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With New Year fast approaching talk at the Christmas dinner table will no doubt turn to 2008 and the resolutions we intend to make. Along with the usual ideas about joining the gym and learning a new language you might want to add sorting your finances to the list. Unlike turning yourself into Rocky Balboa or picking up Mandarin, sorting your finances can be done relatively easily with just a couple of hours of thought.
Ok so it might be a bit late to hop over to America for some Christmas shopping, but with experts predicting high street sales will continue long into January, there's still plenty of time to catch a bit of retail therapy in the Big Apple - or closer to home if you can't splash out on the air fare.
The British pound is now worth just over two dollars, having reached an all-time high recently. That means that if you have managed to get to the USA for some shopping this winter, Christmas really has come early.
Either way, MoneyExpert will take you through the best ways to finance the mother of all bargain hunts as millions embark on Christmas and New Year sales both abroad and right here in the UK.
Babies born this Christmas Day may not be bestowed with gold, frankincense and myrrh but they will receive £250 courtesy of the Government's Child Trust Fund (CTF) scheme. In addition to the Government's gifts, overall the nation's children are expected to receive £2.4 billion this year from generous family and friends.
So if you've got a new baby or are considering investing on behalf of your kids then MoneyExpert has some advice on the best ways to create a festive nest egg.
Equity release schemes have experienced something of a boom in recent years as more and more people see the advantages in raising some much-needed capital through their property.
The times have been good for property - over the past decade some people have seen the value of their homes more than double, so it is no surprise that equity release schemes have caught on again.
But equity release hasn't always had such good press. In the 80s mis-selling was rife and unregulated schemes left many people paying back a loan worth more than the value of their entire home.
So to make sure equity release is right for you MoneyExpert will help explain the process and steer you towards the right deal.
With the weather turning distinctly seasonal over the last few days it's hard to avoid the sense of imminent Christmas cheer. But as the mercury continues to plummet, our bank balances may be heading the same way.
For many of us the demands on our finances through December are going to be testing, and the refuge of the January pay-day can seem a long way off. If that's the case then a credit card of some sort may be the way to see you into the New Year.
However, cards can offer more than just some Christmas credit. MoneyExpert can give some top tips on what's hot and what's not.
The Christmas movie classic Home Alone shows exactly what the festive season means for burglars - although not all of them end up facing Macaulay Culkin.
The Home Alone burglars gloat about the lack of security and the piles of luxury items to steal.
Burglary at Christmas is an unfortunately common occurrence; when the holidays come around many of us take the opportunity to travel and see our family and friends. We leave our houses empty at a time when they are full of just the sorts of expensive items that would appeal to opportunistic thieves.
With the weather turning distinctly seasonal over the last few days it's hard to avoid the sense of imminent Christmas cheer. But as the mercury continues to plummet, so too, it seems, do our bank balances.
You can ignore the tails of woe from high street retailers; we're set to spend a record £33 billion this year, and for some of us, that will no doubt prove a serious stretch to our finances.
It can, however, still be a jolly season if you spend wisely, and follow some simple MoneyExpert saving tips.
Last week saw mortgage holders breathe a collective sigh of relief as the Bank of England dropped the base rate from 5.75% to 5.5%. This decision will make monthly outgoings on the mortgage that bit more affordable. For those people considering taking out a mortgage or thinking about a re-mortgaging however the issue of application fees has never been more prominent. In 2002, a Halifax mortgage with a rate of 3.99% on a £150,000 mortgage came with a £299 fee, today the fee is a staggering £4,500 on a much higher rate of 5.29%.
British children are due to receive a cash windfall of some £2.4 billion1 this Christmas as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles turn to pounds and pennies for presents this year.
MoneyExpert.com research2 shows that just under half (48%) of all adults will give cash gifts to kids this festive period, with this group handing over, on average, around £94.82.
The independent financial comparison website says that most adults are likely to give children between £20 and £50 and it is urging children - or their parents - receiving the windfalls to think carefully about where they save their cash.
MoneyExpert.com analysis shows the average interest rate paid by kids' savings accounts is an impressive 4.975 per cent - but there are plenty of poor deals out there.
More than 130 accounts are on the market for children from banks and building societies but MoneyExpert.com figures show 30 pay less than the average with some as low as 1.5 per cent for sums of £1/£5/£10.
Sean Gardner, Chief Executive of MoneyExpert.com, said: "Giving kids some cash for Christmas is a good way to put a smile on their face - and possibly help them to get the savings habit.
There are several ways to find loans on Newoverloans.com
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