Want to get the best returns possible from holding cash [1]? Then you have to chase the best cash investment rates from the banks.
The best interest rates often only apply for a year, before the banks quietly reduce the rate, hoping you won’t notice. This means you have to move your money every year to keep it invested at the best rate possible.
It’s a hassle, but being an interest rate tart like this can be very profitable.
- In the ten years from 2000-2010, a UK saver getting the best cash investment rates every year by moving their money between accounts would have seen an average return of 5% a year – or 70% over the decade – according to recent research from Defaqto [2].
That means investing at the best cash rates was almost 30% more profitable than the 10-year return [3] if you’d stayed in the average savings account.
It’s even a tiny bit ahead of UK government bonds [4].
An easier way to get the best rate
Admittedly, chasing rates can be tiresome – it’s pretty tedious having to regularly open a new account in order to invest cash [5] for the best possible return.
Happily though there’s an account that does the work for you in the UK called the Investec High 5. (Update: They’ve just closed the account to new customers!)
The High 5 account always pays the average of the top five best rates in the UK in any particular week, and Investec is a respectable FSA-regulated bank, so you can put in £50,000 knowing the government will compensate you if the bank gets into trouble.
The downside is you need to have a minimum of £25,000 to qualify for the account, and you have to give 90 days notice to withdraw your money.
You can find the High 5 account here [6].
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If you want to make sure you’re getting the best cash investment rates without checking the comparison tables every week, it could be the perfect option.