A Tart, an Army and the King

It’s a Coronation special, folks. And we start with shocking news.

Tarts hit by inflation…

Anglo-French rivalries rear their head again. In the past we fought over land. Religion. Tennis balls and insults. Now it’s quiche. The Grand Master of the Brotherhood of the Quiche Lorraine has said that the Coronation Quiche is not in fact a quiche but a savoury tart.

Once upon a time a food for ye olde peasants, the offending alleged quiche is not immune to inflation. The cost of cheese and eggs has soared, according to a new report from the Office of National Statistics. Over the last year, the cost of a cheese omelette is up 41% - with hard cheese up 44% and eggs up 32%. Sacre blue, muttered the Grand Master. Incroyable! Let’s have a strike!

… and is Cash King once more?

It’s certainly looking a lot more noble than it has done in recent years. With interest rates at 4.25% and tipped to rise again next week, cash savers need to look around and not just leave it a limp current account. For example, the top one year fixed rate bond I can see is paying 5% at the moment.

As for mortgages, the consensus view is that rates will gradually fall this year, even if interest rates edge up a little more over coming months. Some think that fixed rates could fall beneath 4% by early 2024. But of course the future remains uncertain.

Premium Bonds remain popular and daring to critique them is a bit like being rude about Mary Berry – a much-loved national treasure. But if you can cope with the sacrilege, I wrote a piece in last week’s Times about why I don’t rate them, and think there are better homes for our cash. The prize rate is now 3.3% (no guarantees though) and the chances of a win at the monthly draw are 1 in 24,000. What’s so good about that?! Moving on before the Premium Bond Cult burn me at the stake…

The Queen

Next Wednesday lunchtime, our pensions queen for the week, adviser Tanya Laing, is hosting a workshop for women who want to get their heads around their pension, get it into better shape – and who can’t just sell a palace to fund it.

And will you join The Army?

I’ll leave you with a call out to join our research panel, known to us as The Boring Money Army. We offer members of this panel paid opportunities to tell us what you think, share a view and earn a few quid along the way. We fight to make the industry better and to improve products, service and communications by sharing the customer opinion with investment and pensions providers. We love the Boring Money Army – will you join us? (and thanks to all existing members!)

Thanks all. Have a marvellous long weekend. May the sun shine, the coach not break down, the Princes not fight, the bunting flap and the quiche not have a soggy bottom. (Ancient pagan prayer).

Holly

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