When you move into your own place, you move all your worldly goods and, most precious to your heart, your family into it.

Do you want to protect it? Of course you do.

Home insurance comparison sites profess that home insurance is absolutely essential, but just how essential is it?

In the modern world, we’re faced with many dangers, and one of the biggest threats to our family’s safety is intrusion into the home.

Theft isn’t a construct of modern times; it’s an age-old problem:

“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay.

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UK interest rates have been held at a record low of 0.5% for the 32^nd consecutive month, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Commission announced today.

There has been no change in the UK base rate since March 2009. Economists had expected rates to stay the same again this month, amid concerns about the strength of the economic recovery.

The Bank also stated that there would be no change in its quantitative easing programme, which it extended last month. Through quantitative easing, the Monetary Policy Commission (MPC) is to inject £75 billion into the British economy.

This is on top of the £200 billion which the Bank has pumped into the economy through asset purchases between March 2009 and February 2010.

“With the members of the MPC having voted to hold rates and extend the quantitative easing programme by £75 billion last month, the general expectation was that there would be no change this time.  Quantitative easing is being carried out over a number of months and so the MPC is likely to want to see how the economy develops before making any further change,” said Barry Naisbitt, Chief Economist at Santander.

“The slow pace of growth over the past year, in the UK and in other economies, is of concern to the MPC.

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I have a confession. I have not kept track of my spending since 2008. In fact, I have never consistently kept track of my spending for more than 4 months at a stretch. In fact, I was rather happy about the fact that I didn’t need a budget. HA.

Lately, I’ve felt that money was just flowing out like water (plane tickets! hotel rooms! $30 brunches twice a weekend!), but I didn’t really have an idea of exactly how much I was spending. Don’t want to ignore my personal finance spidey senses, though, so for the month of November, I am going to keep track of every penny that CB and I spend. (If I am to start saving for a down payment for that eventual piece of property I can call my own, it’ll be really helpful to know how I can save more).

Unlike a good  personal finance blogger, I don’t really know what to expect. Of course, I know what we spend on rent. I know how often we go out to eat.

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The Roth IRA retirement plan is a new mantra for the middle, working class Americans. Brought into force under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, this scheme helps individuals to enjoy a tax free retirement life. It works on the norms that when an individual invests an amount during his working life, paying the required taxes at the time on the money s/he is going to save, then after retirement, the amount can be withdrawn tax free. To further understand this scheme, visit roth-ira.org.

Roth IRA scores well over the Traditional IRA scheme because it allows you to make withdrawals at the age of 52 years with no penalty to pay or at a minimum of five years after the first investment is made. Read more…

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In the competitive world of credit cards, each bank is trying to attract new customers by just about any means possible. Two of the primary tools they use to encourage new applicants are super-sized 21 month 0% balance transfer offers and constantly increasing sign up bonus offers. These bonus awards can be very valuable, with cardholders earning hundreds of dollars in cash – for example, the Chase Freedom $200 Visa – points, or airline miles. While some consumers focus on gaining the maximum benefit from the generous credit card offers, many are concerned that frequent applications for new credit will damage their credit score.

The precise formulas used to create credit scores are not released, but there is much that is known about them.  For example, 35% of a person’s FICO score is comprised of the consumer’s payment history, 30% by the amount owed, and 10% by the types of credit used.

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