For those of you who have never tried online banking you really do not know what you are missing. It is such a convenient way to pay your bills, keep track of the money in your accounts and make your investments. The beauty of it is that it is all done on secure websites with passwords and layers of protection for your money. This is only part of the convenience.

Presumably the object of having a bank account is to save you money, or at least to help you more easily and properly manage it. But there are also several ways in which your use (or misuse, as the case may be) of your personal banking account could lose you money. Below you'll find out how to avoid the eight most common blunders when it comes to personal banking.

Opening a business account is a crucial element of starting up a business. While it is not a legal requirement, the benefits listed below must be considered by all fledgling businesses.

If you've been keeping an eye on the media over the last few months, especially the parts of it covering personal finance, you can't fail to have noticed the huge row over bank charges. Stories abound of customers reclaiming thousands in backdated fees from their banks, and with consumer groups, activists, and government regulators squaring up towards seemingly intransigent banks, the stage is set...

Most of us know what a bank is. We know that in order to better manage our financial life; we should have both a checking and savings account at a minimum. We also know their services are similar across the board for most banks.

Online banking facilities have the potential to make our financial lives much easier, letting us conduct our financial affairs at a time that suits us rather than having to fit in with the opening hours of your bank branch.It is now possible to pay bills, move money between accounts, set up direct debits and standing orders, and even apply for overdrafts and credit all from your own home, all...

A current account is a vital part of our everyday lives, and acts as the hub of our financial activities. Our wages are paid into the account, many of our bills are paid from it automatically, other bills are paid by checks drawn on it, and it is from this account that we usually withdraw our cash for everyday spending. As these accounts are so important, it is perhaps a little surprising that the...

Although many customers were initially wary about the safety of online banking when it was first introduced, it has in fact always been a pretty safe proposition. Strong security measures were put in place right from the start, and even though there were occasional breaches that led to a few accounts being accessed by unauthorised persons, customers were protected by a guarantee that unless any...

It's always advisable to try and put some money aside for a rainy day, so that if you meet an unexpected expense or repair bill you'll be able to cope financially. It's also prudent to save some of your income as an investment for your future, especially in these days of uncertain pension prospects. Many people choose to invest in stocks and shares as over time this is likely to provide the best...

As anyone who has a passing interest in financial matters will be well aware of by now, the world economy is entering uncertain times. The so-called 'credit crunch', where banks are finding it harder and harder to finance their operations by taking out cheap credit with each other, is causing no small amount of alarm amongst analysts the world over.While there isn't yet a consensus on what the...

If you've been searching for a new bank account or mortgage, you're quite likely to have come across the term offset banking. It's a relatively recent development in the financial world, and has the potential to save certain groups of people large amounts of money.While the concept of offsetting can be used in a wide variety of financial situations, the most common scenario is combining a mortgage...