OVER A THIRD OF PEOPLE IN THE NORTH WEST ARE LIVING HAND TO MOUTH

12 November 2002

OVER A THIRD OF PEOPLE IN THE NORTH WEST ARE LIVING HAND TO MOUTH

· Over half of the people in the North West fail to save regularly

· One quarter admit to saving less than £25 a month

These are the findings from the Get Saving! report produced by IFA Promotion, the organisation promoting the benefits of local independent financial advice. According to their research the UK faces a savings shortfall of £66 billion, threatening the future financial security of two thirds of the population. Broken down, this translates into over a third of people in the North West failing to save anything at all in the last three months, supporting strongly the fact that six in ten Britons need to save £2,000 or more a year.

Financial experts recommend that people save at least 10-15% of their pay to secure an adequate retirement income and start pension saving as soon as possible. More should be saved to ensure they could cope with future financial or lifestyle changes before retirement, and to reduce reliance on diminishing state support.

While a minority of people in the North West (42%) are used to saving regularly on a monthly basis, worryingly over a quarter of people admit to having saved just £25 or less in the last month and only one in ten have managed to put away £1,000 or more in the last three months.

David Elms. Chief Executive of IFA Promotion commented, “The Get Saving! research highlights a stark and very worrying situation that exists in the UK. Nationally people need to be saving on average an extra £2000 more a year and people in the North West are no exception – with over a third living hand to mouth each month”

Amongst those people in the North West who are lucky enough to have adopted the habit of saving, over a third save for specific purchases such as a holiday or car, and three in ten are saving to provide a safety net for themselves. However, it is important to note that over a quarter of savers in this region are happy to be paying into their savings whilst repaying debt at the same time.

Here’s how Greater London stacks up against other regions:

Region	I save every month	I have been unable to save in the last 3 months	I have saved £25 or less in the last month	I save to provide a safety net
Greater London	38%	34%	19%	32%
Rest of South East	40%	34%	25%	30%
South West	37%	39%	25%	39%
Wales	41%	42%	44%	20%
East Anglia	38%	32%	19%	31%
East Midlands	44%	35%	22%	40%
West Midlands	41%	35%	29%	30%
Yorkshire/The Humber	45%	30%	29%	37%
North West	42%	35%	27%	30%
North East	46%	30%	21%	33%
Scotland	38%	40%	29%	34%
UK total	41%	35%	26%	32%

Note: sums are quoted with precision but there is some rounding of underlying amounts and percentages, which render them approximate; they may not always add to totals due to the effect of this rounding

Source: RAKM for IFA Promotion

Elms continued, “While its encouraging to see that some are managing to get into the habit of saving regularly, the facts point to one clear message – millions need to save more for their financial futures and should start off by visiting their local independent financial adviser to talk through their finances. While the situation is not going to be resolved over night, it’s vital that people start to take this situation seriously, since in ten, twenty and certainly thirty years time, the state won’t be bailing anyone out. People need to act now – its time to get saving.”

Call 0800 085 3250 in confidence or visit www.unbiased.co.uk for IFA Promotion’s How to Get Saving! factsheet, looking at why we need to save, how much we should be putting away and the range of ways to do so.

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

David Elms or Richard Winder/ Liz Willder

Chief Executive

IFA Promotion Lansons Communications

Tel: 020 7833 3131 Tel 0207 490 8828

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