It has been reported today that public sector pensions are costing UK taxpayers more than initially indicated, with the originally quoted figure of £770 billion increasing by over 50% to £1,200 billion, or £1.2 trillion. This astonishing statistic has been reported today by ThisIsMoney, with further news that the figure is not actually comprised of all public sector pensions; certain retirement funds such as those paid to local government staff are not included.

When this figure is broken down, it equates to £47,000 per household. At a time of economic difficulty, many UK workers are having to go without a pension. Fronting a massive bill for someone else’s retirement fund, whilst having to sacrifice their own, will be a difficult pill to swallow for UK private sector workers.

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Dog owners in England and Wales are facing new legislation that would enforce third-party insurance covering against possible attacks by ‘man’s best friend’. The government has grown increasingly concerned about dangerous breeds with more than 100 people each week being admitted to hospital after dog attacks, according to the BBC.

It is thought that illegal dog breeds are being used both as status symbols and weapons by many of their owners. The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act banned ownership of the pit bull terrier, the Japanese tosa, the dogo Argentino and the fila Brasileiro. Police were also granted additional powers, enabling them to take whatever action necessary to deal with any breed of dangerous dog if it loses control in a public place.

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No Smoking Day is upon us, and with that we receive a timely reminder of how much money can be saved through stubbing out the habit for good. Life insurer Aviva has released statistics showing that if smokers quit, they will pay significantly less on their life insurance premiums.

Women who hit 35 on their next birthdays, can save up to £40.56 if they’ve quite smoking and are on a 15 year level term assurance (without critical illness cover) and with a sum assured of £75,000. Men who are 25 on their next birthdays can, with 30 year level term (with reviewable critical illness cover) with a sum assured of £125,000, can net a saving of £151.56 annually.

Astonishingly, a smoke-free 45 year old male will make a maximum saving of £276.60 annually for his 10 year level term policy (no critical illness cover), with a sum assured of £50,000.

Aviva revealed that 15% of their customers are still smoking, and, according to the Office of National Statistics, two thirds of British smokers do want to quit. The habit comes at both a financial and physical cost, with information about quitting available at smokefree.nhs.uk. This site will provide you will details about how smoking affects your health, and also allows you to operate a smoking cost calculator. If your pack of 20 cigarettes costs £5, and you smoke 20 a day, it is costing you £1825 annually; the equivalent of 30 Premier League tickets, or 6 weekends in Paris.

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Recent figures suggest that people in the UK are being forced to turn to payday loans and credit cards such as Vanquis in an attempt to keep themselves above water. This results in crippling interest rates that families will struggle to pay back. Credit firm Provident Financial receives 2,700 applications per day for its Vanquis card, according to the Mail Online.

The Telegraph recently revealed that one in five Britons have three or more credit cards, with 17% using one of their cards at least once a day. A quarter of the UK’s 30 million credit cards saw an increase in interest rate over the last year, with credit card debts of £2,000 now taking two years to clear if you pay back £100 a month.

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Alliance & Leicester’s Premier Current Account presently offers a £100 cashback incentive, combined with an interest free overdraft for 12 months, free annual European travel insurance and a 0.5% credit interest rate. Fairinvestment.co.uk has announced that Alliance & Leicester will be calling an end to its £100 cashback offer (currently the most generous on the market), with the date firmly set at March 7th of this year.

Helen Bierton, head of current accounts for Alliance & Leicester, offers words of encouragement to potential customers: “Changing your current account is hassle free with our premier switching service so customers do not need to worry about re-directing direct debits or standing orders.”

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With the new registration coming out today, many people will be looking to renew their car insurance. Moneysupermarket says that 7.3 million drivers will renew with their current car insurer, without examining the variety of options available from other potential providers. This means that a staggering 22% of the UK’s drivers are not even trying to save, despite the abundance of car insurers looking for your business!

UK drivers are wasting an astonishing £1.3 billion; an average of £180 per policyholder. 14% of those choosing to automatically renew their car insurance simply do not believe they will find a better deal, whilst 8% just cannot be bothered! Comparison websites offer people any easy and quick way to check if they could save money on their car insurance; but blind loyalty and a certain amount of laziness is costing almost £200 per person.

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