays 4.15% AER (min. £1,000), Coventry BS's 4.15% for 3 yrs & 3 mths.
4.25% 4yr deal: Wesleyan Bank pays 4.25% AER (min. £1,000), State Bank of India's 4.2% (min. £1,000).
4.75% 5 yr deal: Over 5 yrs & 3 mths Coventry BS's pays 4.75% AER, The AA's 4.5% for 5 yrs.
All accounts here have the full £85,000 UK savings safety backing. See the full Updated Guide: Top Savings Related: New Cash ISAs
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Danger! Minimum Repayments. New Calc!
Borrow £3,000 at age 19 and you'd be 60 before it was clear! How long will it take you?
 I (ML) told a school class this stat on Monday & their jaws dropped. Min repayments are evil genius - by you paying less, lenders make more.
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Why they're dangerous. By setting monthly minimums at around 2% of the outstanding debt, the payment drops as you clear more, so you only ever barely cover the interest.
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New Calc! How long will it take? Put a £3,000 debt on a 17.9% card in our MinimumRepaymentCalculator.com and with a 2% min, it reveals it takes 41 years to clear, costing £6,300 in interest.
For those struggling who say "I can't afford more", here's a trick: if the first payment's £60 (2% of £3,000), FIX repayment at that £60 – and the calc's new feature will tell you the debt will now be cleared in just 7 years costing £2,100. Though if you've multiple debts, focus on clearing the most expensive first & just pay the min. on the rest.
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New rules! Min. repayments must now cover 1% of debt + interest & fees, and lenders must offer more repayment options, which should make fixed repayments easier. See credit rule changes news for those and others.
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0% for 17mth balance transfers. Lower interest saves you money and means you're debt free quicker. The longest 0% debt-shifting deal is Barclaycard* Plat at 17mth 0% with a 2.9% fee. Clear it before the 0% ends or it jumps to 16.9% rep APR. Next longest's MBNA* at 16mth 0% with a 2.88% fee (18.8% rep APR). Full info & best buys in the best balance transfers guide. See Official APR examples.
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Warning! Grab missing NI contributions. New Guide
National Insurance mess! 9m+ people's NI years not counted, cutting their pension
 You don't automatically get the full state pension on retirement, it depends on how many years you've paid National Insurance for - less years means your pension is cut. NI fiasco: First we had the tax code mess up, now it's been revealed authorities have not tracked 9m employees' payments between 2004 and 2009, £1.3bn worth. New NI checking guide: HMRC may have written to you at some point saying you're missing years (it never emails – if you get one, it’s a scam), if that seemed strange as you'd worked them it could be because they weren't tracked. Alternatively call them now to check how many years they think you've worked. To help see our full new step by step guide New Guide: Reclaim National Insurance. Overpaid tax: Also, check you've not been overcharged tax (millions have) with the free Tax code calculator. Related: State Pension Boosting
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New 0% credit rejects card
New card allowing you to rebuild your credit score plus a short 0% period
 An easy way to (re)build a poor credit history is to get any credit card, regardless of rate, spend a little each month, but always REPAY IN FULL on time to avoid interest. Yet a new deal's got a twist... Top 'easier-to-get' card: Go via this link to a comparison site and the Capital One* Classic card gives accepted new customers 0% spending until their June statement (so 3mths +), yet after that it jumps to a mammoth 34.9% rep. APR. Who can get it? It's a specialised poor-credit card, so even some with limited CCJs and defaults may be accepted (not bankruptcy). How to use it? Most should just spend & clear it each month. Yet for the self-disciplined needing short-term borrowing who can repay WITHIN 3mths, it is an option. It may also be an emergency tool for those facing repeated bank charges - put a little spending on this instead of from your bank account, to get that under the limit, then try and clear the card after (but keep to a tight budget & be careful). Just aim to ensure the debt is FULLY CLEARED before the rate jumps. FULL step-by-step info and more card options in the Updated Guide: Top Credit Cards for Bad Credit Related: Free Credit File Check. See Official APR examples.
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