Useful Websites, Free Software We Like and Other Bits & Pieces
Worried About The £35k Bank Guarantee? This Site is Great
Thanks to reader Rachel W for publishing this site and letting me know about it because it's very welcome.
Most of us know that every bank will guarantee our money up to £35k should any serious problems occur. But what if you have savings with 2 banks who are part of the same group? If they are using the same FSA registration number, you would only get compensation up to a total of £35,000 for the combined amount you held with them.
So if you have a few accounts with different banks go to www.HowSafeIsYourMoney.co.uk, enter the bank and the amount you've got deposited and it tells you how much is guaranteed and how much is at risk.
For those with large cash savings spread around a few banks this site is a must visit.
Understand & Protect Your Credit Rating
This free website looks good. All sorts of information and advice about your Credit File.
Personal credit files are now all the more important because of the credit crunch and I cannot highlight enough the importance of keeping a clean one.
One of the easiest tricks to getting and keeping a good score is to simply pay your bills on time, at least a week before the final date.
Buying Or Selling A Car This Guide Looks Invaluable
Apparently, due to many reasons (economy, new car tax rates, price of fuel etc) prices in the second hand car market have really plummeted with high end marques bearing the brunt of the falls.
So if you're in the market for a car you'd be well advised to do even more research than normal because you can bet those shady car dealers (not all are shady of course) will be even more desperate to play tricks.
Overpaying I think is the one to watch out for but right now because it seems to be a buyers market. Don't forget that when buying something like a car you have the balance of power because you can choose who to buy from.
One way is to get the latest up to date pricing information is to use the new service offered by the famous second hand car bible Glass's Guide. They're now selling individual valuations on their website for around £3.50. Check the site out if you're interested as they have a sample valuation certificate to download.
Got Debt Problems? Talk To These People (Free Advice)
Starting to talk is so important when dealing with personal debt. And by far the best people to talk with are the debt help charities.
The best known is the National Debtline but another one has caught our eye over the last month or so - The Money Advice Trust.
What's interesting about the Money Advice Trust is that they seem to offer debt guidance and help for businesses - See the small box on the right hand side of their website.
Again, if you are in debt or know of anyone that is get talking with somebody, that's the sensible and in fact the only way to start to approach the problem.
Got Computer Networking Problem? Check Out Network Magic
I'm not bad with computers and technology in general but nothing over the years has caused me more problems that networking.
In fact if you read the computer press, specifically the Q&A sections of the magazines, networking questions and problems play a dominant role.
But in the last few months I found some software called Network Magic, a simple to install utility that costs around £30. It takes 5 minutes to setup and the running of a network then becomes simple and a breeze to manage including sharing folders/directories (photos & music for example) and printers.
If you're running a network, even a small home one with 2 or more computers I'd strongly recommend you check out the software. I think it comes with a free 7 day trial.
