If you spent any significant part of your early adult life in the 80s or 90s, first of all, you were listening to some great music. Second of all, your 90s attitude to money because of high interest savings accounts probably screwed you up for life.
The news headlines today are screaming about interest rates rising as the government tries to fight inflation. And, although the rate of increase IS high (because a jump from 0.1 to 1.25 since December 2021 means interest rates are 12.5 higher now compared with half a year ago), to anyone who was bopping along to Ice Ice Baby, 1.25 is nothing.
Back in 1990, when the song was a hit, you could get 13.56 interest in a savings account. Depending on your age, you probably didn’t have a mortgage, so high interest savings account were your friend. Your parents might have had a mortgage, but they’d probably bought their house for chickenfeed as the average UK house price in the late 70s was under £20,000, and under £30,000 in the mid-1980s.
High interest savings
Good money advice then was to put your money in a high-interest savings account. Back when crisp packets were crinkly and Bird’s Ice Magic would crack on top of your ice cream, if you were patient enough to wait for it to set, high interest actually meant HIGH.
Money in high interest savings accounts in the late 80s and early 90s beat inflation and earned you a nice profit. Sound advice to students was to take out the full whack of student loans, stick the free cash in a high-interest account, and then pay it back at the end of uni, skimming off your profits.
Unthinkable to today’s students.
Saving basically WAS investing, so there was no need to invest in the stock market and take on any risk.
It’s no wonder that we didn’t learn anything about investing at school, and probably not from our parents. School, unfortunately – criminally, I think – has never included financial literacy in the skills it sent you out into the world with. And, for most people, if their parents taught them anything about money, it was to be a good saver.
Just like you might still love Vogue by Madonna, I’m Free by The Soup Dragons or U Cant Touch This by MC Hammer, you might still think saving is being “good” with money.
But interest on savings has been beaten by inflation at various points since 2008.
Saving alone is not enough any more.
Continuing to just save, but not invest, is like admitting you listen to the 1990 hits Saviour’s Day by Cliff Richard and How Am I Supposed to Live Without You by Michael Bolton*.
Only by investing money can you have any hope of beating inflation over the long term and growing your money. The good news is that it’s never too late to learn, investing is actually easy and not hard work, and I can teach you all you need to know in 6 weeks with my online course, the chilled investor.
Plus, if you’ve spent the last 20 years honing a saving habit, you’re going to be amazing at setting money aside.
And, if you’ve been put off saving because of having to “Be An Adult” since 2008, learning about investing will motivate excellent money habits as it provides a worthwhile destination point to saving.
I beta-tested the sold-out pilot course in June but will be opening the doors to enrol again in August for the Sept-Oct course. Sign up to my newsletter below to make sure you’re one of the first to hear when places are available. More details on what to expect on the course here, or head over to my contact page to ask me a question.
*I do love that song, and happily admit it, BUT I am redeemed as I no longer only save my money, I invest it!
Feedback from people on the course:
Thanks so much for the first two sessions – really fabulous. I already feel a lot less panicky about investing, not because I know it all but because I feel like I’m starting to know what questions to ask. Sooooo helpful.
We’re only two weeks in and I’m already chomping at the bit waiting to put my money somewhere 🤣🤣🤣