Holly's Blog: Wine can be part of a prudent saving strategy!

Brief missive this week. The children have already broken up #deepjoy and it is hard to be a financial genius with a backing track of squabbling. I’m sure Warren Buffet never sat around with small people arguing a few metres away over a packet of Wotsits!

We’re also working away on a few exciting things chez Boring which we will unveil over the next few weeks and I’m not quite ready to tell you guys about yet. So...this week, I thought I’d look externally and call out 2 new services which are interesting and have the potential to make some of your lives a bit easier!

Money - The Last Taboo? (https://www.boringmoney.co.uk/blackrock/)

New Lifetime ISA cash service

First up, the simple money app called Moneybox (https://www.boringmoney.co.uk/isas-pensions/moneybox/). Led by CEO Mr Very-Likeable Ben, this is an easy way to round up ‘loose change’ into an investment account. Every Wednesday they ask me whether I want to ‘round-up’ my card purchases to my investment account. Spent £10.80 on a bottle of rosé? (Just some random example, friends!) Swipe right to add 20p to your savings.

They’ve been on the scene for a while, but what is new is their cash Lifetime ISA. These products are a bit complicated for aspiring home buyers to get their heads around, and I also think the stocks and shares versions are a bit risky unless you’re at least 5+ years away from those keys. But they are worth studying. Why? You’ll get a Government top-up of 25% on up to £4,000 a year. And Moneybox’s new addition – a cash option – will also pay 1.4% interest, which is nice. Well worth a look for any first-time buyer lucky enough to be under 40!

(I will confess however that when Moneybox asked if I wanted to round-up the 40p after buying Ben some brekkie at a meeting a few weeks ago, I did think this double-dipping was cheeky, so I said "No!").

AI advice

Second, a new product called Multiply. These guys claim to be the first AI digital advice app in the UK. I have downloaded it and had a play around. They ask for all sorts of inputs but will then give you some very clear actions, numbers and things to do. It’s quite refreshingly directional for those of us who like being told what to do! You don’t pay a fee for this – they make money from introducer fees from the wills/savings accounts/insurance providers.

It's interesting to see – mainly because it’s not just about products, but helps you to tackle tricky questions around pensions contributions, wills and emergency savings, for example. And gives you some clear pointers on how to balance and improve things.

The purists will shout and scream that it’s not as good as a human financial adviser. And we’re all a bit suss about introducer fees I know. But many other product markets offer consumers different services at different price points – so I think this is super interesting and well worth a look.

That’s it from me. Off to buy some more rosé -for the sole purpose of adding to my long-term savings you understand.

Have a great weekend.

P.S.

These providers as usual do not know I’m writing this and have sadly not given me any money to say these things about them! Just a personal opinion on what’s new and interesting.

P.P.S

In partnership with BlackRock, we have created a content series which tackles some very real money issues, sharing candid views and experiences, as well as offering practical tips and help that follow on from the suggestions above. Have a look.