Monday, 19, Apr 2010 10:06
Planning for retirement has become the top issue driving consumers towards seeking the guidance of an independent financial adviser (IFA), a new survey has found.
According to figures from Unbiased.co.uk’s Find an IFA service, 36 per cent of searches conducted during March were related to saving for life after work.
The company’s chief executive Karen Barrett said that proposals in the Conservative manifesto to scrap the default retirement age had put investors’ focus on planning for their pension.
Investments and saving was the second most common “advice …

Money Week Education in Illinois (WEEK-TV Peoria) It’s Money Smart Week, so State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias’ office presented four, one hour seminars on money management in Bloomington today. in an era of easy credit, home foreclosures, and record bankruptcy filings, organizers hope to give consumers more tools to make smart financial decisions. Source: [...]
Students read to make ?cents? (The Herald-Mail)

‘Our money, our rights’ was the theme chosen by Consumers International for World Con-sumer Rights Day 2010. We show you how to protect yourself in some measure.
A firm selling financial products and services has to follow certain rules and standards laid down by the law and the relevant financial regulators. These are designed to protect consumer rights. If a firm doesn’t follow the rules you can complain about it. Your rights are especially protected if you’ve taken financial advice.
The financial regulators need to regulate financial services in Guyana and protect …

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–HelloWallet today announced the launch of its revolutionary online financial guidance and management service. with Americans losing over $100 billion in recent years as a result of limited financial advice, HelloWallet now opens the doors of opportunity for all Americans to receive independent, unbiased and sophisticated financial guidance. HelloWallet’s unique structure, defined by its independence from banks and coupled with the site’s powerful analytics, will turn the tables on the financial services market and put banks to work for consumers for the first time. It is now available directly …

THE superannuation industry’s attack on a controversial proposal for a universal retirement fund has widened with financial planners arguing that the market, rather than the government, was best placed to determine super products.
The comments by the Financial Planning Association follow four of the nation’s most powerful retirement savings lobby groups last week joining forces to argue against the scheme proposed by Jeremy Cooper, who is leading a Rudd government review of superannuation.
The lobby groups called on the proposed default fund be scrapped, labelling it expensive and not in the interest …

People like to play hardball when they’re negotiating to buy a new car or a house. but when it comes to investing costs, they turn into timid little puppies.
That’s a big mistake, says Garth Rustand, executive director of the Vancouver-based Investors-Aid Co-operative of Canada.
“The industry has done a good job of making the consumer passive,” he says. “The big thing I’ve found is that many, many costs in the investment industry are negotiable and I think people need to know that because it’s not presented that way.”
Mr. Rustand …

But now, free checking may be an endangered species.
Banks are feeling heat from all sides. this week, President Obama moved to limit the size and activities of the biggest institutions. Last week, he proposed a tax to recover bailout funds.
The biggest impact on checking accounts, however, is likely to come from new regulations governing overdraft protection. Starting in July, banks will need explicit permission from customers before allowing them to use their debit cards to spend more than they have in their bank accounts on a one-time purchase. Similar restrictions …