justAnotherFTB

Man you guys are paranoid - I mean we all saw Northern Crock coming, and I'm sure there will be other casualties along the way - but remember one thing....Despite Northern Rock being a chronically irresponsible lender run by muppets, the government bailed them out. Surely they have set a precedent now which make it pretty much impossible for the likes of HBOS etc to fail? IMO Nationwide is a pretty safe home for your cash, and spreading 35k amongst the biggest highstreet banks should be pretty much as safe as you can get without burying it in your back garden! NS&I are another option - the RPI linked savings certificate are another way of stashing 30k (15k per 3/5 year issue) and provides a risk-free hedge against inflation taking off in a major way.

Thanks for the clarification. Does anyone else find the 1.75% management fee a bit steep, considering they are basically just a basket of ETF's? Would it not be better to invest directly in a similar basket of ETF's via a self-select ISA or stock trading account? Perhaps I'm missing something here - please let me know if so!

Is this the fund you mean? http://www.digitallook.com/cgi-bin/dlmedia...&cht=1month The top level breakdown doesn't indicate significant exposure to soft commodities? Any more info you can share?

Me too - had a nightmare with them recently. All I wanted to do was transfer-in, deposit this years allowance then fix the rate. It was beyond the retards at HBOS, so this years money is going elsewhere. Still 6.2% for the transfer in was not too bad I suppose.

Sounds like it's just me then :angry: Another phone call with them today, and basically I give up. This years 3k will go to nationwide instead, simple. I think the problem was involving the branch - perhaps sticking to post/phone would have been OK. The branch staff seemed to have no clue whatsoever about the savings products. Too busy trying to sell mortgages

Hey all, Just a note to say avoid the dummies at Halifax - I've been trying to set up a fixed-rate ISA (1yr fix) for nearly 3 months now, and they are just totally incapable of even the simplest administration. All I wanted to do was the following : - Transfer in from my existing provider - Write a cheque for this years £3k - Deposit the funds at a fixed rate for a year Despite communications on numerous occasions over the internet, phone and in a branch it's still not sorted - they are just utterly incapable. So definite thumbs down from me - anyone else experienced similar problems?

I would suggest speaking to Lloyds to confirm since the terms vary depending on the type of account. Most "instant access" cash ISA accounts will pay the interest earned until the day the transfer takes place. Many fixed-interest or notice ISA accounts charge a penalty for withdrawal or transfer.

I don't get it either - all the house-builders have been doing well despite the market tanking recently - why? There has been more negative press regarding the housing market than I've seen in ages, who's buying into these companies?! Ah..just noticed you're a bull, I didn't think there were any of them around anymore!

Hampshire appears much the same - I drive by 4 terraced places which have had for-sale signs up for over 6 months now - looked at the prices online & they are all at least 50-100k overpriced...

IHHO you really need to chill out and enjoy the prosperity - if you own a house outright which can house your family, you've won, simple as that... Most of use work into near-coma just trying to get a foot on the ladder. Spending hours deliberating on a HPC when you're a cash buyer who clearly wants to move seems pretty pointless - move or, erm don't move, keep it simple! If you (possibly) save 20k by putting your family into rented accomodation for 3 years, will it be worth it?!

One option if you're worried about safety is NS&I - they are backed by the government, so short of some sort of mad-max style apocalypse are pretty much 100% safe. If you are a tax payer (particularly a higher rate one), you may want to look at their tax free investments - Index-Linked savings certificates pay 1.35% AER above RPI in 3 or 5 year terms, but you can withdraw at any time without penalty. Interest is paid annually so if makes sense to keep them for at least a year. There are also fixed interest certificates, premium bonds, ISA's etc etc... If you are married you could probably tuck away about 200k tax-free before even touching a high-street bank... FWIW, if I owned a house outright I would never gamble that status on STR - as a frustrated FTB looking forward to eventually getting a modest place with a big mortgage it just does not compute... I mean most sane people think the housing market is gonna tank this year, but imagine if it doesn't (like 2005)

They tanked mid last year IIRC, has the bad news which made that happen gone away, or have people just forgotten about it? Price does seem to be making a bit of a recovery by the looks...

Whilst I agree that many push the "priced out" thing a bit hard, would you not agree that many people have been massively disadvantaged by this house price boom (so are, in that sense a "victim", albeit one of unfortunate timing and government irresponsibility)

You mean if they "wanted" to lose a lot of money buy buying into the madness at current prices? I think what a lot of "priced out" people (myself included here) are saying, is that they are priced out of buying anything worthwhile without taking on a crippling, absurdly large mortgage. edit s/loose/lose before someone picks me up on bad spelling...

40% in a *month* Pretty good going - do you mind sharing which companies?