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Unsurprisingly, half the working population are not saving enough to help them when it comes to their pension.

The Association of British Insurer’s 2008 ‘State of the Nation’s Savings’ survey shows that almost half the working population, some 13 million people, are either not saving enough or not saving at all for their retirement.

The ABI has called for more people to be saving, especially in these fiscally dark times. So go for offset – the ultimate saving vehicle.

Working people don’t want to save because their pensions and their long-term goals are exactly that, long-term. But with an offset the long-term goals of saving allow you short-term gains in the form of cheaper mortgage repayments.

Pensions are necessary, but just as necessary is lowering your personal debt and paying off your mortgage – which is a reality with offset. The more you save, the lower your rate and in turn the more you can pay off your home loan.

Stephen Haddrill, director general of the ABI, says: “We must not forget that they are long-term investments which deliver excellent returns over that timescale. Not saving is far riskier than saving, so people should think very carefully before cutting back.”

To stay abreast of current trends, news and comment on offseting mortgages visit the Offset Mortgage Blog.

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The Government has made it very clear that they want the nation to spend, not to save in an attempt to save the economy.

In his pre-Budget report, the Chancellor Alistair Darling temporarily cut VAT from 17.5% to 15% to get people spending, which he hopes will curb any recession.

Of course, it might be good for the country, but it might not be good for the individual. If you are still feeling insecure about your job, about your bills and about your prospects, a product such as an offset mortgage is a much better option than spending.

An offset will help you save and help you lower your mortgage costs - which will save you a lot more in the long run than any small tax cuts the Government can offer.

Spending might be the answer to solve the Government’s woes, but it is not the answer for most people. With Christmas round the corner, it might be tempting to spend, but resist. The recession is coming and that means cutting down now to save pain later.

If you want to put your money in a more secure and lucrative place than a shop’s till, go for offset. Things might not get any better for the nation, but they can get better for you.

To stay abreast of current trends, news and comment on offseting mortgages visit the Offset Mortgage Blog.

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UK savers are owed £2.2bn by Iceland – but the country has finally agreed to reimburse Brits.

The Treasury has stepped in to guarantee British deposits in collapsed bank Icesave, but as yet not all of the money has been returned.

But UK savers should see their savings come back to British shores as the International Monetary Fund gives Iceland £6.8bn to get its banks back on track.

As many as a third of a million British depositors were left fearing for their savings after Icesave, a popular savings vehicle based in Iceland was frozen. The move came after Landsbanki was nationalised by the Icelandic government.

At first there were fears that the Icelandic banks would not be able to give non-Icelandic savers their cash back. The Government enacted terrorism laws to save some money and the chancellor Alistair Darling stepped in to guarantee the savers’ deposits. Earlier this week the Icelandic Government promised to guarantee the first £18,000 of anyone’s savings which were in Iceland.

Now it seems that the whole amount will be returned, a condition of the IMF loan.

To stay abreast of current trends, news and comment on offseting mortgages visit the Offset Mortgage Blog.

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Mortgage rates have been leaping all across the board recently - offset, sub prime, self cert and even safe prime mortgages are a lot more expensive than they once were. So to combat this, you must reduce mortgage interest somehow, and the best way to do that is to offset savings against your mortgage. But is it as critical as the newspapers say? The media love a horror story, but what truth is there behind the rate crisis in the UK mortgage market? Will you be able to find a cheap mortgage anywhere? Do you need to reduce mortgage interest now?

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2008 has been a tough year for mortgage holders. Rates are on the rise and more people are coming to the end of their cheap, easy two-year fixed rate products. So there are going to be a few rate shocks: many homeowners could see their mortgages rising by hundreds of pounds a month. That’s why flexible remortgages are so important for homeowners in 2008. Flexible remortgages can give mortgage holders the chance to get used to the new way of things and allow them to adjust to a radical new mortgage world. So if you are coming to the end of your mortgage, maybe you need a mortgage that can work round your changing situation.

Read more about Flexible Remortgages

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When it comes to offsetting money against your mortgage, timing is everything. The best way to save money, and the best way to make money is to plan and plan again. It has to be a constant thought, how will this spending, or this saving affect my offset mortgage? Is it better to save now and spend later? If you always bear that in mind and follow some simple pointers, there is no reason why you cannot fully maximise your earnings and your savings. So if you have an offset account, learn how to make the most of offsetting your money.

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Every newspaper story and TV report tells us that no one is doing well with their mortgage, people are on the breadline, thousands are being thrown out of their homes after missing impossibly high mortgage payments. Well its not the case for everyone. There are some people who own a mortgage who are actually making mortgage savings, not mortgage losses. Because they are using their money to offset their mortgage repayments, the more they save, the lower their rate. So ignore the doom and gloom and begin to dream of mortgage savings, choose an offset as your next home finance.

Learn more about offset mortgage savings

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There are three good places to look for offset mortgage reviews. Offset mortgage reviews can be found on financial comparison sites, in the financial press and on consumer review sites. Wherever potential mortgage holders look, they will want to find out certain essential information. This is why good offset mortgage reviews will focus on the cost to the borrower, the perks that might be offered and the experience other people have had with particular offset mortgage lenders. These three sources of offset mortgage reviews are compared and evaluated so that borrowers can decide which is the best source for them.

Read our Offset Mortgage Reviews

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Flexible discount mortgages can be a godsend, a mortgage that allows you to call the shots whether that means overpaying, underpaying or even not paying at all for a limited period. Its the perfect product for those whose income is up and down, month by month. Maybe you are self employed, maybe you rely on commission or bonuses or maybe you have ad hoc casual work. But what do you need to make sure your flexible discount mortgages work? What will be an asset and what will help you get by day to day? Where do you exactly need the flexibility?

Learn more about Flexible Discount Mortgages

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When it comes to offset mortgages, you have a lot of choices. Its the ultimate flexible mortgage that can help you save, help you earn and work with anything you do in life. So offset comes in many permutations but it will always come down to two decisions. Offset comes as current account and offset mortgages, offset that works with a lump sum or offset that works as a large bank account. Both deals offer infinite chances and bonuses for the borrower but both works very differently. So how do they differ? And how do you choose between current account and offset mortgages?

Find out more about Current Account and Offset Mortgages