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Investment advice

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If you have more money coming in than going out, or a lump sum, you may be wondering how to make the most of it.

Savings and investments are very different. Savers usually want a safe place for their money where they can get at it easily. Investors tend to want their money to grow by at least the rate of inflation, and accept that it may be tied up for some time.

Each investment has its own level of risk. There is no guarantee that you will make money, or even make your money back. In general: 

  • the greater the risk, the greater the potential for reward or loss
  • the greater the ease of access, normally the lower the reward.

If you are considering investing with a financial company, thoroughly research their strength and reputation. If you give your money to someone else or manage and invest, there is a danger you could lose it through mismanagement or fraud.

Never risk any sum of money you can’t afford to lose.

Seeking financial advice

Seek professional advice from an independent financial advisor before investing your money. Only authorised financial advisers can advise on certain types of investment, including pensions, life assurance, shares, unit trusts and lifetime mortgage equity release schemes.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) authorises such firms of advisers. To check if a firm is authorised, call the FSA Consumer Helpline on 0845 606 1234 or visit opens link in new window the FSA website and follow the Firm Check Service link.

opens link in new window Download the guide Money matters (PDF 2MB)

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Campaign

More money in your pocket

Age UK has launched the more money in your pocket campaign - to help us claim all the money we are owed. Last year‚ Age UK helped put more than £100 million in unclaimed benefits in the pockets of those of us in later life and our carers. Help us to do better this year.

We are grateful for the generous support of Dr Naim Dangoor CBE
and The Exilarch's Foundation

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Age UK Advice:
0800 169 6565
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Useful website

  • The Financial Services Authority is the independent watchdog set up by the Government to regulate financial services and protect your rights. They have booklets, factsheets and a consumer helpline giving advice on saving, investing or generally looking after your money.

Useful information to download

  • An information guide that offers further advice on how to choose the right accounts and policies to suit your circumstances.
  •  
    An information guide that covers money management, including budgeting and maximising your income.
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Help with downloads

Downloads

What is a download?

A download is a document (like a research report, a leaflet, or an application form) that can be transferred from our website to your computer. You can download a file, view it on your screen, print it, or save it to your computer.

What is a PDF?

PDF stands for ‘portable document format’.

Most downloads on this website are PDFs. We use this format to ensure that the document looks the same on everyone’s computer (website pages, by contrast, appear differently depending on how people have set their computer up).

How do I download a PDF?

Computers use a program called Adobe Acrobat Reader to download PDFs. If you try clicking on a link to download a PDF and it doesn’t work, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader onto your computer.

How do I install Adobe Acrobat Reader?

The process is quite straightforward and is free.

  1. Go to opens link in new window http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/
  2. Click ‘Download’.
  3. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Run’, then choose this option.
  4. Click ‘Next’.
  5. Click ‘Install’
  6. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Finish’, then choose this option.

How do I change a download?

PDFs cannot be changed. If you need to be able to type into a downloaded document (for example, if we are offering a letter template that you need to put your name on) we will provide it as a Microsoft Word document rather than a PDF. You can then download it, type into it and save it to your computer.

How do I print or save a download?

Downloads will open on your computer in a new browser window.

Inside this window (below all your web browser menus), there will be a toolbar with options for you to print or save the document.

Close the browser window to return to the Age UK website.

Can my screen reader read PDF downloads?

We have made every effort to make our PDFs accessible to screen readers. Here is an overview of your accessibility options available in Acrobat Reader. Please ensure that you have downloaded the latest version of Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Reader website to ensure that they are included in your version of the programme.

You can use Adobe Reader to read a PDF out loud with the following shortcut keys:

  • Read the document: Shift +Ctrl+Y
  • Read the open page only: Shift +Ctrl+V
  • Read to the end of the document: Shift+Ctrl+B
  • Pause: Shift+Ctrl+C
  • Stop Shift+Ctrl+E

You can also convert a PDF into a web page by following these steps:

  • Copy the URL (web address) of the document (right-click on the link and select ‘Save target as’ or ‘Copy link’).
  • Open the Adobe online conversion tool in your browser and paste the URL into the URL box.
  • Tick the HTML box on the Format option and click ‘Convert’.

You can convert a PDF document into a text file for use with other software and hardware such as Braille printers by opening the PDF and choosing ‘Save as text’ from the File menu.

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