Pay Rise

[dohnut]

Hmm. Here's my research.

The last few years aside, annual average inflation was last under1% in 2000. For 01-04 it was less than 2% - peanuts, IMO. Today's news is UK inflation rate leaps to 2.3%. Could be a blip, don't know what the outcome of recent hoo-ha about car insurance will be.

My opinion is that the focus should be pensions - even though that doesn't personally affect me, hugely. I plan to use my shares to cover "unpaid leave", should that be necessary. Does (any)one think I should move them into savings, should they drop below a certain price? (example - first direct currently do 5% up to £3.6K). TIA.

You would get £180 a year, not enough to make a massive difference, try stocks and shares isa more risk but more reward.

[yellowbelly]

Hmm. Here's my research.

The last few years aside, annual average inflation was last under1% in 2000. For 01-04 it was less than 2% - peanuts, IMO. Today's news is UK inflation rate leaps to 2.3%. Could be a blip, don't know what the outcome of recent hoo-ha about car insurance will be.

My opinion is that the focus should be pensions - even though that doesn't personally affect me, hugely. I plan to use my shares to cover "unpaid leave", should that be necessary. Does (any)one think I should move them into savings, should they drop below a certain price? (example - first direct currently do 5% up to £3.6K). TIA.

You would get £180 a year, not enough to make a massive difference, try stocks and shares isa more risk but more reward.

The headline rate of 5% appears to give you 180 on 3600 but it doesn't. As it's a monthly saver (max 300 per month) you effectively get half the interest
rate (2.5%) on 3600 as you don't have 3600 in the account from day one, so it's only about 90 quid interest per year - it's a good advertising trick.....

[visigoth]

Thanks for the replies. I'd actually phoned the bank & the bloke quoted £180. Then he called back 30 mins later: "sorry, £116 actually". So that's a part-option for my DIY pay rise, since I don't expect anything from RM.

Any thoughts on shares - they'll go through the floor if strikes are announced, right?

[lightningpostman]

with a rentention rate of 5% we deserve a pay rise and real quick

[toomuchcoke]

Any thoughts on shares - they'll go through the floor if strikes are announced, right?

Maybe ... But I wouldn't particularly be buying more shares in the RM anyway due to not wanting too much of my net-worth to be tied up with the company[1]. OTOH I am throwing quite a bit into other shares - 2015 I got £263.99 in dividends, 2016 I got £332.70 and this year I'm expecting to be comfortably on the far side of £450.00.

[1] That said, I am planning on keeping the free shares, I'm paying the smallest possible amount into the SAYE scheme and I also bought the smallest economical amount via my stockbroker about a year ago which are in a dividend reinvestment plan. However in general, week-on-week and month-on-month, the percentage of my net-worth that's due to shares in the RM is shrinking all the time.