Madonna has just turned 60. And while she may not be ‘hung up’ about it, your sixties is an important time to sort out your finances, ‘material girl’ (or guy) or not. Always a smart cookie, Madonna has carefully managed her career, reportedly amassing a £450m fortune over the past four decades. While she probably won’t have money troubles when she eventually retires, the rest…
Scottish Friendly has long warned of the danger of fraud when it comes to pension freedoms. We did, and continue to, welcome the fact that people can access their pension savings more easily and for many the change in legislation that allowed them to do this has been a boon. However, not enough has been done to protect people. Today comes the news that in…
Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, yesterday announced a 0.25 per cent rise in the base rate, bringing it up to 0.75 per cent from 0.5 per cent. It was headline news on last night’s broadcast news channels and it’s all over the front pages today. Why all the brouhaha about this? 0.75 per cent doesn’t seem very high, does it? And…
Inflation can be the big enemy of savers, eroding the value of their hard-earned money. Even if inflation ticked along at the level the Bank of England tries tirelessly to keep it at (2%) it could nonetheless have a significant impact over time on money sitting in cash if interest rates are lower than inflation. Currently1, inflation is 2.4% and the very best easy-access cash…
We recently ran a survey* to find out the most popular things that people save up and invest for. And while almost equal numbers of men and women said they put money aside for holidays and home improvements it was work in the garden – at number 4 in our survey – that most divided the sexes. In our survey, more than twice as many…
Research* shows that most grandparents love to save and invest for a grandchild. We know from our own experience that lots of grandparents put money away for their grandchildren. But that got us wondering – apart from money what else could you give a grandchild that will be of real, lasting value? So we asked the real experts – grans and granddads around the country,…
In 2018, Scottish Friendly is celebrating 20 years of the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour with the Scottish Book Trust. From 1998-2018 the tour has taken over 100 authors and illustrators to meet 100,000 children across Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. This June, Scottish Book Trust are taking the award-winning Scottish author, Chae Strathie back on the road. Chae first toured with the Children’s Book…
If you’ve ever fancied yourself as a future dinosaur keeper, now’s your chance to prove it. Play our free game, Dinosaur Keepers, to test out your skills. No apps or downloads – all you need is a competitive streak (and perhaps a BA in Jurassic Development). And don’t forget to challenge your friends on Facebook to see who’ll be promoted to top dinosaur keeper first….
Children from 73 schools in central Scotland and beyond are bursting with excitement this week. It’s not just because summer has arrived and they are anticipating their summer holidays. It’s because they can’t wait for the highlight event of the 20th Anniversary of the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour! Award-winning authors and illustrators will descend on Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall for the Scottish Friendly Children’s…
In 2018, Scottish Friendly is celebrating 20 years of the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour with the Scottish Book Trust. From 1998-2018 the tour has taken over 100 authors and illustrators to meet 100,000 children across Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. This May, Scottish Book Trust are taking the award-winning author, zoologist and TV presenter Nicola Davies back on the road. Nicola first toured with…
Need help?