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How Interest Rates Affect Your Savings

By: Mark Bartley


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Interest rates in the UK can change for a number of reasons, so if you're planning on saving some money it's worth understanding how they work. Savings can typically add up over time, through regular deposits and money added from interest. But interest rates can change for a number of reasons, and because of this it is important to know how they can affect your savings.

Interest rates affect significantly how much you can earn on your savings, especially if you are relying on the income from larger amounts of savings. Many of us rely on some kind of savings, or asset such as a property or land that could increase in value over time and become a means of support in the future. When interest rates are high that can mean for many people that it is better to increase their wealth through a savings account. But when they are low it could be that they are better off putting their money into something else that can add value to their overall wealth.

Interest rates in the UK are in the first instance set by the Bank of England. Although ultimately the banks and building societies can set their own interest rate, it is likely to be based on whatever the Bank of England has declared as the base rate. The reason the Bank of England sets an interest rate is because it is attempting to influence the level of expenditure in the UK economy. This is to keep control over inflation, as by increasing interest rates on borrowing money, people are likely to spend less. This can help keep prices down and inflation under control.

Banks and building societies borrow money from the Bank of England, according to the interest rate it sets. Because the banks and building societies rely on the Bank of England for money, they are then likely to adjust their interest rates at which they lend money to their customers. The same applies to those with savings accounts. Because the financial institutions that keep deposits for savers are borrowing money from the Bank of England at a set interest rate, they can afford to pay savers interest according to that rate.

The important thing to remember is that this does not mean that you will always get what the Bank of England interest rate is when you save money. This is because the banks and building societies try to make a profit from the difference between the rate they set to customers, be they borrowers or savers, and the rate at which they borrow from the Bank of England.

The interest rate offered on savings can vary significantly according to the market for savings accounts and whether the banks or building societies are trying to attract new savers. So by comparing interest rates online across the banks and building societies it could make a difference to how much interest your savings earn. This means it is important to compare savings accounts if you want to get a good interest rate for your money. Comparing online is recommended if you want to save time and be sure to get the most comprehensive range of savings accounts to choose from.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Max Bartley covers a range of finance areas like savings accounts. Coming soon will be further reviews from Max on other financial subjects like this.

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